Our Mission

Community Social Planning Council (CSPC) leads community-based action research in social, economic and environmental fields of interest across greater Victoria with the goal of informing equitable and just policy development. 

Inaugurated in 1936, CSPC is a non-profit, non-partisan charitable social planning council.  When it opened, it was the first social planning agency in the Victoria region formed to address the needs of the poor. Over the years, the Council also served as the incubator for a number of well-established organizations in this region, including the United Way of Greater Victoria, Volunteer Victoria and the Bridges for Women Society, among others. 

CSPC plays a unique role in advocating for strong social policy across the Capital Regional District. Our clients include members of the community, non-profit organizations, businesses, government and networks, all working towards a common goal to improve the living and working conditions in the region, and to bring about positive change that is sustainable. 

A few of the projects CSPC undertakes:

• annual living wage calculations for Greater Victoria 

• bi-annual point in time homeless count

• Youth Quality Program Indicator (YPQI) program 

• BC Transit Ticket program

Your contribution to CSPC will ensure that government and strategic partners use evidence-based participatory research to get at the core of  the stickiest issues facing citizens and communities. 

CSPC receives no government subsidies, making you - our donors - a critical partner in continuing the good work we do. If you believe in non-partisan, citizen-engaged research, please consider making a donation to the Council, either through Canada Helps, or to save us transaction fees, you can mail your donation to #216, 852 Fort Street, Victoria, B.C. V8Q 1H8. 

Your donation really means the world to us.

Another way you can support CSPC's work is by becoming a member. Members are our guardians, helping to support our ongoing research and allowing us to look beyond the immediate challenges to emerging issues that are impacting our lives in ways not yet known or measured. 

Key priority areas of work that your membership and donation will support include:

• Reducing and preventing poverty

• Food security and access to healthy food

• Housing Affordability; Renter's Toolkit, Housing Instability report 

• Community Economic Development

• Sustainability of the Region (social, economic and environmental)

There are other ways in which you can make a difference through the Council. Gifts of real estate, shares and other planned gifts will ensure that our diligence in seeking the facts, evidenced by local citizen experiences, will continue to inform and guide policy.

Thank you for your interest and generosity.  We couldn't do it without you!