Direct Impact Funds: Decide Where Your Support Goes

At StepStones for Youth, we recognize that young people leaving foster care often face immense emotional challenges, including isolation, anxiety, and depression. Our Mental Health Connections & Belonging Fund ensures that every youth has access to mental health supports and positive relationships that strengthen the sense of belonging and community. 

This fund supports initiatives such as: 

• Individual and group counselling 
• Culturally relevant therapies 
• Peer support programs 
• Mentorship and relationship-building activities 
• Social and recreational programming to reduce isolation 

Youth can access support directly through StepStones’ programming, ensuring timely and tailored assistance. 

Why it matters: Mental health challenges are a key risk factor for youth from foster care, most of whom have unaddressed childhood trauma.  

• Two-thirds of youth leaving state guardianship experience mental health challenges¹ and one third have been formally diagnosed with a mental disorder² 
• Only 7% of youth report stable mental health at intake to StepStones.  
• 94% of youth have stabilized their mental health after a year in our Building Connections program

By supporting this fund, you help us provide essential emotional and relational supports that empower youth to heal, thrive, and feel connected.

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1. Scully, B., & Finlay, J. (2015). Cross-over youth: Care to custody. Report completed on behalf of the Crossover Youth Committee, Toronto, ON. Ryerson University.

^{2. Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth (2012). 25 is the new 21: The costs and benefits of providing extended care and maintenance to Ontario youth-in-care until age 25. Toronto: Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth.}

Education and employment are critical pillars of long-term success, breaking cycles of poverty and homelessness. Our Education & Employment Fund provides youth with the tools, guidance, and resources they need to achieve their educational and career goals. 

This fund supports: 

• High school completion 
• Post-secondary education assistance (tuition, books, and supplies) 
• Vocational training and internships 
• Career coaching, resume building, and job placement support 
• And more! 

Why it matters: Youth leaving foster care are disproportionately at risk of dropping out of school and experiencing chronic unemployment.  

• 48% of youth 18+ who were in the child welfare system in Ontario have a high school diploma or equivalent as their highest level of education completed.¹
• 83% of youth at StepStones are currently attending school or have graduated from high school.

Your support ensures these young people have equitable access to opportunities that lead to increased self-confidence, achieving potential, and lifelong success.  

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1. Miller, M. (2022). (rep.). Ontario Looking After Children 2021 Provincial Report. Center for Research on Educational and Community Services. University of Ottawa.

StepStones for Youth has purchased a building in downtown Toronto to become Canada’s first integrated hub and housing facility for young people involved in child protection. Our permanent home will be the nucleus for youth, volunteers, and staff; community events, sector conferences, and think tanks; comprehensive, cross-sectoral services; and innovative supported housing – custom designed by young people with lived experience in foster care.  

Youth experiencing homelessness in Canada are 193 times more likely than youth in the general population to report involvement with child welfare1 and an average of 48% of youth exiting the child protection system graduate from high school compared with an average of 82% of their peers.² 

1. Gaetz, S., O’Grady, B., Kidd, S., & Schwan, K. (2016) Without a Home:  The National Youth Homelessness Survey http://homelesshub.ca/sites/default/files/WithoutAHome-final.pdf

^{2. Miller, M. (2022). (rep.). Ontario Looking After Children 2021 Provincial Report. Center for Research on Educational and Community Services. University of Ottawa.}

This fund contributes to: 

• Building Canada’s First Integrated Hub and Housing Facility for Youth from Foster Care 
• Maintenance and upgrades of youth housing units 
• Renovations to create youth-friendly environments 
• Creating and furnishing community spaces 
• Facility improvements that enhance programming 
• And more! 

Why it matters: Stable, supportive environments are foundational to youth success.  

Each year, approximately 6,000 youth in Canada “age out” of the child welfare system, suddenly confronted with navigating life on their own at 18.1

Supporting this fund is a unique opportunity to help us lay the foundation to end homelessness for youth involved in child protection.

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1. Gaetz, S., O’Grady, B., Kidd, S., & Schwan, K. (2016) Without a Home:  The National Youth Homelessness Survey http://homelesshub.ca/sites/default/files/WithoutAHome-final.pdf

Building meaningful connections and participating in community life is central to positive youth development. The Youth Engagement Fund supports programs and activities that allow young people to explore their interests, develop leadership skills, and strengthen relationships. 

This fund supports: 

• Our weekly youth community dinners 
• Arts, music, and recreational programs 
• Sports and team-building activities 
• Excursions 
• Events that enhance belonging and social connection 
• And more! 

