Social Value Applications in Canada: Toronto Community Housing

Toronto Community Housing is the largest social housing provider in Canada, and the second largest in North America, after New York City’s public housing system.

TCHC’s engagement with SROI began in fall 2022, when members of the Development division undertook Level 1 SROI training with Social Value Canada. Since then, several team members have completed refresher courses, and some—including Adela Dushaj, Business Planner in TCHC’s Development division— have taken the Level 1 exam to become Social Value Associates.

The Development division— one of several core functions within TCHC alongside Operations, Legal, Human Resources, and Procurement—contributes to the organization’s mission to provide clean, safe, well-maintained, and affordable homes.  The division plays a central role in revitalization and development through its Real Estate, Construction, and Revitalization teams. In addition to managing bricks-and-mortar infrastructure, the team supports integrated community development that aims to foster social inclusion, economic opportunity, and long-term tenant success.

This includes contributing to programs that support education, employment pathways, scholarships, and other initiatives designed to help residents overcome systemic barriers and break the cycle of poverty.

The division’s interest in SROI stems from a desire to better evaluate and report on the social impact of their efforts. As Adela explains, SROI offers a structured framework to organize data, assess outcomes, and strengthen accountability to the communities they serve.

While still in the early stages of an evaluative SROI analysis, Adela sees strong potential to build a more formal impact reporting system. TCHC already collects a significant amount of both quantitative and qualitative data. On the qualitative side, the goal is to move beyond anecdotal stories and use the SROI approach to develop evidence-based case studies following SROI methodology.

That said, implementation will require care. TCHC’s scale adds complexity to evaluation efforts, so the Development division plans to begin with internal pilots within its own team before exploring broader application, prioritizing respectful data practices and privacy.

Despite challenges, the team remain committed to moving forward with care. Methodology, training, and respectful engagement will be central to TCHC’s approach.

Adela’s vision includes completing Level 2 SROI training and developing a case study specific to the Development division. Her goal is to produce TCHC’s first SROI-informed impact reports within the next one to two years. She also hopes this work can serve as a model for other housing and community organizations working toward similar goals.