The Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) announced the launch of The Centre of Excellence for South Asians which it says is a pivotal step towards creating a “safe and welcoming hub for service delivery” in Scarborough and the Eastern Greater Toronto Area.
In collaboration with esteemed partners such as the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO), Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action (TCCCA), and Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS), CASSA is retrofitting this space to serve as a stable and sustainable one-stop shop for a variety of social services.
“This initiative is not merely about bricks and mortar; it is about fostering partnerships and creating a space where South Asian communities can access vital services, support, and resources,” CASSA stated in a news release.
The Centre of Excellence for South Asians will be a focused space for:
- Recreational programs for at-risk and vulnerable youth
- Private counselling for mental health services, legal aid, and cases of family or intimate partner violence and gender-based violence
- Group counselling for families, at-risk youth, and couples
- Group social and educational programs for seniors, women, and youth
- Legal aid counselling and support
- Large community educational forums, anti-racism conferences, and anti-hate seminars
- Safe community kitchen programs for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities
- Special seasonal programming such as food drives, toy drives, etc.
- Recognition and award events for the community
- Collaborative educational and advocacy events with CASSA member agencies
- Cultural programming for CASSA member agencies
- Board meetings, stakeholder meetings, community town halls, and community focus groups
- Safe space for prayer and meditation for clients and staff
“We are thankful to the City of Toronto for allocating 5200 square feet of space to CASSA and our member agencies through its Community Space Tenancy policy,” said Samya Hasan, Executive Director of CASSA.
“South Asian communities, among other racialized and Indigenous communities, have been historically left out of the conversations on spatial justice. This space provides an opportunity for CASSA and our partners to provide various social, health, recreational, and legal services all under one roof for diverse South Asians. We are asking for all levels of government to support us in retrofitting this space to raise it to its full potential to serve South Asian communities,” Hasan added.
