In 1986, a group of teachers and guidance counsellors saw the lack of safe, emergency housing and support programs for their students in need, and decided to join together to create Youth Without Shelter. Since that time YWS has helped more than 16,000 youth build their confidence and life-skills and to find long-term stable housing and jobs. We have become known as a house where a youth’s culture and needs are understood, and where each youth receives individual-needs based support, practical guidance, and training through a wrap-around model of programming. 

Located in the community of North Etobicoke, YWS is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing a safe refuge for youth aged 16 to 24. We don’t just provide a warm bed for a night; we offer practical advice and guidance from trained staff, wrap-around support programs, and a safe, comfortable space to live. Our goal is to ensure that every youth who walks through our doors has the support, guidance, and resources they need in order to exit the cycle of homelessness towards independent, stable living.