City of Toronto’s Post

🗞️OP-ED: BIDs at 40: Four decades of building a New York City for everyone Our city’s partnership with business improvement districts enters its fifth decade stronger than ever, write SBS Commissioner Kevin D. Kim and NYC BID Association Co-chairs Erin Piscopink and Robert Benfatto. In 1984, New York City was pulling itself out from the depths of a decade of crisis. The city shed more than one-tenth of its population in the prior decade, arsonists scorched entire blocks of homes and businesses, and families that had called New York home for generations were fleeing to the suburbs. Near Union Square, a handful of shopkeepers decided to band together and plant a stake in their city’s future. Not content with scrubbing graffiti from their windows each morning, they formed the Union Square Partnership—the city's first Business Improvement District or “BID.” Over the last 40 years, New York City has become home to the nation’s largest network of BIDs, with 75 non-profit organizations covering nearly 300 miles of commercial corridors that – last year alone - infused more than $194 million in services into our city’s local neighborhoods and economy. Read the full article in Crain's New York Business by SBS Commissioner Kevin D. Kim and NYC BID Association Co-chairs Erin Piscopink and Robert Benfatto: https://lnkd.in/e3bk7RMB

The Holyhead Walk Of Fame? As we look at ways to #regenerate our high streets and town centres, we should also be ready to celebrate our collective successes. And we think this would do just that, while contributing to the rejuvenation. We think that what every town needs is a small strip of public space to celebrate anyone in the town who’s done something good for it. A Walk of Fame. For anyone opening a shop, not closing shop. For staffing and supporting the food bank. Keeping the church, library, youth centre, drop-in centre, day care going? Also in. Selflessly keeping the planters planted, lobbying the local authority for funding? Included. Raising money with bake-sales, jumble-sales, sponsored walks, sponsored runs? Thanked. Buying the local paper. Buying locally made products. Shopping for local services. Celebrated. Doing anything they can to help the place not just survive, but hopefully to thrive. Recognised for it. Every town: from Hollywood, Worcestershire and Hollins Green, Cheshire to Hollinfare, Lancashire. A walk of fame for people who can be bothered. Who DO make a positive difference. Not that people need recognition for altruism, or feel that it's warranted. But the way to saving town centres isn’t just in looking to rescue buildings and real estate. It’s about #restoring #communities. And how we recognise that we can all make the difference. So let’s #celebrate that by giving the difference-makers pride of place. Let’s take a walk together, and remind ourselves that there’s plenty of good going on. Image from OUT OF SIGHT, 2017, by conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner (Pérez Art Museum Miami.) #MedaShapes

To meet a growing need, Enfield Food Distribution is working with a multidisciplinary team featuring Cornellians from Cornell Engineering, Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and Cornell University: Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy to design and raise funds for a larger, more welcoming facility. The team's work is made possible thanks to a grant from David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement. More at https://lnkd.in/gaWJBwip.

Watch Now - Appleby Blue: A Visionary Approach to Senior Living. Our acclaimed project, designed by Witherford Watson Mann architects and delivered for United St Saviour's Charity is a testament to innovative design and community-centred care for later living. This short film delves into the inspiring journey of Appleby Blue, showcasing how the needs and aspirations of residents played an integral role behind its innovative design. It showcases how through the creation of a strong connection with the local community, thoughtful design can significantly enhance the quality of life for those in later life. In addition, it highlights the role developers can play in shaping better towns and cities through partnerships with local authorities and charities. Appleby Blue is a model for future developments, inspiring a new era of later living. 🎥 Palladian Media

Veteran Housing Corp says that IF YOU ARE NOT PART OF A PERMANENT AND LASTING SOLUTION TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS AND HOMELESSNESS, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IS BROKEN AND NOT WORKING FOR AMERICAN TAXPAYERS Veteran Housing Corp would ask every TAXPAYER to demand and get answers from their elected and appointed government officials the below questions as they relate to any affordable, workforce, or supportive housing project in your community! 1. How much local, state, and federal funding, tax credits, or other government benefits or incentives did the project receive? 2. What is the affordability period for each project? Is the affordability period permanent and in perpetuity? 3. What guarantees exist have your local, state, and federal government officials obtained in writing that rents will not go up or that tenants will not be displaced or evicted after the "affordability period expires? Every local, state, and federal housing authority and affordable or workforce housing stakeholder should adopt the State of Vermont's "permanent affordability" policy as a model for all future government funded or subsidized housing projects or developments, no exceptions! https://lnkd.in/eFEUC8c8 Additionally, local, state and federal housing agencies should look to the Helsinki, FINLAND MODEL of ending homelessness by providing affordable housing for all 'It’s a miracle': Helsinki's radical solution to homelessness https://lnkd.in/er9HZSQU Even the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development AGREES THAT adopting FINLAND'S MODEL OF ERADICATING HOMELESSNESS may be of great value to resolving the affordable housing and homelessness crises in America https://lnkd.in/gkSZWYRU

