Family Service Toronto joins efforts to increase accessibility and inclusion as it celebrates Canadians with disabilities during National AccessAbility Week from May 28 to June 3.

FST believes all Canadians have a role in ensuring the creation of diverse, inclusive and accessible public services and spaces.

Follow our social media channels to learn how Family Service Toronto is celebrating and promoting accessibility this week.

On May 31 we observe the #RedShirtDay^TM of Action for #AccessAbility and Inclusion. We invite you to join us in wearing red to show your support for persons and families living with disabilities  

Family Service Toronto offices are now fully open. Onsite services have resumed at our downtown location at 355 Church Street, west-end location at 128A Sterling Road, and our east-end location at 1527 Victoria Park Avenue.

Our office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for in-person pre-booked appointments, drop-ins and for some scheduled group sessions.

Please note that single therapy sessions will remain virtual. Walk-in single session services are not available at this time.

See our Workshops, Groups and Events for upcoming sessions or call 416-595-9618 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to book a single session counselling appointment in our virtual walk-in program. A counsellor will return the call between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily. 

FST’s partner Hard Feelings Mental Health will expand its storefront hours beginning May 3 at 353 Church Street adjacent to FST’s downtown offices.

The new store hours are Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Hard Feelings is an innovative non-profit organization and member of the Citywide Commons – a suite of organizations collaborating on service provision and committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture.

Hard Feelings supports a community of mental health professionals who offer low-cost, short-term counselling.

Their storefront and online shop offers curated resources that support stronger mental health. Check out their many home and body products including apparel, stationery and books on mindfulness and other topics. Be sure to check out their book of the week.

Family Service Toronto charges a fee for service in our General Counselling service, Families in Transition, David Kelley LGBTQ+ Counselling Service and Next Steps Partner Assault Response Program. 

FST’s fees for counselling and group work in these programs are changing, effective April 1, 2023 for all people who attend a first appointment on or after this date. FST’s full fee will be $150 per counselling session and $105 per group session. Where a person cannot pay the full fee, fees are reduced based on a sliding scale.  This scale considers total household income and size and ranges from $150 to $10 for a counselling session and $105 to $10 per group session.

Any person with benefits coverage that includes FST services will be charged the full fee for service until such time as their benefits are used, regardless of their household income and size. After this time, a new fee contract will be entered into based on household size and total income.

Any current active clients will continue to pay their current fee in the program(s) they are enrolled in on or before March 31, 2023.  If a current active client requests service in a different program where a fee is charged on or after April 1 they will be charged the new program rate.

FST currently subsidizes fees by up to 95 per cent of the full cost.  This change in fees will reduce subsidies to 93 per cent.

It is #SocialWorkMonth2023 and Family Service Toronto joins in the celebration of social workers from across Canada. And, March 6 to 12 is also Social Work Week in Ontario.

This year’s theme, #SocialWorkIsEssential, speaks to the diverse and essential nature of the social work profession.

Every day, social workers support Canadians in navigating complex systems. As we emerge from the pandemic and more Canadians experience mental health challenges, social workers are more essential than ever. In schools, long-term care centres, hospitals, social service agencies and many more other places, social workers are there to facilitate and increase access to mental health and social services systems for those in need.

Thank you to our social workers!

Ending child and family poverty is possible according to the 2022 national poverty report card released by Campaign 2000, a non-partisan coalition of 120 groups and individuals coordinated by Family Service Toronto.

Campaign2000’s report, Pandemic Lessons: Ending Child and Family Poverty is Possible, finds that in 2020, despite the onset of a global pandemic and economic shutdown, child poverty was reduced by a dramatic 40%, the depth of poverty decreased across all family types, and income inequality (the gap between rich and poor) between families was reduced. This significant progress was due in large part to temporary pandemic transfers from the federal government to families and individuals.

“The lesson here is undeniable. Government transfers in the form of cash to families can reduce – and eliminate – income poverty, and it can be done quickly,” said Leila Sarangi, National Director of Campaign 2000 and co-author of report. “We saw significant reductions in rates of child poverty in every province and territory and in nearly every socio-demographic group we have data for. Emergency and recovery benefits, and one-time top ups to existing programs such as the Canada Child Benefit were largely responsible for these gains. For a long time now we’ve been calling on the federal government to increase transfers to families who have been left languishing in poverty. This report shows just how much of a difference these investments can make.”

