About Us

Halton Information Providers (HIP) is a coalition of non-profit community resource centres committed to improving access to community information in the Halton Region. Since 1988, HIP has worked collaboratively to maintain and share accurate, up-to-date information on essential services that support the well-being of individuals and families in our communities.

Our History

The need for coordinated community information in Halton dates back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, when a growing number of non-profit and government organizations recognized the importance of easily accessible service information. This led to the development of Community Information Centres across Ontario, including in Halton, to help residents find health services, housing support, legal aid, and other vital resources.

HIP was officially formed in 1988 to bring together service providers who were duplicating efforts to collect and share community data. By unifying their efforts, HIP created a more efficient, accurate, and reliable system for delivering local information.

What We Do

Today, HIP is a vital part of Halton’s social infrastructure. We manage and maintain the Halton Community Services Directory (accessible at HIPinfo.ca), a comprehensive online database of community services and supports available throughout Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville.

Our work ensures that residents, service providers, and frontline workers can quickly find trusted information on services including:

• Health and wellness programs

• Housing and shelter supports

• Legal and crisis services

• Child care and family supports

• Food security and basic needs assistance

We also provide content for regional and provincial directories, helplines, and referral services.

Our Impact

HIP helps thousands of people each year connect to the supports they need. We’re proud to be recognized as a leader in the field of Information and Referral (I&R) services, collaborating with networks across Ontario and Canada to strengthen the delivery of social services.

HIP is the official community information provider in Halton for:

• Ontario 211 Services

• Ontario Health atHome

• Halton Child Care Directory and Information Line

• TheHealthLine.ca

• And other regional and provincial initiatives

All HIP editors are certified Community Resource Specialist–Database Curators, trained to uphold the highest standards of data quality and service accuracy.

Partnerships & Memberships

HIP is a proud member of:

• InformCanada

• Inform USA

• Various local and provincial working groups focused on service coordination and digital inclusion

These partners work together to collect, maintain, and disseminate high-quality, reliable information for the entire region.

Please help us spread the word that we exist and resources are available

• Follow us on social media, help us with sharing important resources with the community. We try our best to share information or resources that are important, lesser known about, and/or serving our vulnerable communities.

• Browse our directory, find a resource you wish more people knew about, and share it with the community! Feel free to tag us, and we'll try our best to help you share!

• Use the sample graphics we've created, to promote us on your own social media and/or workplace accounts. Just 'right click' the graphic and 'save as', then upload the graphic to your social media post.

• Check out our resource posters, print and share them at your workplace/school!

• Link to us from your website, by adding hipinfo.ca to your list of resources, and/or by adding one of our HCSD Search Widgets which allows your visitors to search our directory from your own website!

• Invite us to your event or staff training. We love sharing resources, we can help share what's available to the community, or answer any questions about navigating our directory.