EVA'S INITIATIVES FOR HOMELESS YOUTH
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Mission Statement
Eva's provides shelter, transitional housing, and programming to help Toronto's youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness reach their potential and lead fulfilling, healthy lives. Our front-line staff works with each young person to develop an achievable action plan, attain their goals, and build strong community connections. Youth access equitable, supportive services like health and well-being, life skills, education, employment training, and housing. Our programs are open to all youth and are culturally responsive and trauma-informed to meet the unique needs of Black youth.
About This Cause
Eva's has four sites across Toronto, housing 200 young people aged 16 - 24 each night. • Eva's Place and Eva's Satellite Hotel program provides emergency shelter. • Eva's Phoenix provides transitional housing and support. • Eva's YOUth Belong provides community-based housing for Black youth. Most of these youth have experienced family breakdown, a disconnect from culture and community, violence, and/or other harms. They face barriers to accessing medical care, mental health supports and other support systems due to racism, discrimination, and oppression. Recently, we conducted a youth-focused Survey. Most of the youth we serve self-identify as Black youth • 72% of youth at Eva's (Place, Phoenix, Satellite) self-identify as Black and 100% of young people in our YOUth Belong Program identify as Black (as a requirement for the program). • 57% of youth identified themselves as Refugees or Refugee Claimants, 100% of these young people are racialized, and 90% identify as Black. • 34% of Eva's youth self-identified as 2SLGBTQ, of which 46% identify as Black. Donations to Eva’s help provide youth with emergency shelter, one-on-one support, access to trauma-informed and culturally responsive programs, employment and life skills programming, and housing support. This includes ensuring young people in our community have access to these critical ingredients to success: Crisis services: Help provide warm beds, nutritious meals, and meet young people’s immediate needs, including connections to mental health supports. Housing supports: Help youth transition from chaos to stability through one-on-one housing support services and rental supplements including transitional housing and community-based living programs. Community connections: Help build life skills so youth can find their cultural, individual, and community identities and meet their employment and education goals for a brighter future. For youth experiencing homelessness, the journey from chaos and crisis to stability often starts at one of Eva’s emergency shelter sites. At both Eva’s Place and Eva’s Satellite Hotel, youth receive immediate support day and night from our expert staff. Our emergency-based shelter programs offer a safe and reliable environment for youth in need. We meet the youth’s urgent food and shelter needs while also helping them stabilize through a focus on their health and well-being. Once youth have stabilized, they can begin to think about their next steps like finding housing and employment. Our goal at Eva's is to bridge the gaps and address the barriers young people face. We offer hands-on support and build partnerships in the community that support young people long-term. Building strong, positive relationships with youth is crucial, especially for those struggling to trust or connect with adults. Our youth workers provide one-on-one support, helping young people cope with their experiences and challenges. Youth are also paired with a harm reduction worker if they identify with having substance use issues. We understand that for some of these youth, life-saving support is critical. Staff meet young people where they are and implement safety plans to reduce harm (i.e., sex trafficking, gender-based violence, self-harm, and substance abuse). Youth also engage in wrap-around supports that build a positive identity and community relationships. We host workshops on healthy relationship development, anti-oppression, mindfulness, and healthy sexuality and organize recreation activities like yoga, fitness, and healthy eating.