Campaign 2000 was formed in the early 1990s to urge governments to deliver on an all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty by year 2000.

Five Campaign 2000 partners also released their annual reports and other provincial partners will release reports in upcoming weeks. Read more on Campaign 2000 report news page.

Our city and our nation are experiencing a mental health crisis.

On Feb. 6, Family Service Toronto joined the Canadian Mental Health Association (Toronto), Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants and The Neighbourhood Group in appealing to @JustinTrudeau and @fordnation to urge an immediate national response.

Without core funding increases, FST and community agencies at the front lines of Toronto’s mental health crisis will be forced to reduce services at a time when they’ve never been more vital. Read the letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford and add your  voice to the cause.

In-person pre-booked appointments and some groups have resumed at our 355 Church Street and 128A Sterling Road locations for Counselling and Developmental Services.  In our effort to keep everyone as safe a possible, Family Service Toronto has a mandatory masking policy in effect for all persons who enter these sites.   We also require proof of double vaccination prior to a first appointment at either location.  Our location at 1527 Victoria Park will re-open October 25.

Counselling, Options Case Management, Person Directed Planning,  Passport and group sessions continue to be offered  by phone and video as we work to support communities and clients.

See our Virtual Workshops and Groups page for upcoming sessions or call 416-595-9618 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to book a single session counselling appointment in our virtual walk-in program.. A counsellor will return the call between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily. 

To stay updated about our services and PassportONE developments, please visit: COVID-19: Family Service Toronto – Support & Services

You can also connect with us via phone, fax, text and email.

Family Service Toronto has launched an innovative project to provide individualized service navigation to people with multi-layered, complex needs and who are struggling to find help.

“Now more than ever, vulnerable people in Toronto Centre are experiencing different crises concurrently,” said local MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam at the program’s virtual launch on Jan. 18.

“It is hard to take care of your mental health when you don’t have a safe place to live, don’t know when you can get help for problematic substance use, or don’t know how you will afford your next meal, let alone all of those at once and more,” she said. “It brings me hope that Family Service Toronto is working hard to serve the whole person and that the Ontario Trillium Foundation is supporting them in this work.”

Last summer, FST received a $88,600 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to help it with the costs involved with delivering on this initiative. More details are available from the media release.

Copies of our 2021-22 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements are available for download or online reading.

The annual report lists our programs and services and provides statistics on our work and community outreach.

Funders and donors are also highlighted in addition to revenues and expenses for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. 

Read our 2021-22 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements

Are you experiencing mental health challenges?

Are you a parent seeking to learn strategies for supporting your children’s healthy development?

Are you separated and co-parenting?

Are you navigating stressful periods of time and want to re-learn how to breathe?

Are you a senior wanting to meet with other seniors and share stories?

FST offers group sessions on all of these topics and more. While some are ongoing, our most requested programs are beginning again this Spring. Check our Virtual Workshops and Groups page and register today

During National Volunteer Week we celebrate FST volunteers and the millions of volunteers across Canada who share their time and skills to build more vibrant and inclusive communities. This year’s theme, “Volunteering is Empathy in Action,” reflects the compassion and generosity people bring to their volunteer positions, and the empathy they develop from connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.

FST volunteers exemplify “Empathy in Action.”

This year FST volunteers made weekly calls to isolated clients, did outreach to members of their communities, provided administrative support, counselled clients, provided governance, delivered workshops, provided peer support and did research. All activities were conducted virtually and were enhanced by our volunteers’ strong desire to make a difference. 

Our volunteers told us that although they were supporting others, they also benefited from volunteering; they gained a better understanding of the challenges our clients and communities face and were grateful for the opportunity to do so.  Many volunteers gained confidence in their skills and were able to obtain employment or advancement in their companies.

This year we are implementing a National Volunteer Week social media campaign, so check our Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for posts.

We are humbled and inspired by our volunteers who put empathy into action!