At Family Service Toronto, everyone is part of our community.

People of every race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, faith/creed, citizenship, immigration/refugee status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, mental and physical ability and income level are welcome at FST.

We have a long history and strong commitment to working with all people living and working in Toronto.

Welcoming diversity makes our city stronger. We are deeply committed to social justice, equity and inclusion for all.

You belong here.

Related links:
How to be an ally for Muslim individuals and communities
What to do if you are witnessing Islamophobic harassment

Clients from several FST programs participated in a recent agency-wide survey which evaluated service accessibility, staff communication, quality, impact, and overall client satisfaction.

The majority of clients provided positive feedback about their FST experience. The survey showed  high satisfaction with service, counsellor relationships and FST’s welcoming environment. The Client Satisfaction Survey Summary is posted in our Publications and Reports section.

FST evaluates services every three years. Programs involved in the latest survey were David Kelley Services, Families in Transition, Next Steps, Seniors and Caregivers Support Services, Violence Against Women, Counselling Services and Walk-In.

For information about FST clients who received service in 2015 – 2016, read the Summary of Client and Program Participant Demographic Report which is also posted in our Publications and Reports section.

On February 7, join us in amplifying United Way’s message of belonging.

All you have to do is sign-up for Thunderclap and donate your or your agency’s social media reach.

Once you’re signed up, Thunderclap will send a message from your account on the night of Celebration Gala saying:

“I’m part of the uprising of care that’s transforming lives across our region. #UWBelong here! http://thndr.me/DXl7J4”

It’s an easy and fun way to be a part of our celebration of belonging from anywhere in the region. With your help we can get our message out to even more people.

Thank you.

December 6 is known as Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at École Polytechnique de Montréal. They died because they were women.

It is a day to pay tribute to the memory of the murdered women and remind ourselves that we must continue our important work to eliminate violence against women while making our city safer for all residents. About one third of all women worldwide experience either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization.

Several events, including a candlelight vigil beginning at 6 p.m. on Philosopher’s Walk (south side of Bloor, west of Avenue Road) are being held to recognize the national day of remembrance. More information is available through Status of Women Canada and the Rose Campaign.

Dec. 1 marks World AIDS Day as well as the beginning of Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week.

World AIDS Day, held for the first time in 1988 as a response to the widespread silence and stigmatization surrounding HIV/AIDS, unites worldwide efforts against the disease.

Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week was launched by the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN) to raise awareness and continue discussions on Aboriginal HIV and AIDS issues in Canada and runs from Dec. 1-5.

In 2015, 1.1 million people worldwide died of AIDS-related illnesses (according to AIDS by the numbers report from UNAIDS). By the end of 2015, an estimated 36.7 million people around the world were living with HIV.

In Canada, an estimated 75,500 Canadians were living with HIV, and an estimated 2,570 new HIV infections occurred in 2014.

Family Service Toronto and David Kelley Services support those in our communities who are living with/affected by HIV/AIDS and commit to renewing efforts in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, combating stigmatization, and honouring those whose lives have been lost to HIV/AIDS.

The Toronto People With AIDS Foundation (PWA) will hold a Community Carnation Memorial at the 519 on Dec. 1 at 5:45 p.m..

More than 1.3 million Canadian children almost one in five are living in poverty, according to this year’s national poverty report card from Campaign 2000, a non-partisan coalition of 120 groups and individuals co-ordinated by Family Service Toronto.

Precarious work, skyrocketing housing costs and unaffordable child care services continue to be major factors behind family poverty despite the federal government’s introduction of the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) last summer.

“We urge the government to index the CCB to inflation effective in 2017 to help families keep up with the rising cost of living,” said Anita Khanna, Campaign 2000’s national co-ordinator on release of the report entitled A Roadmap to Eradicate Child and Family Poverty.

A provincial report on the state of child and family poverty in Ontario entitled The Time to Act is Now  was released simultaneously and highlights results of efforts to monitor poverty reduction across the province.

