Tenant-focused service and engagement | TCHC 2022 Annual Report

Tenants and staff talking at Tenant Community Action Table meeting.

Tenants and staff talking at Tenant Community Action Table meeting.

Establishing tenant leadership

In January 2022, we launched a series of by-elections to fill vacant leadership positions in 120 TCHC communities. Almost two thousand tenants were directly engaged through flyers, emails, phone calls, door knocking, and more. Thirty-six meetings were organized to give tenants information about the election process. A total of 36 nominations were received, out of which 26 were confirmed.
As a result, we filled 25 Community Representatives positions and 20 tenants signed up to be part of their Building/Townhouse Committee.
In total, 1,084 tenant leaders are currently participating in the new Tenant Engagement System.

Implementing Service Quality Indicators at the Hub level

As part of their roles, tenant leaders fill out Service Quality Indicator (SQI) surveys where they provide feedback on building cleanliness, maintenance, tenant communications, community safety, tenant support services, and tenant engagement.
One hundred and fifty-six tenants participated in the SQI survey process, with a response rate of 93 per cent. The completion rate was 87 per cent.

Establishing tenant leadership at the regional level

In August, we organized the first post-pandemic in-person Tenant Community Actions Tables (TCAT) meetings. One TCAT was held in each of the three Operations regions at TCHC (Central, West, and East). The meetings provided opportunities for tenant leaders to provide feedback about improving and enhancing services in their communities. One hundred and fifty-eight Community Representatives attended the meetings.
As a result of the feedback, engagement staff collaborated with staff from relevant divisions to review issues raised by tenants. They worked with the Strategic Communications team to document the feedback and any resulting action plans. This was turned into a report given to tenant leaders at the next set of meetings.
End-of-Year Regional Forums were held in November and December. A total of 372 tenant leaders pre-registered and 293 tenant leaders (Community Representatives and Building Committee Members) attended the forums while 24 community partners participated as vendors.

Tenants and staff engage in a discussion at a Tenant Community Action Table event

Tenants and staff engage in a discussion at a Tenant Community Action Table event

Tenant capacity building

Two orientation sessions (regional and city-wide) were organized for elected tenant leaders in March 2022. The purpose of the orientation was to provide information and resources that will help tenant leaders successfully carry out their roles and responsibilities. Twenty-three Community Representatives participated in the workshop.
The orientation covered: the Tenant Charter, the new TCHC operation structure and pillars, information about regional staff and their roles, Tenant Engagement System, Service Quality Indicators (SQI), Community Action Plans (CAP), and Tenant Action Funds (TAF).

Tenant Action Fund

In 2022, a total of 157 applications were received. One hundred and fifty-four were approved, valued at $85,941.58.
The breakdown of approved funding by region is as follows: (a) $58,328 for East region, (b) $68,864 for West region, and (c) $17,077 for Central region.

Tenants and staff around a table of information about tenant engagement initiatives.

Tenants and staff around a table of information about tenant engagement initiatives.

Toronto Seniors Housing transition

In May 2021, Toronto City Council directed the creation of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation (TSHC). This new corporation was created to provide seniors with safe, well-maintained homes and improved conditions, services, and experiences.

The City of Toronto, TCHC, and the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation worked through the end of 2021 and into 2022 to implement a seamless transition plan to transfer responsibility for operating TCHC’s 83 seniors-designated buildings to the new corporation. This transition happened on June 1, 2022, as TSHC took over management and focused on meeting the needs of nearly 15,000 senior tenants.
In order to address concerns of tenants and staff, we held multiple focus groups and information sessions ahead of the transition date. A strong communications campaign engaged and informed tenants and all stakeholders. Significant efforts were made to gather feedback to ensure that an understanding about the transition was achieved.

Tenant Service Hubs

Tenant Service Hubs are a key component of our new service delivery model created under TCHC’s 2019 restructuring plan. The Hubs provide tenants with a “one-stop shop” for services and support, bringing them closer to where tenants live. Increasing access to services and supports enables tenants to get in-person service, meet with staff one-on-one, place work orders, hand in annual review paperwork, pay rent, and more.

We opened new Tenant Service Hubs in communities across Toronto in 2022.

TCHC staff behind the service counter at a Tenant Service Hub.

TCHC staff behind the service counter at a Tenant Service Hub.

Entrance of a Tenant Service Hub.

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