Andrea Austen – Manager of Seniors Services and Community Programs, City of Toronto

Andrea Austen is the Manager of Seniors Services and Community Programs at the City of Toronto. Andrea was the lead architect of the Toronto Seniors Strategy, which provides a more proactive, holistic and inclusive approach to the changing demographics and needs of older adults in the City of Toronto. This work involved engaging stakeholders and co-creating a plan to meet the needs of older adults and prepare for the future of ageing in Toronto.

The plan calls for an expanded City mandate to go well beyond long-term care to improve, expand and integrate services for seniors to age at home. This includes the strategic integration and coordination of over 40 City of Toronto services for seniors. Andrea is also responsible to the expanded City mandate to oversee and evaluate the new integrated service model rolling out in the City’s seniors-designated housing authority.

As a result over a decade leading the seniors portfolio at City Hall, Andrea has a deep understanding of the needs of seniors across the health, social service, community and municipal service systems. She is a transformational city builder with a vision and plan to improve outcomes for seniors and make a demonstrable impact in Toronto.

Prior to entering the municipal public sector, Andrea worked in academia as a Lecturer at York and Ryerson Universities. She received her Master’s degree in Political Philosophy from York University. Andrea has leveraged this background to collaborate on policy initiatives and research projects that can support evidence based action in the City, and to ensure that Toronto is an age-friendly, age-inclusive and age-equitable city for all.

Andrea will present/speak during the Session 5 Partnerships & Strategic Alignment panel of the conference on March 23 starting at 10:15 a.m.