L'Arche Toronto Homes Inc. (operating as L'Arche Toronto), East York, ON

L’Arche began in 1964 when Canadian Jean Vanier, who was living in France at the time, invited 3 men from the local institution to live with him. Jean was horrified at the lack of value society held for these men and others like them, and thought a simple life of mutual respect and appreciation might serve them all a bit better. This seed led to the springing up of several homes and communities around the globe, all inspired by Jean’s original human–to-human model. L’Arche today is an international network of over 140 intentional communities in almost 30 countries where people with intellectual disabilities and their assistants live, work, and create home together.