Celebrating our volunteers: How Tyler shares his passion for painting with youth Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Volunteers give countless hours of their time, skills and talents to provide youth at Covenant House Toronto with meaningful opportunities to try new things, make new friends and help build confidence. Tyler Scott is one of the volunteers who leads the Thursday evening art program at Covenant House. We talked to Tyler - an actuarial consultant in the finance industry – about sharing his talent for painting with the you ..read more

Sleep Out: Champions Edition raises over $450,000 to support youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn The morning after Sleep Out: Champions Edition the air was filled with the energy of nearly 100 caring, action-oriented individuals from across the Greater Toronto Area who gave up their beds for a night and slept outside to help ensure young people experiencing homelessness and trafficking can get the care and support they need at Covenant House Toronto. Throughout the rainy night, particip ..read more

Celebrating our volunteers: Ken connects with youth over a game of chess Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Celebrating our volunteers: Ken connects with youth over a game of chess  Ken Stripelis has been showing up to volunteer at Covenant House for over thirty years, making him one of our longest serving supporters.   He spoke to us about how a game ofa chess builds connections and community for some of the young people at Covenant House Toronto.  Q: How did you get started volunteering at Covenant House?  ..read more

Sleeper Spotlight on long-time donor, first-time sleeper Hans Ohrstrom Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Hans Ohrstrom began donating to Covenant House Toronto when he was living in a basement apartment, facing his own challenges and was barely able to pay his rent. “I was eating 2 for 1 pizza for most of my meals – one for breakfast, one for lunch,” Hans said. “I grew up in that - that was normal.” He had just quit his job as a district manager of an apparel company and was trying to pursue his dream of moving into a career in rea ..read more

Sleeper Spotlight on Tia Plona – SOCE 2024 Committee Co-Chair Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn When Tia Plona did her first Sleep Out in 2016, she had little knowledge about the issues of youth homelessness and trafficking. She also didn’t yet have a sense of the wide range of programs and services Covenant House delivers to young people in need.   Now, as Tia prepares to do her ninth Sleep Out as co-chair of the Sleep Out: Champions Edition Committee, she is excited to share the ways the event has, year after year, give ..read more

Sleeper Spotlight on Team Next Gen Council Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Last year, Lisa Black participated in Sleep Out for the very first time. Like many rookies, she spent a restless night reflecting on what she learned earlier that evening about the increasingly complex challenges youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking face every day. Meeting some of the young people who stay at Covenant House and the caring staff who provide life changing programs and services gave her perspective on the harsh realities of homeles ..read more

How to talk about sex trafficking with your child: A conversation with Brenna, our anti-trafficking team’s family social worker Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn The Let’s Talk About Sex Trafficking campaign aims to empower and equip parents and caregivers with tools to talk with their children about what sex trafficking looks like and how it can happen, to help prevent it. How can parents approach such a heavy conversation? And what do you do if you suspect your child is being trafficked? We talked with Brenna, who works with yout ..read more

Helping young people experiencing homelessness and exiting trafficking find the support they need at Covenant House Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn On April 11, hundreds of professionals and community members from across the Greater Toronto Area will sleep out to ensure that young people experiencing homelessness and trafficking can find the support they need at Covenant House Toronto.   Sleep Out: Champions Edition provides caring, action-oriented individuals with the opportunity to learn more about youth homelessness ..read more

What you don’t know about how sex trafficking happens Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Sex trafficking is a thriving, highly lucrative and misunderstood crime: over 90 per cent of sex trafficking victims in Canada come from Canada. Traffickers are master manipulators, skilled at exploiting the vulnerabilities of young people—primarily young women—trapping them in a life devoid of freedom and full of abuse for the traffickers’ personal gain. It’s why we need to talk about sex trafficking. Vanessa, from Halifax, was lured into sex t ..read more

Covenant House Toronto launches Let’s Talk About Sex Trafficking Campaign: Empowering Canadians To Start The Conversation Back to News & Stories Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Toronto, ON February 22, 2024 – Today, on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Covenant House Toronto launches Let’s Talk About Sex Trafficking, a campaign to spark dialogue and empower and equip parents, caregivers and teens with tools to help prevent sex trafficking in Canada. Awareness, education and dialogue are essential to help keep young people safe and prevent sex tr ..read more