GRANT'S DESI ACHIEVER
THERE IS NO “WRONG” DOOR
Anita Stellinga is the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Policy at United Way of Greater Toronto.
By SHAGORIKA EASWAR
Anita Stellinga has vivid memories of herself as a teenager, struggling to fit in at high school.
As a newcomer to Canada, without the friends that almost everyone else carries with them through their school years, she sought comfort at an after-school program.
Years later, she would learn that the program was funded and supported by the United Way.
“The club I attribute my earliest friendships, my sense of belonging to, was a United Way program!” says Stellinga, now Vice-President of Corporate Communications and Public Policy at United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT).
“I am hopefully helping other kids in the same way today by being a part of their story, showing them they belong, that they, too, have a community.”
The United Way’s mandate, she says, is to meet urgent basic needs and improve social conditions in Toronto, Peel and York regions. It funds a network of agencies and also commissions research that helps inform public policy.
“I look at the immediate need and also the supports we need to have in place to meet evolving needs that are only becoming more complex. How we can have policies in place to improve people’s lives.”
The numbers are impressive.
As the largest United Way in the world – and the largest funder of social services in Ontario outside of the government – UWGT funds 300 agencies, 800 workplaces that work with United Way, has 2,000 volunteers and 80,000 donors.
They served 1.8 million people last year.
They have 10 community hubs in Toronto and are looking to expand to Peel and York regions. Stellinga describes them as one-stop shops for multiple services. With food programs, drop-in programs for new moms or seniors, and multiple services for newcomers, to name just few, designed with community inputs, unique to what the community needs.
“The idea is that there isn’t really a ‘wrong’ door. You come in for help with one issue, but also be referred to other resources you may need.
“Our three-year and five-year flexible funding allows agencies to anticipate future needs and to plan for them, to respond to urgent needs, to be nimble,” says Stellinga. “They can apply the funding to the programs as well as to core operation costs. With rents rising, agencies have similar issues that many of us do.”
As an illustration of flexibility, she shares how they were quickly able to bring the agencies together online during COVID. The emergency COVID funding enabled agencies to get food to people, do safety checks for isolated seniors and women in abusive situations.
“For newcomers, the first few years can be extra difficult. There may be language issues, challenges accessing jobs, they may have to go through a series of steps to get any job, affordable housing, issues around settling... expectations are at odds with reality. Among many communities, and South Asians in particular, there’s stigma around asking for help. It’s important to realize part of the process of settling in a new country requires reaching out for support so you are not isolated, not struggling alone. Because these pressures can then further stigmatize one and some issues are that much harder to resolve down the road.
“So reach out, connect, for info and for resources, talk to people who understand the cultural context. The 211 service we founded is available 24/7 in multiple languages. It is designed for newcomers.”
Among UWGT-funded agencies that work mainly with South Asians, Stellinga mentions Punjabi Community Health Services and Indus Community Services. Both are doing stellar work in areas of mental health, addictions and services for newcomers. The population is growing and they are great at anticipating areas of need and how best to deliver services. They are active in their neighbourhoods, and beyond.
Community needs and the sector have changed in the last 30 years, while in some ways, they have stayed the same, she says. Poverty is exacerbated. There is more awareness now of the intersectionality of poverty, mental health, and food insecurity.
“With an ageing population, family caregivers are looking after both elderly parents and young children. The responses require looking at the issues holistically. As people, we have so many dimensions. Issues people need help with are also multifaceted. When we provide support, we have to ensure we are culturally responsive.”
“Knowing that we are looking at issues and finding solutions, being persistent and stubborn about not giving up, digging in deeper, I am really proud of that,” says Anita Stellinga.
Stellinga has been with the United Way for over 29 years in different roles. Prior to joining UWGT, she was the former CEO and Interim President of United Way of Peel Region, where she was part of the leadership team that facilitated the merger into what is now UWGT.
“We realized the need was so vast and complex, it made sense to merge,” she says. “I have been blessed that I’ve held roles in funding, communications, in government relations, etc.”
After working at a settlement agency for five years, Stellinga started at the United Way as a co-ordinator in the community investment team, where she discovered a whole “eco system of agencies” helping people.
“We involved volunteers! I remember reading a research report and realizing for the first time why policy is so important. I progressed to manager, VP in community investment, led the merger and now I am in public policy. It’s coming full circle. From a young person who was mesmerized on learning how the United Way is the glue that holds the community together in so many ways, from being someone who was learning about the community from different aspects to now helping form policies that help those communities.”
Women making their way up the ladder face unique challenges, they have to understand the dynamics, the nuances, says Stellinga, but she was fortunate that she was able to stand on her own feet and demonstrate leadership.
“From a newcomer’s perspective, though, I did face challenges. What is Canada? What is expected of me? How do we fit in? Who are our friends? That’s why I believe it’s so important to understand the history of our country, of the Indigenous people, how the government works, and to take that knowledge and expand the circle.
“I understand how we want our own people around us as we navigate a new country, but it’s important to make connections outside of that. It helps immeasurably in knowing how to access help – or how to help others. It’s not easy. But as we plant our feet in the community, the community becomes part of us.”
Stellinga attributes her wanting to help people since she was a little girl to the values instilled in her by her parents – her father was Indian, her mother Polish.
“The idea of service was strong in my parents. People were always welcome in our home and would walk in seeking help for a variety of things and I was tutoring kids at a young age. I briefly considered a career path as a psychologist or a social worker, but realized that might be too emotional for me. The United Way is such a good fit – I found a path to help people through my passion and skills.”
Her mother moved to Canada in 1979 as a young widow with her teenage daughter and son after losing her husband. Her sister was in Canada and helped bring the family here.
They first settled in Sudbury – so very different from the hot and humid Bombay they’d left behind.
Some months later, they moved to Toronto and faced the same struggles immigrants face today.
Finding affordable housing, making sure the kids were getting the education their father had dreamt of for them. Her mother’s struggles included wondering if her young family would survive, if they would make it.
Her husband Robbert has a “very caring heart,” says Stellinga. Her children Matthew and Priyanka – who is expecting her first baby – volunteered at the United Way from a young age at the marathons, walkathons, CN Tower stair climb, etc. The climb, halted during COVID, returns this year in November.
“It has such meaning, such a sense of community,” says Stellinga. “You are climbing 1776 steps! And you have the support and help of other climbers. It’s another symbol of how people can come together for different reasons.”
For her, just knowing that the United Way is there is hugely rewarding.
“Knowing that we are looking at issues and finding solutions, being persistent and stubborn about not giving up, digging in deeper, I am really proud of that. And volunteers, agencies, partners and donors all come together to help us achieve our goals.
Stellinga tells newcomers that all their fears and apprehensions in a new country are valid and respected.
“But Canada is a great country. It is hard, and it is challenging, but if we open our hearts and minds, we realize the opportunities that exist. Newcomers and refugees come with so much experience and talent, invest those. Connect. Put down roots. Establish a network. Volunteer. Vote. Participate every way you can.
“When people find a sense of belonging, they contribute, they make a difference.”
