Home – Access Alliance

Healing arts for newcomer family wellbeing
Join us to explore how creative expression supports emotional health, connection, and resilience among newcomer women and families.

We’ll have a panel discussion, networking, an interactive gallery, art-making activities, and more.
Register to join this free event
Get active and help local seniors
We're actively recruiting shovellers to clear snow for east-end seniors in area bordered by Main St. and Markham Rd., Eglinton Ave. E. and Queen St. E.

For more info and to apply, call Shaheda at 416-699-4226 ext.4226, visit us at 3079 Danforth Ave, or email SnowRemoval@AccessAlliance.ca.
French settlement services
Pour des services d’établissement en français et/ou la formation linguistique en français, veuillez contacter : rexdalechc.com/fr | centrefranco.org

If you wish to access French language training and/or French settlement services, please contact: rexdalechc.com/fr | centrefranco.org
Join our team!
Access Alliance is currently hiring. Visit our Career Centre, or click the button below for up-to-date info.
Current opportunities
Proud to be a United Way member agency
The United Way funds the work of 300 frontline agencies committed to strengthening their local communities.

The money we raise will support the work of agencies like ours that are working hard to connect people to needed supports.
Help us help the United Way
Donate today, and make the season bright
The holiday season can be hard for some members of our community. Donate today to our Holiday Hamper program, and help us fill hampers with food, necessities, and kids' gifts for local low income families.
I'd love to give to Holiday Hamper 2025!

Welcome to Access Alliance
Multicultural Health and Community Services

Are you a community member?

Are you a community member?

Are you a researcher or social justice advocate?

Are you a researcher or social justice advocate?

Are you looking for interpretation or translation services?

Are you looking for interpretation or translation services?

Highlights and Initiatives

Check out our programs and services!

We offer free programs and services for immigrants and refugees of all ages living in the City of Toronto.

COVID-19

Information about COVID-19 supports and resources at Access Alliance and in the City of Toronto.

Volunteer Opportunities

We welcome those who wish to help make a difference to our community. There are many ways you can get involved!

Our Stories

Read stories from community members, staff, volunteers and others who have helped make Access Alliance what it is today.

Upcoming events

Newcomer High School Youth: Newcomers Cooking Together (Age 13-17)

November 13 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Read more

Among Friends 2SLGBTQI+ Newcomers Program (Both Online/In-Person)

November 13 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Read more

Among Friends 2SLGBTQI+ Newcomers Program (Both Online/In-Person)

November 13 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Read more

EarlyON Drop-In Program

November 14 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Read more

Seniors' Seated Yoga (Age 55+) (Both Online and In-Person)

November 14 @ 9:45 am - 10:45 am Read more

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accessalliance.ca

A community health centre serving vulnerable immigrant & refugee communities across Toronto for 30+ years. Account not monitored 24/7.

“Thank you for providing for my family. My husba

“Thank you for providing for my family. My husband lost his job and this hamper was helpful.” — Access Alliance Holiday Hamper recipientThe holidays can be hard even without the challenges of job loss. For people struggling with reduced income, this time of year can feel particularly stressful and worrisome.Help those struggling in your community this holiday season by donating to our Holiday Hamper program. Your donation help fill hampers with food, necessities, and kids' gifts, which will then be distributed to low-income families. Last year, 117 families (241 children and 190 adults!) received hampers, thanks to the generosity of our amazing community of donors, sponsors and volunteers.If you can, please give now. you can donate via the link in bio, or by clicking on the "donate" button at accessalliance.ca.#GivingTuesday #accessalliance #holidayhampers

🤒😷🤧 Influenza (the flu) infects the nose,

🤒😷🤧 Influenza (the flu) infects the nose, throat, and lungs. It can spread through coughing, sneezing, or talking. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite. Vomiting and diarrhea can also occur, especially in kids.To help prevent the spread of the virus, wash your hands, stay home and/or wear a mask if you're experiencing symptoms, and get vaccinated.Getting the flu vaccine every year is the best way to prevent serious illness. It's safe, free, and recommended for everyone aged 6 months and older. Contact your family doctor or local pharmacy today to book your flu shot.For more on how to prevent the flu—including helpful multilingual resources— read our latest blog post by clicking on the link in our bio.#accessalliance #fluseason #getvaccinated

Check out "Binary & Beyond", a short video with he

Check out "Binary & Beyond", a short video with helpful info on breast and chest cancer screening for 2SLGBTQI+ people aged 40 to 74 in Ontario.Open Door Program—with the support of the Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team—produced this community-led video that explores:• What breast and chest cancer screening means for 2SLGBTQI+ communities• How mammograms work, and what to expect• Where to get screened in Ontario• Resources and supports for inclusive, affirming careWatch the video now via link in bio!#accessalliance #GetScreened #breastandchesthealth

💙❄️💙 Our annual Holiday Hamper Program p

💙❄️💙 Our annual Holiday Hamper Program provides tasty food, household necessities and children’s gifts to newcomer and low-income families in Toronto. Last year, we assisted 117 families (241 children and 190 adults), thanks to the generosity of our amazing community of donors, sponsors and volunteers.Want to become a part of our community of gift-givers? Join us in our lead up to #GivingTuesday to learn about the Holiday Hamper program, the joy it brings, and how you can contribute.Want to donate now? Visit AccessAlliance.ca and click the "Donate" button at the top of the page. All donations over $25 are eligible for a tax receipt.For more info, contact Keisha at ChildAndFamily@AccessAlliance.ca or 416-693-8677, ext. 4234.**The Holiday Hamper program operates from 91 Barrington Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4C 4Y9.**#accessalliance #givingtuesdaycanada #supportyourneighbours

❇ All year long Access Alliance staff, volunteer

❇ All year long Access Alliance staff, volunteers, students and community members stand together for community health, as we actively pursue our mission of improving health outcomes for newcomers and their communities.Community Health and Wellbeing Month 2025 offered a welcome opportunity to connect our work to this year's theme of #StandingTogether. October was chock full of programs and events designed to bring together our community members in inclusive and accessible ways to increase knowledge, optimize resources, and build connections.Across the city last month events like “Walk with a Doc” at Gaffney Park Trail, our Seniors’ Fair at AccessPoint on Jane and the Community Health and Wellbeing Fair to AccessPoint on Danforth brought us together to share, learn, and celebrate together as we continue to stand together in strength and health.#accessalliance #CHWM2025

🌾🎋🌾 On Saturday, November 1st, our commun

🌾🎋🌾 On Saturday, November 1st, our community came together in the spirit of gratitude. We gave thanks for the earth that provides for us, for the hands that plant, tend, and harvest the crops, and for the journey that food takes to reach our tables. We celebrated the bounty of the harvest, which is the result of dedication, resilience, and hard work.It was also an opportunity to give a big thank you to our volunteer Garden Stewards, who cultivate our rooftop garden.Community gardeners from Prairie Drive Park gathered to vote for their fellow gardeners in the categories of "Most helpful gardener", "Most productive plot", and "Plot that is closed down for winter the best"!Thank you to Isaac Crosby (Brother Nature) for grounding this event in the Honorable Harvest teaching. Thanks to all the hard-working gardeners! We look forward to seeing you next year.#accessalliance #harvest2025 #celebratetheharvest

What’s the biggest barrier your clients face whe

What’s the biggest barrier your clients face when trying to reach you by phone? Is it the system itself? Discover how Access Alliance is reshaping its phone system to cut wait times, improve language access, and embed equity into everyday client contact.Join us for 45-minutes of quality improvement (QI) methods, real-world data, and actionable next steps. We will share how QI leads, secretaries, and researchers came together with real-world data, plain-language scripts, and workflow analysis that make phone access an equity win for clients.Get practical ideas for integrating digital tools, tracking key indicators, and fostering cross-team collaboration to turn phone-related frustrations into reliable, inclusive client pathways. From "press zero" overloads to a strategic phone system redesign, hear about what we learned will boost client satisfaction and support community health goals.📅 Date: November 13, 2025⏰ Time: 11:15 am - 12 pm📍 Location: ZoomRegister via link in bio!#accessalliance #QualityImprovement #qualityimprovementinhealthcare

💙 Healthy individuals mean healthy communities.

💙 Healthy individuals mean healthy communities. To help our newcomer clients and communities thrive, we put access, engagement, equity and attachment at the core of our work, to clarify and measure it. These words connect to our mission, vision and values, and give structure to our strategic priorities. They drive everything from community events (like our recent Seniors' Active Living Fair!) to our community-based research.We stand together with our newcomer communities—and the people that define them—in our pursuit of health with dignity. And we'll stand strong until we see equitable, accessible, inclusive health care for all.Interested in what impacts our mission-driven community-based research has had over the past 10 years? Click on the link in bio for more info.#StandingTogether #CHWM #communityhealthandwellbeing #accessalliance

Equity is responsive. While we advocate for system

Equity is responsive. While we advocate for systemic changes, we also offer programs, services and resources that meet the dynamic and more immediate needs of our communities.On our vibrant east end green roof we run programs around food, growing and sharing skills in growing food, gardening, healthy eating, and the environment. The rooftop garden also grows food we then use in our community programs. As our programs continue to evolve to meet the needs of our clients, people from all ages benefit from this beautiful space as they improve their connections, skills, and health.Our Green Living Tips for Newcomers booklet (available five key client languages!) features tips and resources that support sustainable living. We stand together with our collaborators and communities in addressing barriers that create inequities, and build bridges to better health through our commitment to equity.Click to read our Green Living booklet in English, Bengali, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Tigrinya, click on the link in bio!#communityhealthandwellbeing #StandingTogether #healthequity

👻💛🎃 Enjoy a healthy Hallowe'en on this tr

👻💛🎃 Enjoy a healthy Hallowe'en on this treat of a trail!Join us to Walk With a Doc along the Gaffney Park Trail on Oct. 31 from 1 to 3 pm. As respiratory virus season approaches, Dr. Nicole Nitti will talk about what to look out for, and how to protect your health. We'll meet at 1 pm in Room 208 at AccessPoint on Jane (761 Jane St.)👉🏽 To register, click link in bio.#WalkWithADoc #accessalliance #HalloweenToronto

Who says only children have a sweet tooth? 😋 Ev

Who says only children have a sweet tooth? 😋 Everyone loves a delicious treat!Here at AccessPoint on Jane, both seniors and clients coming in for clinical services were delighted by the tasty, organic #MadeGood granola bars donated by their maker, Riverside Natural Foods. One of our seniors’ programming priorities is to provide healthy snacks to those visiting our Seniors' Active Living Centre. These granola bars will give our senior clients the extra boost of energy they need to stay active through the day's fitness and recreation programs.Affordability and food insecurity are complex, systemic issues that can’t be solved by donations alone — but every act of kindness helps. At Access Alliance, we work to help clients live healthily and with dignity, and support like this makes a big difference. We’re so grateful to the @madegoodfoods team for brightening our clients’ days with healthy snacks and generous hearts. 💚🫶🏽💓#madegoodsnacks #accessalliance #thankyouforyoursupport

❄ We're actively recruiting qualified and reliab

❄ We're actively recruiting qualified and reliable shovellers to clear snow for seniors in east Toronto and Scarborough this winter. The service area is bordered by Main St. and Markham Rd, and Eglinton Av. & Queen St ( Wards 19 & 20.) ❄ ☃ For more information and to apply, please:> email SnowRemoval@AccessAlliance.ca, > call Shaheda at 416-699-4226 ext.4226, or> visit us at AccessPoint on Danforth, 3079 Danforth Ave.#accessalliance #torontoseniors #snowshovellers

October 29th is our Community Health and Wellness

October 29th is our Community Health and Wellness Fair at AccessPoint on Danforth! Join us for free health screenings, prizes, activities, refreshments and more. 🩺📋💟Please register via link in bio. We hope to see you there!#CHWM #StandingTogether #accessalliance #healthandwellbeing

