WoodGreen has long been at the forefront of innovation in the social service sector. Developing innovative solutions to critical social needs is a core pillar of our work. In fact, it is the centrepiece of our Strategic Plan: Roadmap to 2020.
WoodGreen is one of the first Canadian social service agencies with a dedicated innovation staff team. We have been at the forefront of ensuring client voice is at the heart of the social innovation agenda in Canada and we are driving a new leadership role for WoodGreen in that space.
We are thrilled to be able to collaborate with our government and community partners in all levels of government to help shape new, best-in-class social programming that will effect meaningful change across the country.
WoodGreen formally established our Strategy and Innovation Unit in 2011, in response to a growing need to support the organization’s capacity and growth in innovation. The mission of the Strategy and Innovation group is to incubate and test new approaches to inform program development. Over the last two years, Strategy and Innovation has also forged a new focus on evaluation, metrics and measurement of program outcomes and impact. In 2017, with support from the Government of Ontario and Ontario Trillium Foundation, WoodGreen engaged external evaluation experts at Constellation Consulting Group to conduct an independent assessment of the impact of our flagship Homeward Bound program.
The Homeward Bound Longitudinal Study demonstrated:
94%
of survey respondents were unemployed upon program intake, with 86% accessing social assistance
After graduating from Homeward Bound,
88%
of the respondents are currently employed,
on maternity leave or in school and are earning an average salary of $43,000 per year
WoodGreen's new Free 2 Be (Housing First for Youth Leaving Care) program is another example of innovation at WoodGreen. Free 2 Be was designed and developed through co-design with key stakeholders, including young people with lived experience of the child welfare system. Grounded in the Housing First for Youth model, Free 2 Be aims to improve the life outcomes of young people transitioning out of Toronto's child welfare system by providing access to stable housing, life skills, social connections, wellness, education and employment supports.
By continuing to explore new ways of creating real solutions to complex social needs, WoodGreen will continue to transform the way social programming is developed and shared across Toronto, Ontario and Canada.
On March 7, we were honoured to welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to our 989 Danforth Avenue location to learn more about our Financial Empowerment Services for people living on a low income.
Key findings from the Homeward Bound
Evaluation include:
- 94% of survey respondents were unemployed upon program intake, with 86% accessing social assistance
- After graduating from Homeward Bound, 88% of the respondents are currently employed, on maternity leave or in school and are earning an average salary of $43,000 per year
The formal evaluation of programs like Homeward Bound validate the tremendous social return on investment WoodGreen’s programs bring donors and funders, while changing the lives of the participants forever.
WoodGreen’s Financial Empowerment (FE) program has been enhanced by the Strategy and Innovation team and incorporates an experimental mindset to program delivery. FE offers the largest year-round low income tax clinic with counselling supports in the City of Toronto, serving over 7,000 clients and returning over $17 million to individuals and families in 2017 alone.
Last year, the FE program formed new strategic partnerships with Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman, ESDC Innovation Lab and the Behavioural Insights Unit-Treasury Board of Ontario to increase the uptake of the Canada Learning Bond.
