Participatory PB Evaluation in Toronto

Toronto Community Housing, the second largest housing authority in North America, has been practicing participatory budgeting since 2001. Each year, tenants decide how to allocate roughly $9 million in capital funds. In April 2009, we launched a participatory evaluation of the PB process. Together with a team of 12 tenants, we have been evaluating the building meetings, allocation days, and other parts of the PB, in order to suggest potential improvements.

The evaluation began with a series of capacity-building and planning workshops with tenant researchers, in which they helped design the research methodology and developed research skills. We then accompanied the tenants in observing meetings, designing survey questions, interviewing fellow tenants, analyzing research findings, and presenting findings to staff.

The complete findings from the 2009 evaluation are presented in the final Evaluation Report. Through two Evaluation & Planning Workshops, we led a cross-section of tenants and staff in reviewing the report and agreeing on recommended changes for the 2010 PB process. Based on the success of the 2009 Evaluation, Toronto Community Housing invited us to continue the participatory evaluation for the 2010 PB cycle.

For more information on PB at Toronto Community Housing see:

• PB at Toronto Community Housing
• Toronto Community Housing PB Update