About Gabriel Dumont Non-Profit Homes - Gabriel Dumont Non-Profit Homes Inc.

About GDNP

Gabriel Dumont Non-Profit Homes (GDNP) provides safe, secure, and affordable housing for Indigenous individuals and families in East Scarborough. For more than 40 years, we have offered deeply subsidized housing rooted in cultural safety and community wellbeing. GDNP operates 87 family units across two sites.

Our Primary site located at 4201 & 4203 Kingston Road: 80 three- and four-bedroom units and the main office. Our Secondary site – 118 Dorset Road is comprised of Seven four-bedroom townhouses located approximately 5 km west of the primary site. GDNP is governed by a Board of Directors, guided by organizational by-laws, and supported by an operations Manager.

We are currently expanding our housing capacity with the addition of 68 new one- and two-bedroom units at the Kingston Road site in which we name Wauseyah, The Cherise building. (Wauseyah is an Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe/Algonquin) word meaning "bright light," It is often used to describe the first light from the rising sun).

Naming of Wauseyah was provided by Albert Owl. Albert is from Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation in Ontario. He is known for his work in language revitalization, sharing stories and teaching in the community, and for his role as a language consultant, Language Elder and current resident of GDNP.

Vision - Mission - Mandate - Values

Vision

Our vision is to create a place that can serve as a model for a strength-based intergenerational Indigenous community that supports everyone from young families to Elders to youth ageing out of care and enables valuable connections such as older members acting as mentors for youth, or youth supporting Elders as they age in place.

We believe that strong relationships to culture, tradition and language, aligned with strong connection to community are forms of prevention to the effects of colonization. GDNP embraces the sacred teachings to guide the decisions and actions of all who live within the GDNP community.

We believe in community based supportive housing that fosters pride, harmony and unity through holistic programming within a circle of support. Our vision is continuing to close the gaps in Indigenous housing.

We strive to build a strong and resilient community. Being inclusive to changing families and life stages of our community.

Our mission is to provide safe, deeply affordable and culturally appropriate housing for urban Indigenous people. We are committed to creating a healthy living environment that offers First Nations, Metis and Inuit people self determination that fosters cultural reclamation and identity.

Our homes are a place where human rights are respected and where two spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgender and queer people and their friends and allies are welcome and supported.

Mission

Mandate

Our mandate focuses on creating a safe, supportive environment where residents can build essential life skills and maintain housing stability.

Providing tenants with access to improved housing stability, primarily through the provision of community networking and access to support mechanisms deterring isolation and rental arrears.
Increasing tenants social and community connectedness.
Improving tenants’ quality of life, empowering their ability to contribute to their community and neighbours, while sustaining long-term housing.
Ensuring that tenants will experience increased personal and community resiliency

We value, honour and embrace the 7 sacred teachings of Indigenous communities which guide ways of knowing, being and sharing.

RESPECT, TRUST, HONESTY, WISDOM, LOVE, BRAVERY, HUMILITY

Values

Actions

The evolution of ensuring Indigenous people had a safe, affordable culturally specific housing opportunity in Southeast Scarborough was led by a dedicated team of community members. Together, Joseph Ranger, JoAnne McKenna, Lorraine Gisborn and Roberta Waddell became Directors of the now GDNP homes and initiated the first lodges now known as 4201 and 4203 Kingston Road. On November 15, 1985, Gabriel Dumont Non-Profit Homes (Metro Toronto) Inc. was incorporated.

In August 1994 phase 2 was added and is comprised of seven four-bedroom townhouses located on Dorset Road.

A third phase (Wauseyah, The Cherise Building) which is under construction currently had evolved by listening to the community’s needs and continuing to plan as Indigenous housing providers. Our existing portfolio consisted entirely of three and four-bedroom units. As such, we were not able to provide housing to members of the community who did not meet the occupancy requirements of our 3- and 4-bedroom units causing a gap in housing where single individuals, Elders, or small family groups could not be served. With a few number of existing tenants being considered as over-housed we have a unique opportunity to appropriately house them in one or two-bedroom units upon Wauseyah’s completion in Summer of 2027.

In 2022, we advocated and received funding through a Rapid Housing Initiative for the creation of a new building. The project has received significant government funding to date from the City of Toronto and the federal government. The City of Toronto committed $950K in capital funding in 2021 through their “Open Door” program and granted the project waivers of planning, building and development fees and charges valued at $3.5M. The City of Toronto has also provided $3,527,680 in HAF funds. Through the City of Toronto, the Provincial Government has provided $5,472,320 in BFF funds. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has committed $60K in predevelopment Seed funding and $28M in capital funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) through the program’s Cities Stream where municipal-supported projects are awarded full capital funding to enable them to be constructed and occupied.

In 2023, Community consultations took place including negotiations with the Toronto Land Corporation for an additional piece of land formerly part of Maplewood H.S. adjacent to the current property at 4201 Kingston Rd. In this process, The GDNPH Board of Directors led by Vice President Barb Felschow worked in partnership with the Toronto Land Corporation to collaborate on a Land Back model resulting in the successful transfer of this parcel of land symbolizing a positive step forward in reconciliation with the first peoples of Canada.

In May 2024, a naming ceremony was held, and the new lodge was honoured as Wauseyah – The Cherise Building. (Wauseyah is an Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe/Algonquin) word meaning “bright light,” It is often used to describe the first light from the rising sun). Naming of Wauseyah was provided by Albert Owl. Albert is from Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation in Ontario. He is known for his work in language revitalization, sharing stories and teaching in the community, and for his role as a language consultant, Language Elder and current resident of GDNP.

In September of 2025, Wauseyah – The Cherise Building was in full constructions mode.

In 2025 a new logo process was considered and a new logo embraced. The intent was for the image to represent the vibrant Indigenous community (First Nations, Metis and Inuit) housed at GDNP. Each element of the design was carefully considered for inclusivity and visibility.

The Metis sash represents the Red River Metis Nation as we continue to honour our name’s sake and figure of importance to our Metis community members Gabriel Dumont.
The Sunrise embraces new beginnings each day brings and honours the third phase Wauseyah, The Cherise Building.
The image of the hawk connects to our family of hawks that are frequently seen circling the lodges at GDNP and are honoured as protectors of our community.
The Tipi’s relate to traditional First Nation dwellings and encourage all to remember ancestors and connections to the land.
The Inukshuk honour the Inuktitut people who use this symbol as a tool for survival, symbolizing cooperation, balance, and unselfishness, where the individual stones support each other to create a strong, united structure.