Last night I attended an event offered by The Walrus to hear folks speak for 7 minutes apiece sharing perspectives on power change in philanthropy. Truthfully, as a post capitalist investor, I listened to see if folks would advocate or simply acknowledge structural or systems change needed in funding given the grave globally intertwining conditions we’ve been accumulating. I hadn’t EVER heard these perspectives presented collectively to a mainstream audience before last night, so I thought I’d tell you about it. It was the kind of talk heard at a Bioneers or Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley conference. Perspectives espoused by folks with whom I participate—who know just what inclusivity does for our planet. Instead, it was delivered to a room of politically diverse citizens listening together, (after all two of the sponsors were Canadian banks!) Below is what I received from folks doing the day in, day out work without headlines, calling us in, on a day I desperately needed a reminder of human capacity & maybe even a little redemption. May it serve: Mitzie Hunter of The Canadian Women's Foundation Invited us to let sink in that Canadian women will control $4 trillion in assets by 2028. (American women $30 trillion.) Then presented a vision of a gender inclusive world. A world prioritizing the needs of underserved genders especially in marginalized communities. Perhaps showing us where to put it? Nicole McVan of United Way Greater Toronto explained that philanthropy in its purist sense is about abundance, long held relationships, and community rather than the transactional tax break it currently represents. Liban Abokor of Reimagine Labs highlighted an unseen fact: underserved communities, especially black communities despite not receiving an equitable portion of largesse—were paying for charitable donations through tax receipts and other financial incentives. “For every $100 donated to Canadian charities, only about seven cents go to Black charities.” Joanna Kerr of MakeWay made plain the dynamic of Western philanthropy and its failure using just 2 props: a crown, symbolizing our inherited colonial socio economic dominance and a bottle of walnuts, symbolizing our conditioned mindset. Then contrasted it with the way MakeWay furthers Indigenous values through its 5 principles of participatory and community led funding. Jo-Anne Ryan, FEA, MFA-P of TD gave us a primer on Donor Advised Funds/DAFS. What they are. Who uses them. Why they’re used & who accesses them. Crucial in funding the next economy. Jess Tomlin at Equality Fund highlighted the fund itself as the first ever human rights fund in the history of the world from any country created through a gift from the so called Canadian government 4 years ago. She showed us movement is being funded and who receives participatory funding globally. LIFT Economy Beena Tharakan Vidya Nair Nairuti Shastry Alex W. Heather Rose KAY VALLEY Jasmine Rashid Erin Axelrod

📍Pantry Collaboration Expands Mission to Fight Food Insecurity📍 Enfield Food Distribution, a vital resource serving over 600 people weekly and distributing 2 million pounds of food annually, has become a lifeline for families, seniors, and individuals in Tompkins County. But operating out of a 1948 firehouse presents significant challenges. To help address this, a multidisciplinary Cornell team is supporting Jean Owens, director of Enfield Food Distribution, in her vision for a safer, more welcoming facility. Experts and students from the Brooks School, Cornell, Engineering, and Cornell AAP, with generous support from the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell, are collaborating to develop strategic plans, designs, and fundraising strategies. Among the team members is Courtney Braun ‘25, a second-year MPA student concentrating in nonprofit and public management. Braun is helping Owens with fundraising and coordinating the university collaboration led by Laurie Miller, senior lecturer at the Brooks School and the MPA Program’s associate director for public engagement. Together, they’re working to create a space that will not only provide food but also empower the community through resources like gardens, nutrition classes, and more. ➕Special thanks to all current MPA students and alumni who contributed to this collaboration and Laurie Miller for her immense impact and leadership. 🎥 Watch a 5-minute video and read more about the project below.

Hudson-Webber Foundation (HWF) grantee, The Detroit Justice Center (DJC) is paving the way for long-term affordable housing through community land trusts (CLTs). Partnering with five neighborhood organizations, DJC is helping turn Detroit Land Bank properties into attainable homes while preserving affordability for generations. CLTs are gaining traction as a sustainable solution to address Detroit’s housing crisis, with 46,000 more affordable units needed citywide. The Detroit Justice Center is providing legal, financial, and development guidance to make these projects a reality. Read more here https://bit.ly/4gpdyjy. #HWF #HudsonWebberFoundation #foundation #philanthropy #DetroitJusticeCenter #AffordableHousing #CommunityLandTrusts

Losing Our Urban Real Estate: A Call to Action for Black Communities Over the years, our neighborhoods, especially those with rich Black history like Roxbury and Mattapan, have faced increasing displacement and loss of real estate. As new developments take shape, we find ourselves pushed out, replaced by luxury apartments and projects that don't prioritize the needs of the communities that have called these areas home for generations. The system isn’t just failing us—it’s actively erasing our legacy, our history, and our opportunity for growth. Black families and Black-led businesses are being left behind, while large corporations and developers continue to profit off land that should be used to empower our community. The solution? Cash payments, not low-income units. Cash payments would give displaced families the opportunity to invest in their future, rather than being forced into low-income housing with no long-term security. We cannot afford to lose more. We must protect the spaces that have kept us, the spaces where our culture thrives, where our businesses and dreams have flourished. It’s time we come together, take a stand, and demand that our neighborhoods not just survive—but thrive. We can advocate for real change by pushing for policies that put cash back in the hands of displaced families and support Black-led businesses in developing housing solutions that reflect our community's needs and values. We have the power to change the narrative. The time to act is now. Let’s fight for a future where Black communities have a true stake in the future of the urban spaces we helped build. #LosingRealEstate #BlackCommunitiesMatter #WeBlackCashOut #AffordableHousingForAll #Wrigcoll #RacialJustice #economicopportunity  #smallbusiness  #boston #bostonsmallbusiness  #bostonbusiness #DiversityAndInclusion  #Diversity  #Equality #RacialEquity  #AntiRacism #foodbusiness  #financialperformance #personnel #newproducts #corporatestrategy #DonateNow #Philanthropy #GivingBack #SocialImpact  #Volunteer #Charity #Fundraising #Nonprofit #HealthyBoston #FoodJustice #FeedBoston #FoodRescue #BostonNonprofit #FoodInsecurity #BostonVolunteers #boston  #Volunteer  #businessowners  #technology  #NonprofitEthics  #FeedingAmerica  #HungerActionMonth  #FoodInsecurity  #FoodRescue  #Volunteer