ABOUT US
At Eva’s, we build futures where all youth can thrive.
What We Do
We are putting the infrastructure in place to serve some of the most vulnerable in society: Black youth experiencing homelessness with all their intersecting identities. In doing so, we can ensure our programs and services will be beneficial to all who need them, regardless of race or background.
Eva’s consists of four sites located across Toronto. Every day, we support over 200 youth aged 16 – 24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We provide shelter, transitional housing, and health and well-being programming. Our staff help young people in need reach their potential and lead fulfilling, healthy lives.
With the launch of our new three-year strategic plan, Stepping into our Own, we are centring the needs of Black youth with vision, mission, and values statements and four strategic priorities.
Who We Are
Eva’s is home to many: youth who turn to it, staff who devote their lives to it, volunteers who give their time and skills because they believe in it, funders and donors who support it, and the Black community that came together to establish it.
Our Mission
Inspiring and valuing youth leadership, we centre the needs of Black youth at all the intersections of their identities to cultivate a community that creates anti-racist and social justice solutions to youth homelessness.
Our Vision
Strong and diverse Black youth live in thriving communities with a safe place to call home, with the supports, respect, equity, engagement, and community belonging they need to flourish.
Join us in empowering young leaders and inspiring powerful change. Together, our legacy continues.
Where We’ve Come From
Eva’s is a proud Black legacy organization founded by Eva Smith. Eva believed that “What hurt one of us, hurt all of us,” delineating an expansive ethic of community care that applies a fiercely tender focus on those who experience the most extreme forms of oppression.
Where We’re Going
of the youth in Eva’s programs are Black, as compared to only 9% of Torontonians, and their journeys require specialized approaches to systemic barriers.
Our Values
Eva’s centres the intersectional needs of the youth we serve. We are committed to:
Youth leadership
2SLGBTQ+ positive programs and spaces
Centring Black youth
Community collaboration
Program innovation
Housing as a human right
A healthy, joyful, and engaged work culture
Accessibility and equity in service delivery and all our operations
Anti-racism and anti-oppression leading to social justice and systems change