Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre

What Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre does

Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) is a Toronto-based registered charitable non-profit organization serving the Parkdale community for over 45 years. Its operations center on a year-round drop-in facility at 1499 Queen Street West, open 365 days per year, providing two daily meals and no-barrier access to people facing mental health and substance use challenges, homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity.

PARC's service portfolio is organized around six core social-service lines — Drop-in Centre, Case Management, Housing Access (including supportive housing and a dedicated property management arm), the "Money Matters" voluntary financial trusteeship program, a Peer Support program staffed by people with lived experience, and an Employment Program with training and mentorship. These are complemented by 14 recurring programs spanning recreational (art, music, knitting, writing, yoga, soccer, mindfulness, film), health (HepC drop-in clinic, smoking cessation), and civic-access (monthly ID clinic) offerings. The lived-experience leadership model — with members represented in governance, the Annual General Meeting, and board committees — is the organization's defining operating principle.

PARC operates as a donation-funded registered charity (CRA Charity No. 12967 8231 RR 0001). All member-facing services are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries; revenue is sourced from charitable donations and likely government/community grants, with a recorded 2015 Bell Let's Talk funding event. No AI/ML or proprietary technology stack is described — delivery is human-staffed and site-based. AODA accessibility compliance is documented. The organization currently has 101–250 employees and shows an active housing development pipeline but does not disclose audited financial figures.

Name

Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre

Legal name

Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre

Website

https://parc.on.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) is a Toronto-based registered charity operating a year-round drop-in centre and comprehensive wraparound social services — including case management, supportive housing, peer support, employment, and financial trusteeship — for people facing mental health and substance use challenges, homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Fitness & Park Bootcamps (HSADABAC), Recreation Therapy, Stress Management & Mindfulness Programs (EDALAFAO)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Drop-in centre programs
• Supportive housing services
• Peer support programs
• Financial trusteeship services

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: PARC is a social service charitable organization that relies on community support and donations to provide meals, housing, and member-driven programs for people facing mental health and substance use challenges, homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) operates a community-based drop-in centre and integrated social services hub in Toronto, serving people facing mental health and substance use challenges, homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity. Core offerings include a year-round drop-in centre with daily meals, case management, housing access and supportive housing, the Money Matters financial trusteeship service, peer support, and an employment program, complemented by recurring recreational and health-focused programming.

Product overview

PARC offers a unified community social services model centered around its Drop-in Centre, which serves as the primary hub open 365 days a year. The core service portfolio includes case management, housing access and supportive housing programs, the Money Matters financial trusteeship service, peer support, and employment assistance. These are complemented by a rich calendar of recurring recreational programs including art, music (jam sessions and afternoons), knitting, writing, yoga, movie screenings, mindfulness, and soccer. Health-focused services include a HepC drop-in clinic and smoking cessation support. The organization also operates a monthly ID clinic to help community members access government identification. All services are integrated through the central drop-in facility at 1499 Queen Street West, with programs designed to support people facing mental health challenges, substance use, homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drop-in Centre

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fred Victor: Toronto-based charitable non-profit delivering housing, drop-in, case management, and employment supports to people facing homelessness, poverty, and mental health challenges — closely comparable mission and service mix to PARC and operating in the same city.
• Eva's Initiatives (Eva's Place): Toronto-based charitable non-profit delivering shelter, supportive housing, and employment/training programs for homeless and at-risk youth; closely comparable drop-in plus case management plus employment model.
• Dixon Hall: Toronto community-services agency running drop-in programs, housing, newcomer services, and community recreation programming; similar integrated community-hub model operating within the same metro area as PARC.
• The Stop Community Food Centre: Toronto charitable organization combining food access (meals, food bank, gardens) with community programs and social services; comparable 'drop-in/community kitchen plus social support' model and funding approach.
• Covenant House Toronto: Toronto charity providing shelter, supportive housing, case management, and employment programs for youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking; comparable wraparound service model in the same city.
• Good Shepherd Ministries (Good Shepherd Hamilton): Long-standing Ontario charitable non-profit providing shelter, supportive housing, drop-in meals, and case management to people experiencing homelessness and poverty; comparable wraparound social services model and member/participant-driven ethos.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of Greater Toronto: Large incumbent operating community recreation centres, fitness, housing, and youth programs across the GTA with a broader portfolio than PARC but overlapping membership/rec/drop-in model and recreation/wellness programming.

Others

• Native Women's Resource Centre: Toronto charitable non-profit combining drop-in/community programming with culturally grounded social services for Indigenous community members; adjacent mission and delivery model.

Regional players

• Mustard Seed (Calgary): Major Western Canadian charitable non-profit providing shelter, supportive housing, drop-in services, and recovery programs for people experiencing homelessness; comparable wraparound model in a different region.
• Old Brewery Mission: Montreal-based charitable non-profit operating shelters, housing, and day programs for people experiencing homelessness; analogous service mix in a different Canadian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PARCtoronto
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parc
• Instagraminstagram.com/PARCtoronto
• Xx.com/parctoronto

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre