For Communities

Partnership Opportunities

Toronto Home Retrofits works directly with Partner Communities in collaborative relationships to offer local homeowners the resources, support and engaged peer network to get their homes off gas and dramatically reduce their pollution. A Partner Community could be your geographic neighbourhood, workplace, faith group, alumni network, or other local organization that shares a commitment to improving your community's environmental and economic well-being. By recognizing the diverse fabric of Toronto’s communities, the program aims to create a tailored solution for each Partner Community that resonates with the specific needs and aspirations of the group.

To become a Partner Community, your organization must establish a leadership team and actively organize within your community. This involves engaging interested homeowners, providing ongoing support to homeowners undertaking retrofits, tracking their success, and encouraging more participation by sharing the achievements and insights of those who have already completed their projects.

Toronto Home Retrofits equips Partner Communities with all the necessary resources and materials to establish these initiatives. We offer a turnkey, customizable program based on the "neighbours helping neighbours" model inspired by the Pocket Change Project. Through templates, guides, training and ongoing support, we make it possible for our Partner Communities like yours to focus on what you do best—engaging your members and speaking directly to the needs of their homeowners. Together we build a network of homeowners taking action to make their houses more sustainable. Each homeowner’s journey is supported by their community, but the impact is felt across the city as our homes become cleaner, healthier and better for our environment.

Program Support

A community retrofit project has three stages. It begins by building a team and engaging early adopters and evolves into an ongoing program that identifies and reaches out to homeowners when they are poised to make a change. Here is how THR can help you in each stage:

Phase 1: Foundation

This phase focuses on establishing the solid groundwork for your retrofit initiative by forming a leadership team and identifying early adopters. It ensures that you have the necessary tools and resources to inspire community engagement.

What THR Offers:

Guidance in establishing a strong leadership team.

Support in formalizing your partnership with THR.

Assistance in identifying early adopters within your community.

Templates for team roles, outreach materials, and access to valuable homeowner resources.

Phase 2: Spread the Word

In this phase, the goal is to engage motivated homeowners and amplify outreach efforts through various communication strategies. By showcasing early adopters, you can inspire others to participate in retrofitting.

What THR Offers:

Resources for outreach initiatives, including templates for newsletters and event planning.
Support in building a community contact list.
Sharing of resources that empower homeowners and encourage participation.
Resources for tracking engagement progress and measuring impact.

Phase 3: Proactive Outreach

The focus of this phase is to motivate additional homeowners to join your retrofit initiative, creating broader community involvement. Engaging curious homeowners and utilizing targeted communications helps drive participation.

What THR Offers:

Tools for conducting community surveys to identify potential participants.
Development of targeted outreach communications to engage new homeowners.

Please note that this list is not exhaustive; we are working collaboratively with our pilot community groups to refine our support based on their needs. We expect our support offerings to evolve as we grow and reach new communities.

Success Stories

In east Toronto, a few members of the Pocket Community Association started a project that has inspired our work at Toronto Home Retrofits. Since launching the Pocket Change Project in 2017, a growing group of residents has united in their mission to support one another in retrofitting their homes for a more sustainable future. Supported by local architect Paul Dowsett, the Pocket Change team has fostered a warm and collaborative spirit, turning what can often feel like an overwhelming task into a shared adventure.

The journey began with a simple idea: to support homeowners wishing to reduce their home’s carbon pollution. From the outset, residents understood that tackling climate change would require not only individual action but also a collective effort. They organized educational events, workshops, neighbourhood gatherings, and community fairs, making it easy for everyone to get involved and learn about the benefits of energy retrofits. These gatherings created an environment ripe for engagement, allowing participants to share their experiences, ideas, and challenges.

From a handful of early adopters, there are now dozens of Pocket “Changemakers” who have stepped up and taken action. The impact of the Pocket Change Project was clear, with some standout achievements (as of October 2024):

29 heat pumps have been installed

21 homes have made building envelope improvements

10 homes have gotten off gas and are fully electric!

Each Changemaker inspires others as they share stories of how these changes have made their homes more comfortable while significantly reducing gas usage and energy waste. The satisfaction of knowing their homes are performing better and reducing their environmental impact has inspired even more neighbours to consider retrofitting. Those who are all-electric have celebrated the newfound freedom from gas bills and monthly service charges and are enjoying the peace of mind that comes with using clean energy.

While the achievements are remarkable, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Many homeowners initially felt overwhelmed by the financial and technical barriers associated with retrofitting. However, the Pocket Change Project tackled these obstacles by guiding homeowners to resources and hands-on support. The sense of community has encouraged residents to seek help and share insights, making the retrofit process feel much more approachable.

To symbolize their commitment to clean energy, homeowners proudly display “Changemaker” signs in their yards, indicating their participation in this exciting movement. These signs serve as powerful reminders of what’s possible when neighbours support one another in their quest for environmental responsibility.

The Pocket Change Project stands as a testament to the idea that local action can drive significant change. By harnessing the power of community, residents have demonstrated that collective efforts can lead to a healthier, more sustainable future. As they continue to support one another, they show that when neighbours come together, they can create lasting impact and foster a greener world—one step at a time!

Pocket Change Project