Toronto, ON – November 6, 2026 – StepStones for Youth congratulates the federal government on taking an important step toward bringing housing and care together through Budget 2026’s proposed Integrated Supports Fund. As a national leader supporting young people involved in and transitioning from the child protection system, StepStones is thrilled to see the federal government prioritizing an integrated approach to housing and welcomes the opportunity to work alongside them.
Budget 2026 shares a plan to “provide $1.8 billion over four years, starting in 2027-28, and $3.2 billion in future years to establish a new Integrated Supports Fund, delivered through Build Canada Homes. The Fund would support projects that bring housing together with health, mental health, addictions, and social supports. The Fund would also help develop new transitional and supportive housing, adapt existing buildings, and mobilise public, private, and philanthropic capital behind an integrated housing and care model.”
In conjunction with this news, StepStones is proud to formally announce the establishment of Canada’s first integrated hub and housing facility for young people involved in child protection. Located at 1286 Bloor Street West in Toronto, this centre will bring supported housing and essential on-site services together, offering a concrete example of the kind of holistic approach the Integrated Supports Fund seeks to advance, tailored to the needs and experiences of youth from foster care.
Youth who leave foster care are 193 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general youth population. One in two youth and nearly one in three adults in Canada experiencing homelessness had a history of being in foster care. This population also faces elevated risks of educational disruption, mental health challenges, victimization, and poverty. This facility builds on more than two decades of StepStones’ work to improve outcomes for these young people. Offering supported housing with essential on-site services, StepStones is investing in integrated solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Toronto for a greatly underserved youth population.
“This new hub reflects the voices, ideas, and experiences of youth from foster care. They told us what safety feels like, what stability looks like, and what supports are needed. This building will bring their vision to life and set a new national standard for what youth from the child protection system should be able to rely on,” shared Heather O’Keefe, CEO and Founder.
The hub will include eight studio apartments, each with a private bathroom, kitchen and living space, for young people preparing to transition to market-rate housing. Other planned features include amenities and technology to support education and mental health; a food pantry and community dinners; and flexible spaces for confidential counselling and youth events.
The Integrated Supports Fund as it has been presented, clearly recognizes that stable housing works best when it is connected to care and practical supports. StepStones’ planned hub will bring housing together with education, mental health, food and social supports through internal programming and services partnerships.
For StepStones, this property project is the first step in a much larger potential journey: demonstrating how a youth-informed housing and support model could help shape responses to child protection transitions across Canada. StepStones aims to contribute to national leadership by sharing its approach and exploring partnerships that could help more young people access stable housing, care, and lasting community connections.
StepStones is mobilizing philanthropic funding and committed pro bono and discounted professional support, illustrating the partnerships that can help turn a shared vision into housing and services. StepStones is excited to continue the existing dialogue with Build Canada Homes about how this first project could inform a broader response for young people leaving foster care.
StepStones is grateful to the many partners who are providing funds to support this much-needed project, including Pelletier Youth in Transition, Home Depot Canada Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Toronto Foundation, Ontario Trillium Foundation, and United Way Greater Toronto. Extensive committed pro bono support has been secured from Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc.: Hariri Pontarini Architects; Jablonsky, Ast and Partners; Smith + Andersen; Grounded Engineering; GBCA Heritage Consultant; Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP; and Finnegan Marshall.
About StepStones for Youth
StepStones is a Top 5 Charity in Canada as designated by Charity Intelligence and the only organization in the country delivering wrap-around services and connection-building support to youth involved in child protection with significant histories of trauma and abuse. The organization has received numerous awards, including a Government of Canada Volunteer Award for Social Innovation, a Toronto Community Champion Award for extraordinary contributions supporting equity-deserving residents, and a National Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Prevention Award for the most innovative youth homelessness prevention program in the country. In 2025, StepStones supported 808 youth across all programs, with supports for education, housing, and mental health. The outcomes they achieve for youth continue to be among the highest in the sector, with 94% attending or having graduated from high school compared to the 48% rate of graduation for youth from foster care without support; 92% in safe housing, addressing the statistic that 58% of youth experiencing homelessness have child protection involvement; 83% reporting stable mental health compared to only 24% at intake to their program; and 82% having belonging and community.
For more information or to connect with Heather O’Keefe about this project please contact:
Jackson Walker
StepStones for Youth
Jackson@stepstonesforyouth.com
416-363-0165
