When Communities Lead Neighbours Thrive

Across Ontario, residents and non-profit organizations are working to protect affordable housing, local livelihoods and community spaces. Yet they often lack the resources and decision-making power needed to turn their solutions into action.

The Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD) is changing this. Through organizing, partnerships and political advocacy, we're working to secure sustained public investment in neighbourhood-level planning governed by local resident consensus.

Whether you're in Toronto, Hamilton or another Ontario municipality, there's a place for you in this work.

JOIN THE COALITION

Community-led planning is were residents identify neighbourhood needs, build consensus with their neighbours, and direct resources toward local priorities. When community is organized and resourced to us their voice - the City delivers services that actually reflect the priorities of those who live here.

Residents and cultural hub tenants are being displaced. This happens because city-led processes consistently treat community expertise as lesser-than and residents do not have the opportunity to identify and plan out how to meet their needs.

When residents lead, communities achieve:

Solutions that prevent displacement

Community-owned property and community-first policy - Housing that stays affordable and cultural spaces that remain intact
Tenant Associations - Tenants who are organized and developers who are held accountable

Local economies that work for everyone

Local Community Gardens - Food security, rooted in urban farming and local green space
Community building - Parks and public spaces that reflect and celebrate the people who live there

We're Aligning Government Decisions with Community Expertise

What We've Achieved so far

8 elected Toronto councillors supporting community-led planning.

During Toronto's 2026 municipal election, CRCD mobilized residents, community organizations and candidates around a shared demand: fund community-led planning.

Our growing coalition brought neighbourhood priorities into political debate, secured commitments from eight elected councillors and demonstrated the collective influence of organized communities.

Now we're working to turn those commitments into funded government action.

explore our Toronto 2026 council alignment tool

What We're Working to Achieve next

Scaling Community-Led Planning Across Ontario

We're organizing to secure public funding for community-led planning, with residents deciding how resources address local priorities.

Toronto is our starting point. By building relationships with organizers across Ontario, we aim to help communities in Hamilton and other municipalities secure similar investments, shaped by their own needs and leadership.

Our goal: communities with the resources and authority to protect housing, build inclusive local economies and shape their own futures.

See plan for resident-led neighbourhood level funding

INVEST IN COMMUNITY POWER

Help us raise $2 million to deliver this campaign over 5 years

Communities need sustained organizing capacity to reach municipal leaders across the province, and ensure governments follow through.

Your contribution will help fund:

Resident organizing: Bringing neighbours together, developing leadership and building consensus.
Campaign coordination: Connecting community organizations across municipalities to advance shared funding demands.
Policy and accountability: Translating community priorities into government commitments, budgets and implementation.

Together, we can help make community-led planning a permanent, publicly funded responsibility rather than an occasional consultation exercise.

Help Turn Community Priorities Into Public Investment.

Community in Public (CP Planning) funds CRCD's organizing and campaign work. Click here to make a donation to support the work.

By investing in CRCD, you're helping build the community power needed to win public funding for housing affordability, community spaces and inclusive local economies.

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