The Parkdale Activity and Recreation Centre is a drop-in and community centre that imagines a world where extreme poverty no longer exists; where everyone can live with dignity, safety and sufficient resources; a world where people achieve their potential. PARC is based on a clubhouse "membership" model and is governed by a board of directors, half of whom must be members of the PARC community and half of whom come from the wider community. Since 1977, PARC has been growing and changing in response to the changing needs of Parkdale.
PARC was born in 1977, when a group of dedicated community volunteers observed the large number of adults living in Parkdale rooming houses and boarding homes. Many were survivors of the psychiatric system and had little income, few family contacts and no place to go during the day.
From humble beginnings, PARC has grown into an organization that issues hundreds of T4s and runs over thirty community programs. PARC currently offers ten units of supportive housing on the 3rd floor of our building at 1499 Queen Street West, and is in the process of developing 29 more with the Edmond Place initiative. Over the years, PARC has hired from the membership, created employment programs, shed light on the desperate need for affordable and supportive housing and worked for the improvement of the quality of life of marginalized people in Parkdale and beyond.
PARC in Parkdale Timeline
1850: Provincial Lunatic Asylum of Toronto formed
1889: The Village of Parkdale, an elite residential suburb bounded by the CPR tracks and Lake Ontario, High Park Drive, Roncesvalles and Dufferin Street, is annexed by Toronto.
1890: Lakeshore Psychiatric hospital opens as a branch of PLA
1922: Sunnyside Amusement Park and Bathing Pavilion, soon to become a popular summer holiday destination, opens for business
1912/1913: The two buildings on either side of PARC are built -- 1495 and 1501 Queen Street West
1927: The Lakeview Bowling and Recreation Centre opens at 1497/1499 Queen Street West
1929: Overcrowding and patient mistreatment at Lakeshore Psychiatric (continues through 1979)
1951: The City of Toronto votes to widen Lakeshore Boulevard to six lanes from Dowling to Parkside Drive, beginning an initiative that will function to isolate and marginalize Parkdale and Parkdale residents
1954 - 1956: 170 homes demolished and the Sunnyside Complex shut down to make way for the Gardiner Expressway, cutting Parkdale off from Lake Ontario
1960s: Block-busting on Jameson and Tyndall leads to the destruction of single-family homes and the construction of new high-rise apartments, as population density in Parkdale increases
1967: Report on the Existing Housing Situation of South Parkdale released. The findings change zoning by-laws and halt the development of high-rises. This leads to the construction of bachlorettes/rooming houses, often built and operated without adherence to housing codes and basic housing rights
1970s: The era of de-institutionalization begins -- in response to cost-cutting measures and policy changes, thousands of patients are released from CAMH onto the streets of Parkdale, often with nothing more than a bus ticket. Many of these people have been institutionalized their entire lives. They are thrust onto the streets with no proper community support programs, resulting, in many cases, in lives of abject poverty on the streets or in sub-standard housing.
1971: Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS) is founded
1977: Houselink is founded
The Parkdale Activity and Recreation Centre -- PARC -- is incorporated by a group of concerned citizens, community workers and volunteers responding to de-institutionalization and increasing poverty and homelessness in Parkdale.
1979: Ministry of Health declares Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital “sub-standard” and closes its doors with promise of expanding community-based out-patient programs to replace the programs the hospital once offered. 280 Patients are transferred to QSMHC (Queen Street Mental Health Centre) others to Whitby and Hamilton Psychiatric Hospitals, others just released)
1980: PARC opens its doors at 1499 Queen Street West. In its first incarnation, PARC is a dank and smoky place, complete with old furniture and a pool table. Much of the furniture was reclaimed from Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital. Board Created, consisting of survivors, Archway Staff and CRCT
1981: 1491 Queen Street West is purchased by Copper Crow Management LTD. Rocco Cornacchia is the principle on-site owner and runs the building as a 51-unit, unlicensed rooming house. By 1981, 1,000 – 1,2000 formerly institutionalized people like in Parkdale.
