Our History
For over 40 years, we have prided ourselves on being a beacon of hope at the heart of our community, providing emergency shelter and ongoing support for women and their children affected by gender-based violence, families experiencing a housing crisis and refugee claimants with nowhere else to turn.
Our story began in 1982, when there was only one family shelter serving the entire city of Toronto. It couldn’t meet the demand that stemmed from the growing crisis of family homelessness, prompting a dedicated group of volunteers to open another shelter space for homeless families in the basement of Leslieville’s WoodGreen United Church. We first opened our doors on December 22 with 28 beds.
In 1986, we expanded to include Gender-Based Violence shelter beds for women and their children fleeing violence and abuse. The two shelters operated under the same roof until 1998 when our Gender-Based Violence shelter moved to an undisclosed location.
For over a decade after that, we offered shelter to moms who have bravely fled abuse to keep their kids safe, refugees seeking sanctuary from war and violence, and families in crisis with nowhere else to go. But then, WoodGreen United Church decided to sell the property, putting Red Door Family Shelter at risk of closing. It was our tight-knit Leslieville community that rallied around us, providing overwhelming support and prompting the city to help secure Red Door’s long-term future.
In 2021, Red Door Family Shelter moved into a new, innovative, purpose-built private condo development in Leslieville. The shelter occupies four floors of the development and families stay in suites with a bedroom and private bathroom. Connected suites allow for larger families to stay together.
How we got our name
The church that housed the original shelter in 1982 was itself steeped in a history of providing safe refuge, most notably from the time Reverend Ray McCleary arrived in 1936. At the time, the neighbourhood had been hit hard by the Great Depression. Making it his mission to improve the lives of the poorest, most vulnerable residents of his parish, he kept his newly-painted red front door at 37 Boulton Avenue (a local home deeded to the church) unlocked; in the mornings, he often found people had drifted in off the street at night to sleep in the lower floors of the house. In an effort to banish the “depressed drab outlook of those ragged days,” he had the church doors painted in the same brilliant red as his front door.
In 1958, Reverend McCleary oversaw the building of a new Woodgreen Church, as well as the WoodGreen Neighbourhood House. The Neighbourhood House was not only the residence of the minister, but was also part of the church’s response to the inner city needs of the community. Counselling, community work, and a variety of other support were provided.
In 1982, the Neighbourhood House became the Red Door Family Shelter, aptly named after Reverend McCleary’s brilliant red door.
Reverend McCleary died in 1967 but his legacy lives on; Red Door is the largest family shelter in Toronto, assisting hundreds of women, children, and families every year.