In the news:
Toronto Star, Editorial, Nov. 27: Time to end child poverty is now
Toronto Star, Nov. 24:  Sobering child poverty stats inspire call for renewed action
Canadian Press/CTV news, Nov. 24: Anti Poverty Groups Call on Liberals to Make Immediate Changes to Child Benefit

Sunday marks International Transgender Day of Remembrance – an annual event when the world remembers the lives lost to transphobic and transmisogynist violence and brings attention to the continued violence endured by trans communities. Around the world, trans lives – and particularly the lives of trans women of colour and sex workers – are disproportionately at risk.

Family Service Toronto and our David Kelley LGBTQ & HIV/Aids Counselling Services join in solidarity with our trans communities to reflect on the successes, strength and courage of trans people, as well as honour and remember the lives lost this year. We reaffirm our continued commitment to combat systemic transphobia and trans-misogyny.

More information on the day’s history and an image gallery can be found on International Transgender Day website.

Toronto’s 519 Church Street Community Centre will hold Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR): Existence is Resistance event at 4 p.m.

Toronto continues to be the child poverty capital of Canada: it has the highest rate of low-income children among large urban centres according to the Toronto Child and Poverty Report Divided City: Life in Canada’s Child Poverty Capital. The report was co-released Nov. 14 by Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Family Service Toronto (Ontario Campaign 2000), Social Planning Toronto, and Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change.

The report draws from new data to update the 2014 report, The Hidden Epidemic: A Report on Child and Family Poverty in Toronto and it describes the level – and unequal distribution – of poverty and its effect on children and families in Toronto.

Just as the Toronto City Council is considering cutting up to $600 million in spending on City-funded programs and services, the report reminds us that 27 per cent of Toronto children were living in low-income families in 2014, topping the list above Montreal (25 per cent), Winnipeg (24 per cent ) and all other urban areas with over 500,000 residents.

The report found huge neighbourhood disparities in child poverty levels, which reflect other inequities. For example, racialized families, new immigrant families, lone parent families and families with disabilities are up to three times more at risk of living in poverty. “When you cross Laird Avenue to go from Leaside to Thorncliffe, the rate of child poverty rate increases from 4 to 52 per cent” said Jessica Mustachi of Family Service Toronto. “This divide shows how we can and must do more to provide quality services to support low-income residents.”

The report also found that low-income children are struggling to succeed: children in schools in low-income neighbourhoods are less likely to be meeting provincial standards in Grade 3 math, reading and writing than children in higher-income schools.

Read Full Report and see Jessica on Global News at 5:30 pm on November 14.

Read Toronto Star article: Kids suffer most as Toronto clings to title of child poverty capital.

More than 20 Spanish-speaking seniors from FST’s Seniors Community Connections program enjoyed a beautiful October day at Kortright Conservation Centre north of Toronto.

The group learned valuable lessons about efforts to conserve and respect the environment thanks to a knowledgeable guide.

Thanks also to the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation which provided the funds to support the visit.

Family Service Toronto is supporting a national movement promoting everyone’s right to safe, adequate, and affordable housing and has endorsed a National Housing Day of Action on Nov. 18.

The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario is organizing a Toronto march for the right to housing on Nov. 18. To participate and register, go to the event registration page.

The Canadian government has promised to fix the affordable housing crisis with Canada’s first ever National Housing Strategy to be announced on Nov. 22.

Canadians with disabilities continue to face barriers in their daily lives, especially in areas such as employment, income and social inclusion.

The federal government wants to know more about those barriers and has launched a national consultation on new accessibility legislation.

Find out how to participate at Canada.ca/Accessible-Canada.

Family Service Toronto launched its staff campaign today in support of United Way Toronto and York Region. About 100 staff and guests attended a BBQ lunch where the campaign target of $26,000 was announced.

FST is also hosting a team in the Enbridge CN Tower Stair Climb for United Way on Sunday, Oct. 23. We invite you to join the team or sponsor team members at