Covenant House Toronto extends warmth to youth experiencing homelessness by adding extra beds this winter

TORONTO , Nov. 14, 2025 /CNW/ - This weekend, Canada's largest organization supporting youth experiencing homelessness is opening an additional 45 beds to help make sure young people have a safe and warm place to stay throughout the cold weather season. This expanded service is part of our annual Winter Respite Program, which operates in addition to our crisis shelter, and offers youth a vital entry point to critical services that help break the cycle of homelessness.

Covenant House Toronto is committed to providing essential care for young people experiencing homelessness and is opening a Youth Winter Respite Program again this year. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week from November 15, 2025 to April 15, 2026, the program will provide 16-24-year-olds with safety, warmth, hot meals, access to on-site healthcare, youth-focused mental health services, skill development opportunities, and education and employment support.

The City of Toronto's 2024 Street Needs Assessment estimates that more than 1,500 young people are experiencing homelessness on any given night in Toronto. While Covenant House operates approximately 30 per cent of the up to 740 shelter beds currently available, last year alone over 2,000 youth turned to the organization for support, and every day over 100 youth showed up at the drop-in centre for a hot meal, clean clothes and a safe place to rest.

Winter is a difficult time for people experiencing homelessness with prolonged exposure to extreme cold weather potentially leading to serious health risks. Young people, who may be experiencing homelessness for the first time, can be particularly vulnerable to these circumstances.

"I'm pleased to share that none of the youth who participated in our winter respite program returned to the streets," said Covenant House Toronto's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Aston. "For many of these young people, this program provided the first step for them to engage with our team to build the trust required to help them at an extremely difficult time in their life. The program has had a life-changing impact on many young people in our community."

Launched for the first time in 2022 through generous donor funding, the program is operating again this year thanks to support from the City of Toronto's Winter Service Plan and is the only City-funded winter respite program dedicated to youth.

"We are proud to partner with Covenant House Toronto once again as part of the City's Winter Services Plan to offer youth experiencing homelessness a safe and warm place to stay this winter," said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. "Every young person deserves stability, care and the opportunity to build a better future. Partnerships like this one help ensure our community's most vulnerable residents are supported and safe throughout the cold weather season. Together, we are building a caring, safe, affordable city, a city that delivers for Toronto."

About Covenant House Toronto

Covenant House helps youth ignite their potential and reclaim their lives. As Canada's largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk, we offer the widest range of services to hundreds of young people every day.

More than a place to stay, we provide life-changing care with unconditional love and respect. We meet youth's immediate needs and then we work together to achieve their future goals. We offer 24/7 crisis shelter, transitional housing options on-site and in the community, health and well-being support, training and skill development, and ongoing care once youth move into the community.

For over 40 years, Covenant House has been dedicated to its mission of serving youth on the street and to protect and safeguard all youth with absolute respect and unconditional love. Since 1982, Covenant House has supported more than 100,000 young people.

SOURCE Covenant House Toronto

For more information contact: Sarah Boesveld, Manager, Public Relations & Advocacy, Cell: 647-678-4372, [email protected]