Celebrating our past and looking forward to our future.
ESS Support Services was established in 1983 after identifying a need for services to support seniors in Etobicoke. The first Board of Directors was formed, following with the opening of our first Day Centre in the spring of 1984.
We appreciate that we have much to celebrate as we look back on where we began and reflect on the progress we have made since we first opened.
During our first year of operation, programs were delivered with a budget of $7,000. Today our budget of over $5 million enables our client-centred staff and dedicated volunteers, to deliver an ever-increasing range of support services to more than 2,500 individuals.
Over the course of our evolving history, we have celebrated many successes and accomplishments from introducing new programs to meet community needs, to developing beneficial partnerships and searching out new sources of funding, such as:
- Becoming a recognized United Way Member Agency, thereby assuring the ongoing financial backing required for not only maintaining but also increasing and expanding services;
- Developing a Transportation Program which now includes a fleet of 8 vehicles and a ride-sharing partnership with iRide and Sprint Senior Care;
- Introducing friendly visiting, respite care and 3 Assisted Living locations across Etobicoke
- Opening a Caring Centre, an innovative and award-winning 24-hour overnight respite program and, in 2012, establishing a second Centre with the financial support of the Central Local Health Integration Network;
- Building on the success of our first Adult Day Service Program in 1984, we expanded our services to include 3 additional program locations, one which now operates 7 days a week and offers extended service hours;
- Establishing Health and Wellness Community Programming in 2010 as a result of a 3-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation that allowed us to expand our range of programs to include 6 exercise and falls prevention classes, social recreation and Chronic Disease Self Management programs;
- Expanding our Health and Wellness program further by adding more exercise classes for a total of 18 community classes through the help of Toronto Central LHIN funding and a partnership with St. Elizabeth Healthcare to deliver falls prevention classes;
- Achieving Accredited Agency status by Accreditation Canada in 2010 and Accredited Exemplary status in 2013 and once again in 2018.
- An ongoing partnership spanning over 20 years with Cloverdale Mall to provide a Gift Wrapping service as a fundraiser for ESS programs and services;
- In 2016, a long-standing ESS PSW (Personal Support Worker) was awarded the annual PSNO (Personal Support Network of Ontario) PSW of the Year Award;
- Working with members of the community to plan and bring to life more integrated health and community support service delivery through partnerships and collaboration.
The history and growth of our community agency reflects the dedication of many hundreds of individuals and is a tribute to those first few who met in a Church hall with a vision that was inspired and continues to be inspired by the needs of our community.