We are a learning and teaching organization. Throu

We are a learning and teaching organization. Throughout the year we enjoy working with college and university students from a range of disciplines, from research, to social work, to primary care.Placement student Adrianna Welshman shared her experience with us in her thoughtful essay, "Behind the Scenes: What I Didn’t Expect to Learn at Access Alliance".Surprised by the amount of work done in the background, before it faces our clients, she notes that even the most straightforward-seeming tasks—like updating our community cork boards—are built on a foundation of careful consideration.Ensuring the work we do meets the needs of the people it's being done for, we need to plan, assess, ask the right questions. When we do that, she says, we're, "making something truly inclusive, trauma-informed, and accessible— not just assuming it already is."Placement students bring with them fresh ideas and perspectives, which are essential to our success as a community health care centre. Insights like Adrianna's remind us that every step has value when we commit to continual learning.👉 Students: Want to share your perspective and enrich your learning journey? Check our our Winter 2026 placement opportunities on our website (click the "volunteer" button on the home page).👉 Click on link in bio to read the Adrianna's full account.#studentplacements #behindthescenes

West end seniors! Drop in to AccessPoint on Jane o

West end seniors! Drop in to AccessPoint on Jane on Monday, October 27, for our Seniors' Active Living Fair. Chat with exhibitors, discover helpful resources, and build your knowledge with expert talks and engaging demos on nutrition, brain and mental health, online security and more. A great opportunity for newcomers to learn about local services for seniors that support healthy, independent living. 💙💜💛👉 Interested in attending? Click on link in bio to sign up!❓Questions? Contact us at: 416-760-8677 ext. 5233 or Seniors@AccessAlliance.ca#communityhealthandwellbeing #standingtogether #newcomerseniors #accessalliance

Connecting a client to a primary health care provi

Connecting a client to a primary health care provider is one form of attachment. Another is referring clients to community programs and services that address specific needs, help reduce social isolation and improve health and settlement outcomes.At Access Alliance, we facilitate both types of attachment, recognizing that primary care, social supports and community-focused activities are all a part of nurturing client-centred relationships.Our 2011 report on Newcomer Health in Toronto remains relevant, as the significant barriers faced by our newcomer clients remain steady (these include language, stigma, and mental health). Through primary care and settlement services, and newcomer-friendly community programs and events offering connection and social support, we aim to provide a range of meaningful attachments and resources that will bridge barriers to health care.Our Scarborough Cycles Slow Roll Group Ride next week is a great opportunity for newcomers and other community members to come together, get active, and explore their neighborhood on bikes. And our recently released fall and winter program calendar includes a wide range of other programs—for toddlers, teens, seniors and more—designed to support the health and wellbeing of our newcomer clients.Click on link in bio for more on the ongoing barriers to newcomer health care.Learn more about our programs and events by visiting our website: https://accessalliance.ca/program-calendar/#communityhealthandwellbeing #newcomerhealth #CommunityHealth #standingtogether

🚲❤🚲 Roll with us Oct. 23 as we bike throug

🚲❤🚲 Roll with us Oct. 23 as we bike through Birch Cliff on a group ride! Perfect for those with some experience riding in traffic. This is a fun way to meet people, and a great opportunity for newcomers to get to know the area. We ride at an easy pace: no one is left behind. 🚲❤🚲 Meet at AccessPoint on Danforth at 5:30 pm for a 6 pm roll out. We look forward to seeing you there!#CommunityHealth #communityhealthandwellbeing #torontocycling

🍂 🌾🍎 Fall is here, and with it our annual

🍂 🌾🍎 Fall is here, and with it our annual Harvest Festival! Join us in celebrating the fruits of the harvest, the bounty of the earth and the people that made it all possible.Register via link in bio!#accessalliance #harvesttime

🍂🍁🍂 All Access Alliance locations will be

🍂🍁🍂 All Access Alliance locations will be closed on Monday, October 13, for the Thanksgiving holiday. 🍂🍁🍂If you have a medical emergency, please call 911.We'll resume our regular hours on October 14. Have a wonderful long weekend!#accessalliance

💟 Building relationships, helping clients conne

💟 Building relationships, helping clients connect, and valuing client input and feedback are all ways we work to strengthen engagement with and within our communities.Our annual Client Experience Survey and Planning and Evaluation Report are two examples of evidence-informed research that keeps us accountable to our communities. They help improve the quality of our many community-focused programs and events (including today’s Community Health and Wellness Fair at our Jane location!)By embedding community-centred engagement in all our activities we can better build trust, and improve health outcomes for our clients and community.How can you read our most recent engaging reports? Click on the link in our bio!#accessalliance #CommunityHealthandWellbeingMonth #CommunityHealthandWellbeing

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