The Canadian Helen Keller Centre (CHKC) provides affordable housing, training, and intervenor services to persons who are deafblind.

The Canadian Helen Keller Centre (CHKC) has been serving the deafblind community in Ontario for over 25 years, providing essential services, including affordable housing, training, and Intervenor Services, to empower individuals with dual sensory loss. Intervenor Services are a critical component of this support, offering trained professionals to act as communication and information conduits for those who are deafblind, facilitating independence in daily life. Founded in 1992 with the opening of the Rotary Cheshire Homes (RCH) at 422 Willowdale Avenue in Toronto, CHKC established a 16-unit fully accessible apartment building designed for independent living, complete with tactile surface alerts, Braille signage, and accessible emergency systems to meet the unique needs of deafblind residents.

CHKC GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Vision

A society where all individuals who are deafblind live free from limitations.

Mission

To empower the deafblind community through consumer driven services and opportunities that maximize independence. 

Values

We empower and lead through:

Advocacy – increasing awareness of deafblindness and promoting the need for services.

Respect – treating everyone the way we would want to be treated.

Collaboration – engaging stakeholders in the decision making and policy development process to ensure transparency and best practice.

Professionalism – providing and embracing the highest standards including following the IOO Code of Ethics.

Community – reducing isolation by fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion.

Rotary Cheshire Apartments:

Rotary Cheshire Apartments (RCA) is a 16 unit accessible apartment building designed to meet the specific needs of persons who have a combination of hearing and vision loss.  All staff have the skills necessary to communicate with all the consumers of our programs. 

Intervenor Services at RCA:

Tenants of the apartment building have access to intervenor services 7 days a week.  The building is staffed 24-hours a day to provide information, maintain the safety and security of the building and to respond to emergencies. 

Outreach Intervenor Services:

Intervenor services are also provided 7-days a week through a Toronto-based outreach program to consumers who live in the community. 

Emergency Intervenor Services:

Available to consumers 7 days a week, 24 hours a day as needed. 

Community Service Coordinators: 

The Community Services Coordinators facilitate, at the request of consumers, access to community and government resources, programs and services, and assist with goal setting, individualized plans,  and housing. 

The Training Centre: 

CHKC operates the only residential  training centre for individuals who are deafblind in Canada. CHKC raises awareness and advocates with the deafblind community for increased services. All services at CHKC are free to Ontario residents and individualized to meet the needs of the learners who are deafblind. Courses are taught one-on-one, using the individual's preferred mode of communication. 

With over 600,000 Canadians affected by deafblindness, CHKC is crucial in supporting this growing population. CHKC currently serves 36 clients, with over 30 people on the waiting list for housing. Demand for services continues to rise due to population aging and a new mandate from Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, increasing required service hours from 24 hours to up to 97 hours per week based on individual need.  This expansion has significantly increased the demand for CHKC's services, leading to the growth of programming and a pressing need to expand office space to accommodate the rising number of staff and clients. In the last five years, CHKC has increased its staff from 50 to 70 and continues to grow to meet the need.

However, CHKC faces several challenges:

• The RCH building, constructed in 1992, has only 16 single units with low turnover. It lacks space for out-of-town clients and emergency or transitional housing.
• Common areas within the RCH building have been repurposed for staff use, reducing resident communal spaces. Parking is also inadequate, with only five spaces.
• The Training Centre, housed in a retrofitted single-family home, is outdated and lacks the infrastructure for deafblind navigation. Despite its expansion beyond Toronto, the centre struggles with inadequate space.
• The growing complexity of the deafblind population, with additional developmental and physical needs, further strains available resources.

These challenges highlight the urgent need for expanded resources, both in space and staffing, to serve Ontario’s growing deafblind population adequately.

$6 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM OUR COMMUNITY

CHKC is seeking $6 million in additional funding to complete its $44 million affordable and accessible apartment complex at 150 Eighth Street, Etobicoke. This new facility will address the growing demand for services and meet the unique needs of the deafblind community.

To date, CHKC has secured $38 million through the Government of Canada’s Major Cities Stream of the Rapid Housing Initiative and from the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative. The remaining $6 million will come from generous donors and sponsors over the next 12-18 months, enabling CHKC to be fully operational and serve more individuals.

The new complex will feature over 56 fully accessible housing units, including a minimum of 30 designated for deafblind individuals. The building will also house a 6,500 sq. ft. state-of-the-art Training Centre, enhancing CHKC’s capacity to offer life skills training and essential services. Occupancy is targeted for July 2025.

CHKC plays a vital role in enabling deafblind individuals to access their communities and live independently. Your support will help CHKC continue its mission to provide essential services and housing for those most in need.

For more information, please visit our website at www.chkc.org