The term “Neighbourhood House” refers to any organization meant to gather and organize resources in order to meet local needs. Cities have adopted different names for such an organization . For example, the name in Calgary is “Community Association” while in San Francisco, the right designation is the “Community Benefit District.” In Victoria there are “Neighbourhood Resource Groups” and in Vancouver, the “Neighbourhood Houses.”
In Toronto, the West Neighbourhood House has been a model for over 100 years even though it was formerly known as “St. Christopher House”. Originated from the settlement house movement, the organization was founded with the help of volunteers to resolve community challenges. These were accelerated by industrialization and an unprecedented level of immigration in Canada at the time. Paying homage to that influence, the organization’s video features several workers of the organization, playing roles or not, to show how it has adapted through the work they do: