Written by Angie Peters, President & CEO of YSM It’s no secret women disproportionately experience poverty in Toronto. Single parents, the majority of whom are women, and racialized females represent the highest percentage of our city’s residents who are living in poverty today. Why is that? One key reason is
Marie* loves her child and wants to give them the best possible life. This desire fills her with purpose and hope as she works to meet the needs of her small family and navigate the daily challenges she faces. Marie arrived in Canada alone at the young age of 17
Akwesi* and his wife were devoted donors in their birth country, before they came to Canada with hopes of building a more solid future for their family. Due to unexpected circumstances, they instead found themselves without a home, forced to live in office buildings and shelters here in Toronto. The
“I was sitting in a field in India,” said Eric, remembering the moment when Brother Christas reminded him to spend the same amount of effort helping his neighbours in Toronto as he’d already done in leprosy centres abroad. “I helped establish two missions, in Haiti and India, and they reminded
“I love learning new things!” said Moreen*, who’s in the process of learning both French and Spanish. She goes on to talk about her passion for volunteering, specifically serving meals or lending a hand in distributing groceries among community members. Moreen’s enthusiasm is contagious and, with the assistance of YSM’s
Daniel’s* perseverance and talent have seen him through a lot in his life. And it’s those gifts which have carried him through the past year, in helping him get back on his feet and create a plan to reach his goals. Due to COVID, Daniel was jobless, food insecure and
At YSM, we’ve seen how personal connections are a vital factor in building the ability of our community members to set goals, take steps towards them and, ultimately, create better futures. Through mentorship, participants find opportunities to build healthy relationships, discover their own strengths and envision new possibilities for themselves
Written by Angie Peters, President & CEO of YSM What’s your favourite meal? For me it’s definitely a chicken cacciatore I make these days in my Instant Pot. For many, simply finding something – anything – to put on the table each day is a struggle. Did you know? Access
Happy National Volunteer Week! We are so thankful to the many dedicated volunteers who give time and talent across all areas of YSM – you make our work possible each year. Not only are we blessed with individual volunteers, but YSM also has many partnerships with schools, churches and corporations
Donna Alexander works as a social worker at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and specializes in addiction and mental health, primarily working with Black families and youth through the Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth. In 2007, encouraged by one of YSM’s volunteers, Donna
When Susan* first came to YSM she was living in a rooming house with many others, sleeping on the floor. Growing up in foster homes, Susan had experienced multiple traumas and received one consistent message: she wasn’t and would never be worth anything. Feeling alone and unvalued, Susan would arrive
For many of us, Christmas 2020 was like nothing we’ve experienced. However, for many in our community, the feeling of isolation during holidays is not new. Compounded with the financial impacts of the pandemic, we knew this Christmas would be extra challenging for many neighbours. With your generous support, however,
In 1896, John ‘Hallelujah’ Coolidge Davis founded Yonge Street Mission to support and serve Torontonians experiencing poverty, by offering food and giving out Bibles from the back of a horse-pulled wagon which travelled up and down Yonge Street. 125 years later YSM is still here, responding to the needs of
Written by Angie Peters, President & CEO of YSM 166 days before I was born, Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the pulpit in Riverside Church in New York City and said these words: “A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of
Evergreen Centre had just opened its doors for another day of providing essential supports and services to street-involved youth, when an unexpected visitor arrived. A large man, clearly agitated, began aggressively banging on the doors of the centre demanding food. Although he was older than youth served at Evergreen, YSM
