Warden Woods Community Centre

Warden Woods Community Centre began as a Mennonite Church response to the needs of residents in a new government housing project in southwest Scarborough. Built in the early 1960s to accommodate 347 families and 392 senior citizens, Warden Woods had no recreational facilities and few public amenities. Accordingly, the church began advocating for suitable space for activities and, in cooperation with local residents, launched three programs: clothing distribution, the Woodland Nursery School, and a teen drop-in centre. Later, in 1968, the Church joined with Family Services Association, Children's Aid Society and Public Health Department to form the Warden Woods Community Services Unit, a co-operative inter-agency effort virtually unique in Canada at that time. The Community Centre at 74 Fir Valley Court was built in 1970 with leadership and capital funding supplied by Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. This facility provided the opportunity to improve, and added important new services such as crisis intervention and support services followed.