Why it matters: Youth thrive when they feel seen, included, and capable of contributing. For many young people leaving foster care, community programs such as our weekly dinners combat food insecurity and provide a consistent and welcoming space to belong. Supporting engagement opportunities addresses these immediate, practical needs while also building the self-esteem, life skills, and lasting relationships that carry into healthy adulthoods. 

• 78% of youth in our Building Connections Program experience belonging in our community. 

In 2025, StepStones’ engagement activities resulted in: 

• 664 youth supported; 
• 78 workshops and events provided; 
• 462 housing and mental health subsidies secured for youth; 
• 1,103 emergency food and care packages distributed; and  
• 8,820 hours of supportive counselling and service navigation.

Join Us: Invest in experiences that empower youth and build community. Donate to the Youth Engagement Fund today. 

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The transition out of foster care can be particularly challenging for youth who have infants and children. The Parents Fund provides small-scale, targeted supports for young parents to help them build healthy, nurturing families. 

This fund supports: 

• Essential baby supplies and equipment 
• Parenting workshops and mentorship 
• Housing and stability supports for young parents 
• Access to resources for health and well-being 
• Education, employment, and connection building supports 
• And more! 

Why it matters: Many young parents in our program grew up or spent time in the child protection system, and without targeted support, their own children face a significantly elevated risk of entering the system as well.  

Preventative support for young parents interrupts intergenerational involvement in child protection and keeps families healthy and together.  

Join Us: Help young parents build strong foundations for themselves and their children. Support the Parents Fund today. Your donation promotes positive outcomes for both parent and child, helping to build the stability, confidence, and skills that young families need to thrive together. 

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StepStones is committed to ensuring that youth from marginalized and equity-deserving communities receive the supports they need to thrive. The Equity-Deserving Youth Fund prioritizes programs that address systemic inequities and create safe, affirming spaces for youth.  

This fund supports: 

• Programs tailored for 2SLGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous, and other racialized youth 
• Cultural mentorship, advocacy, and peer networks 
• Activities that address barriers related to identity, access, or opportunity
• Inclusion initiatives that promote belonging and leadership 
• And more! 

Why it matters: In 2021, Indigenous children accounted for 7.7% of youth under 15, but more than half of all foster children in Canada (53.8%).1 Researchers at McGill University have also found that child welfare investigations centred on Black children were 2.27 times the rate of white children, and Black children were placed in care at more than twice the rate of white children (3.1% vs. 1.5%).²

Join Us: Support youth from marginalized backgrounds by donating to the Equity-Deserving Youth Fund. Your contribution promotes equity, inclusion, and opportunity for equity-deserving youth involved in child protection. 

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1. Statistics Canada 2022. Table 98-10-0276-01. Household and family characteristics of persons including detailed information on stepfamilies by Indigenous identity and residence by Indigenous geography: Canada, provinces and territories DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/9810027601-eng 

^{2. Bonnie, N. & Facey, K., with support from King, B., Fallon, B., Joh-Carnella, N., Edwards, T., Kagan-Cassidy, M., Black, T., Patrick-Drakes, V., & Anucha, C. (2022). Understanding the Over-Representation of Black Children in Ontario Child Welfare Services. (Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2018). Toronto, ON: Child Welfare Research Portal.} 

Behind every successful youth program is a strong and sustainable organization. The StepStones Stability Fund supports the essential administrative, operational, and organizational infrastructure that makes our programs possible and ensures we can continue supporting youth for years to come. 

This fund supports: 

• Program administration and coordination 
• Technology, systems, and operational infrastructure 
• Staff training and professional development 
• Finance, compliance, and organizational governance 
• Communications, fundraising, and donor stewardship 
• Strategic planning and long-term organizational sustainability 
• And more! 

Why it matters: Administrative and operational investments are not separate from impact; they are what makes impact possible. Strong operations allow StepStones to deliver high-quality, consistent, and responsive programming for youth while building an organization that can grow sustainability over the long term. 

Donations to StepStones Stability Fund help provide the foundational support that keeps programs running effectively, allowing other funding sources to focus directly on frontline programming and services. By investing in this fund, you are helping strengthen the systems, people, and infrastructure that make it possible for a young person to secure stable housing, complete high school, find meaningful employment, and build a life beyond foster care. Every home that is found, every diploma earned, and every first pay cheque received is built on a foundation of strong operations – and we are deeply grateful to the donors who recognize and invest in that need. Your support makes it all possible.

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