Pat Capponi hired by PARC. Pat helped shift PARC's focus to psychiatric survivor issues, quality of housing and the politics of poverty – hires members for jobs that pay.
Mary Stern, director of original board, leaves PARC
Staff reorganized into a collective model
1984: Board organizes for renovations, trips, purchases etc.
Writing workshop, which runs to this day, begins
1985: Mice and cockroach infest the building, the landlord is ruthless – PARC creates a treasurer to plan for the purchase of 1499 Queen Street West and begins renovations on the building. At the time, there were 39 group homes for survivors in Parkdale.
First PARC trip to Camp Kandalore
1987: Floor in the pool room – which existed from 1985 – 1989 – replaced.
1989: In the midst of a recession and cut-backs, Parkdale sees an increase in homelessness – PARC’s members begin to include more homeless and street-involved people. PARC purchases kitchen equipment to start a food program to deal with increased hunger in Parkdale.
1990: Owners/Landlords of 1497/9 Queen Street West go into receivership; PARC Board of Directors decides to purchase the building
Kiss Me You Mad Fool, a book of PARC’s writing group, published.
1991: PARC purchases 1497/9 Queen Street West. There’s a sense of ownership and permanency, but members feel les control. A building manager is required and PARC seeks government funding.
PARC’s collective splits in favor of a hierarchical structure.
Members’ steering committee is created – no staff involved.
PARC member Patty Stewart is murdered.
1994: David Littman is hired as ED; 2 drop-in staff are hired.
1995: Mike Harris is elected as Premier. His reign, from 1995 – 2001 – will bring cuts and increased pressure / increased policing in the community.
PARC pilots the Community Housing Support Program, which later becomes the PARC Outreach Program, providing one-to-one supports to people struggling with mental health, poor housing and the effects of long term poverty
1996: PARC member Edmond Yu evicted from 1495 Queen due to his "behaviour" and noise complaints
1997: Edmond Yu is fatally shot by police at Spadina Quay
1998: A fire breaks out on the second floor landing of 1495 Queen. Two tenants perish, 48 survivors are left with no place to live and their belongings either destroyed or inaccessible
1999: The Mayor's Homelessness Action Task Force report is released, stating "homelessness has reached a level we have never seen in our history." The report calls for 5,000 units of supportive housing and 10,000 units of affordable housing to be built in Toronto by 2004
David Littman leaves PARC
PARC goes to tender for the renovation of 1499 Queen Street West. Members are hired to do renovations; new space attracts more money, programs and partnerships.
2000: Provincial government announces Homelessness Initiative -- PARC receives funding for 10 units of Supportive Housing on the third floor. 10 people move in.
PARC and Parkdale Community Health Centre develop a partnership funded through PCHC for a nurse practitioner to be on-site at PARC, as well as a Community Health Outreach worker
2001: PARC & the Ontario Council of Alternative Businesses (OCAB) enter into partnership to provide employment opportunities to psychiatric survivors and poor people
Women’s Health Group established
Edmond Yu Safe House partnership created
O.C.A.B.
Writers Block, a monthly newsletter with member participation, is created.
2002: Strategic Plan is created for board and staff development.
2006: City Council approves policy of identifying derelict and abandoned properties for use for affordable, supportive and/or transitional housing; City Council votes to expropriate 194 Dowling; PARC and Habitat services develop a proposal to turn 194 Dowling into alternative supportive housing in response to a "request for proposals" offering the site for development of affordable, supportive and/or transitional housing.
2007: PARC's bid for re-development meets opposition from gentrifying forces such as the Parkdale Village BIA, Parkdale Liberty Economic Development Corporation and the Parkdale Residents Association.
PARC is identified as the successful proponent for the re-development of 194 Dowling/1495 Queen Street.
The Affordable Housing Committee accepts the City recommendation for PARC's submission to develop 29 units of Supportive Housing. Of the 800 units recommended by the Affordable Housing Committee throughout the city, only 29 are situated in Parkdale.
2007 - 2010: Edmond Place -- PARC's name for the re-developed 194 Dowling/1495 Queen Street Site -- in development
2011: People move into Edmond Place
