A Special Bequest
One man's final wish 50 years ago makes a difference today
On May 5, 1957, a ride on the TTC cost 10 cents. If you preferred to drive, a brand new car would set you back $2,500. A loaf of bread was 17 cents and the "all you can eat" dinner buffet at Club One Two on Adelaide Street was $2.50. The hit movie, Funny Face, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn, was playing at the Palace. And on May 5, 1957, otherwise very ordinary, one Mr. Albert Smith sadly passed away suddenly at St. Joseph's hospital.
There is not a lot known now about Albert Smith. He was a "retired gentleman", a man of means who lived modestly just west of Toronto. His house still stands. It was and is comfortable but unremarkable, in a decent but unexceptional area.
Mr. Smith was generous. In his will, he provided well for loved ones and
relatives. He thoughtfully left items sure to be cherished by the recipients,
as well as monthly sums to be bestowed until their own deaths. What was
left over would go to charities of his choice.
Times have changed in Toronto in the 50 years since Mr, Smith died.
He could not have predicted all the transformations but he did have foresight.
In 2007, the remainder of his fortune was bequeathed to 10 Toronto non-profit
organizations in which he had great confidence. Remarkably, they all still
exist half a century later and they continue to have a positive influence
on Toronto's communities. One was called the Neighbourhood Workers Association
of Toronto, a name that has gone the way of the 10 cent TTC fare and is
now called Family Service Association of Toronto (FSA Toronto).
1957 was a year of challenges and triumphs for FSA Toronto. This same year saw the culmination of years of advocacy for better social security, especially important at a time when unemployment was increasing. Lillian Thomson, then Executive Director, wrote in the1957 annual report, "It now seems too good to be true that 1957 brought change at long last, with public assistance extended to the unemployed employable and with other types of public assistance and income security also improved."
In 1958, residents of Toronto not living in self-contained dwellings finally gained the right to vote in municipal elections. Before that, and for all of Albert Smith's life, they had been denied a voice in the city government.
In 1957, monthly rents ranged from $78 to $117 a month – a far cry from today's average rent of $1,073 for a two-bedroom unit, but just as financially demanding on an average salary of $3,700 a year. The population of Toronto had exploded since World War II and many people struggled on considerably lower incomes. Those earning $2,600 annually (equivalent today to well below the poverty level of $30,000 annual income for a family of four in Toronto), could not afford decent housing.
In a 1958 FSA Toronto publication, Miss Alice Smout, a District Supervisor (Moss Park –Yorkville Family Service Centre), spoke of the problem: "Dreadful housing conditions are as harmful to the children as the parents. They have to live with constant noise and turmoil. It is not conducive to healthy family life. Money pressures due to high rents and small incomes are intense." In 2007, too high rents and too low incomes continue to be major causes of family homeless, and are an ongoing focus for FSA Toronto's advocacy efforts. Some things have not changed.
And some things have. Albert Smith bequeathed money to a church whose 1957 building was converted this year into condos. A sign of the times. Another sign of the times is FSA Toronto's recent involvement in affordable housing at Pears Avenue. This is a different conversion – of a former hotel into safe, supportive and affordable apartments for individuals who were previously homeless and who now have a chance to thrive.
It is sometimes small gestures, like a line in a will that ferments for half a century and reaches out through time to make a big difference. FSA Toronto for 50 years did not know that Mr. Smith had it in mind and Mr. Smith couldn't know exactly what would happen in five decades. But the gift of over $32,000 each to FSA Toronto and nine other organizations comes from the legacy of a man, Mr. Smith, with the most anonymous of names and the most unexpected generosity. A true changemaker.
If you would like to discuss making a planned gift to FSA Toronto, please call our Development Office at 416-595-9230 ext. 242 or e-mail murrayro@familyservicetoronto.org.
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