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The Confidential Exchange
Outdoor Relief
From the 1890s to the 1930s, the number of charities in Toronto increased at a rate of 20% per decade. Although the increase in charities in the city meant that more people could receive help, it also led to organisational issues. Many charities had similar mandates, but had no formal way of communicating to each other which individuals received aid.
Institutions like the House of Industry and House of Refuge had limited capacities and could only house a certain number of individuals at a time. The majority of aid recipients received help outside of the physical charity. This help usually came in the form of goods rather than money and included providing coal, wood, bread, and blankets to those in need.
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The Confidential Exchange
A Confidential Exchange
The Confidential Exchange was one of many attempts to centralise the city’s charities in the early 20th century. Formerly located at 18 Toronto Street, it provided a central location for the city’s charities to share documents and for aid recipients to apply for relief at one location, rather than having to appeal to each charity individually. The Board of the Exchange consisted of members from the city, the Neighborhood Workers Association, and from other local charity organisations.
Financial waste and underfunding was a major factor in the city’s decision to create the Confidential Exchange. However, another factor was linked to the city’s perceptions of poverty. In the early 20th century, many still considered poverty to be a moral issue: opinions from the period often were unsympathetic or cynical to those in need. At a conference in 1913, the Social Service Commission stated that one of the main reasons for an exchange was to “stop imposture so that the occupation of living on alms may cease and every lazy tramp will be spotted.”
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The Confidential Exchange
Centralisation of Aid
The question of how to centralize the efforts of Toronto’s charities had been an issue for several decades. In 1891, the Associated Charities group discussed how a central charity bureau could strengthen the city’s relief efforts. However, many members felt their private charities would lose too much of their independence and fought against the idea.
In 1911, the city appointed a Charity Commission to compile a report on the status of Toronto’s charities. The report found that there were over 244 churches and missions and 63 other charitable institutions providing aid. Many of these charities provided similar services. Many were also underfunded. To remedy the situation, the city created the Toronto Social Service Commission (SSC) in 1912. Managed by five businessmen who controlled all municipal funding for charities, the Commission aimed to reduce waste and controlled the city’s spending on charities.
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The Confidential Exchange
Moving Towards Social Justice
Those that worked at the charities in Toronto worried that the Commission, a group of non-experts, may not be the best to aid Toronto’s poor. As a result, a group of charities formed the Neighbourhood Workers Association. The Association was one of North America’s first social service agencies and fought for affordable housing and workers’ compensation. In 1919, additional charities formed the Federation for Community Services. Today, these two groups continue their work as Family Service Toronto and the United Way of Greater Toronto.
In 1931, the city created the Department of Public Welfare, which replaced the Toronto Social Service Commission. The creation of the department reflects the changing attitudes towards poverty and need. By the 1940s, governments began looking at poverty as an economic problem rather than a moral one. Many modern welfare programs, including unemployment insurance, started during this time as governments began strengthening their commitment to welfare.
Issues of poverty and housing affordability are still very much part of Toronto today. In 2020, the city began the HousingTO Action Plan. This ten-year plan aims to help 341,000 households find and retain affordable housing in the city. This includes working with Toronto’s many charities to provide support to those in need of assistance.
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The Confidential Exchange
Additional Resources
Family Service Toronto website: “History”
Lucas, Jack, “Toward Delegation: Social Policy Centralization in Toronto, 1870–1929”, Journal of Policy History, 30(2): pages 272-300, 2008.
Stuenkel, Francelia, “The Organization of Social Service Exchanges”, Social Service Review, 1(3): 414-442, September 1927.
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