Banner Image
The Wagner Green YMCA

YMCA Youth Shelter & Drop-In Centre

3,000 youth experience homelessness in Toronto every night.

The Wagner Green YMCA is an emergency shelter and drop-in centre where unhoused youth find a hot meal and safe place to sleep. Beyond a bed, the Y also provides wrap-around supports to help young people return to school, find work, and build skills to live independently in safe housing of their own. 

Donate Now

The Need Has Never Been More Urgent

20%

Youth ages 13–24 make up 20% of the homeless population in Canada

3,000

3,000 youth experience homelessness in Toronto every night

6X

Street-involved youth are 6X more likely to be violently victimized than the general population

65%

65% of unhoused youth come from families struggling with substance use and have experienced some form of trauma and abuse

Safety, Shelter, and Wrap-Around Supports

At our shelter and drop-in centre, youth experiencing homelessness are met with compassion and immediate crisis support: they receive food, medical care, hygiene products, and a safe place to sleep.

With support from their case managers, youth also access comprehensive programming including:

  • Mental health and substance use counselling.
  • Support working through legal issues and securing official identification.
  • Preparation for going back to school or finding work.
  • Help looking for and moving into safe housing of their own.
Learn More About Wraparound Supports

Impact By The Numbers

In 2023–24...
 

  • 146 youth stayed in our emergency shelter

  • 7,449 visits were made to our drop-in centre

Who We Help

“I was just 18 years old when I moved to Canada. I didn’t know anyone, didn’t have anywhere to live, and didn’t have any money. 

"My life turned around when I heard about the YMCA. There are no words to describe the relief of knowing you’ll have a roof over your head and food in your stomach when those things have felt so precarious. After weeks of uncertainty, all the help I needed to start over was available to me under one roof.

“Today, I’m proud to call myself the owner of a successful moving company at just 21 years old. Because of the YMCA and its generous donors, I was able to dream bigger and better than my temporary circumstances. I’m living proof that the Y’s wraparound services work!”

—Paul

“I was 16 when I left my uncle’s house. His substance use and violence had escalated so much over the years. One night it got so bad, I knew I had to leave — even though I had nowhere else to go. 

“When I finally found The Wagner Green YMCA and got to take a hot shower, eat a full nourishing meal, and sleep in a real bed — the relief was honestly indescribable. Having this safe place to stay truly lifted such a weight from my shoulders. But having a case worker, who helped me figure out everything that seemed so unimaginable when I was homeless…It made me feel more trusting, like I finally had someone in my corner. 

“For teenagers like me, The Wagner Green Y can change your life. These support systems are a god send.” 

—Tyler

“I think getting that help from the Y really changed my life. I wasn’t devoting all my time and attention to worrying anymore, or thinking about where I was going to sleep that night… I could actually concentrate at work and I could work on my goals, like getting promoted and getting a raise.

“And the Y helped me with that stuff too. With my case manager, we worked together on my resume and how to negotiate my salary. I started counselling so I could process my relationship with my family. And in the financial literacy program, I learned to budget, pay bills, and take responsibility for my own finances. 

"All of it has been absolutely life-changing.”

—Brandon

How You Can Help

You can give youth experiencing homelessness a safe place to sleep tonight.

Your donation can provide: 

  • Hot meals,
  • Safe shelter, and
  • Life-changing supports for youth experiencing homelessness.
Donate Now

Beyond A Bed

Wraparound supports that help youth leave homelessness behind

Your donation to The Wagner Green YMCA gives youth so much more than a bed. The Y provides wraparound supports that meet youth where they’re at, whether it’s supporting them in leaving an encampment, or helping them move out of our shelter and into their own independent housing. 

Our comprehensive supports include:

Drop-In Centre

A safe place where unhoused youth can rebuild their trust in people and access the services they need.

  • Immediate crisis support and basic necessities, such as food, hygiene products, showers, harm reduction supports, and more.
  • A mental health practitioner and public health nurse who deliver mental health counseling and medical care.
  • Legal professionals to support those working through legal issues.
  • A clinic that helps youth secure proper identification, which they need in order to work and find housing.
Education and Job Training Programs

Helping youth prepare to return to school, find work, and build financial stability for independent living. 
 
 77% of youth experiencing homelessness in Toronto are unemployed. Youth at The Wagner Green YMCA can connect with YMCA Employment workers for guidance on getting on the path towards landing a job. Whether it’s finishing high school, applying for post-secondary education, or conducting a job search, youth get the support they need to shape their careers and become financially stable.

Streets to Homes

Helping youth who are living rough get into housing.

Our unique Streets to Homes program offers youth case management with a housing-first approach. Outreach workers connect with youth ages 16–24 who are living rough or in encampments to help them get into housing as quickly as possible. They also connect these youth with a variety of social and community services, including follow-up and eviction prevention services and post-incarceration support.

Units for Youth

Rental bursary program that helps youth transition to independent living.

By subsidizing a portion of their rent each month for up to one year, Units For Youth gives young people a chance to build the skills, financial stability, and support system they need to maintain their housing and live independently.

Each participant works closely with a case worker, who supports them in meeting personalized goals and juggling the many stressors that youth experience while transitioning to independent living, from budgeting to paying bills and more.

Ultimately, Units For Youth gives young people a helping hand, so that after one year, they are stable and financially secure enough to pay their rent in full, without the support of the bursary, and live independently with confidence.

Support Unhoused Youth

Make a donation today

Your gift is truly life changing for youth who have nowhere else to turn this winter. Donate now to give them food, shelter, and wraparound support.

Donate Now