Our Impact
Strengthening the core communities through a community economic development (CED) approach
CED identified as a solution to disparities in the core neighbourhoods
In the mid 1990’s community associations and residents organized for community-led development to address persistent social and economic disparities in Saskatoon’s west side core neighbourhoods. A two day community meeting was organized in February 1995 to learn about what was being done in other communities across Canada. This meeting resulted in the creation of Quint with the intention to use a community economic development approach to tackle the concentration of poverty and underdevelopment in the core neighbourhoods.
Quint began with a great deal of community support, a volunteer board of directors, a couple of champions from within government but with no revenue and no employees. Today, Quint has grown to include a number of housing and employment programs, and numerous social enterprises.
Underdevelopment and poverty continues to be long term challenges in the core
Almost every benchmark concerning human development—economic growth, health, education, and standards of living—show significant disparities between the core neighbourhoods and all of Saskatoon. These are the disparities that Quint has been working to address since it was formed three decades ago.
Read more about these disparities on Quint’s blog
Providing tangible support through safe, stable, and affordable housing and transitional housing
Quint’s Affordable Homeownership, Rental and Transitional Housing has the following community economic development impacts:
- Improves and stabilized family living situations within the community
- Decreases social costs related to poor and unstable housing conditions
- Community ownership strengthens the local economy be reducing the outflow of income from the neighbourhoods
- The aging housing stock is renovated and improved
- Employment, training and economic development opportunities created for community residents and businesses through the renovation and retrofitting of housing
The affordable housing program manages 94 suites and houses over 200 people each year. We also run two transition homes and our Work Integration Social Enterprise, Build Up Saskatoon, repairs housing stock in the core neighbourhoods.
Building capacity through employment and training
Quint’s employment programs and social enterprises have the following community economic development impacts:
- Supports individuals in achieving their education and employment goals
- Creates employment and training opportunities for people with barriers to entering the the labour market
- Provides pre-employment assistance that supports job retention
- Encourages employers to build and maintain an inclusive workforce
- Mentors individuals in the areas of skill development and self esteem
- Provides equitable access to employment
Creating vibrant communities through social enterprise
Social enterprises are community-based businesses that sell goods or services in the marketplace to achieve a social, cultural and/or environmental purpose. They make no profit, investing entirely in their own programming to maximize their social mission.
In 2018 Quint established a social enterprise called BUILD UP Saskatoon – a construction contracting business with a social purpose. It’s goal is to employ, support, and mentor people who are facing multiple barriers to employment. Build Up’s crew is primarily made up of community members who have recently exited prison and were elsewhere deemed unemployable on multiple fronts.
In 2012, Quint collaborated to open the Station 20 West Community Enterprise Centre. Station 20 West provides space and facilitates the provision of services and amenities to enhance the lives of individuals and families in the core communities of Saskatoon. The centre houses multiple supportive organizations and has become a vital meeting place for the community. Station 20 West also operates a social enterprise called the Boxcar Café, a small café and catering business.
Our Core Communities Shine
Quint works to promote and celebrate the positive initiatives and changes occurring in the core neighbourhoods. We believe that continuing to celebrate our core communities is vital to the revitalization of our neighbourhoods.
Often attention on the core communities of Saskatoon is focused on the aspects in which these communities are struggling. Quint organizes and participates in a number of community events each year that celebrate and focus on all the many positive realities of the neighbourhoods.
Check out our 2016 music video filmed along 20th street. This video captures the spirit of strength, diversity, and resiliency in the west side core.
Learn more about our community initiatives
View Annual Reports
