Scadding Court’s unique community-driven programs support newcomer entrepreneurs in Alexandra Park

Starting fresh in a new city — let alone a new country — can be overwhelming.

But in the downtown west-end Toronto neighbourhood of Alexandra Park, a local community centre is helping newcomers get settled by putting them on the path to entrepreneurial success.

At Scadding Court Community Centre, independent businesses run by local women and immigrant entrepreneurs are thriving.

Executive director Herman Ellis Jr. said Scadding’s success is due to its unique structure. It’s one of only 10 centres that are part of the City of Toronto’s Association of Community Centres (AOCCs).

AOCCs have full autonomy to develop programming by their community, for their community.

“In terms of AOCCs, as a group, we work together to ensure that our community centres behave in a way where it’s conducive to our community and welcoming to our community, and that our community continues to guide and provide the thrust for that particular organization,” Ellis Jr. explained.

“So you could go to one of the 10 different community centres, and find out it’s totally different in terms of what its operations are like, what it does and how it contributes to its own community. And I think that’s what’s beautiful about a community centre, is that this particular centre represents Alexandra Park, Chinatown, Kensington.”

Community-driven programs, like the Newcomer Entrepreneurship Hub, offer workshops on how to launch a business in a Canadian market.

Since the hub’s launch in 2018, Scadding has helped around 350 newcomers.

Cara Benjamin-Pace, co-founder of Newcomer Kitchen, said her organization partnered with Scadding to help refugee women learn valuable entrepreneurship skills — from basics like using a computer, to creating graphic designs and writing marketing copy.

“Everybody has dreams, and often newcomers come with the dream of starting a food business. They want to share their unique culture, their unique cuisine, but there are also big risks. And one of the things that newcomers really can’t afford is to take a lot of risks,” Benjamin-Pace said. “And so, I think the kind of emerging programming that is starting to blend training with social enterprise…allows for that experience without risk.”

That’s exactly why Houssam Harwash decided to launch his restaurant business at Scadding in 2019. Chef Harwash is part of the community centre’s Market 707, a group of shipping containers-turned-rental units for small businesses.

After fleeing the Syrian Civil War, Harwash came to Toronto in 2018 where he started working as an Uber driver, so the combination of Scadding’s low rent costs and minimal startup capital appealed to him.

“The initial costs — the capital required at the beginning — it’s simply less, you know what I mean? So, it’s one of the pros for a newcomer to start a business here to avoid the huge capital. Let’s say if you’re going to open a big shop, especially when you are a newcomer, you have to learn about the city. Where are the best places? So, that’s why I chose here as a starting point,” Harwash shared.

Scadding Court first became an AOCC in 1975 when it first launched, and since then, Ellis Jr. said it’s consistently tripled the funds it receives from the city to develop community-led initiatives. Ellis Jr. added that Alexandra Park’s tremendous need is what drives Scadding’s Success.

“Entrepreneurship has always been and has looked much differently. And when you say that word, you think of a certain, you know… So, when newcomers and women and people that are marginalized step into that spectrum, and step into that environment and try and become successful, it’s very, very exciting,” he explained.