Every day, we see more young people come through our doors with increasingly complex mental health needs.
As societal challenges intensify, their impact on the emotional and mental well-being of youth becomes ever more apparent, says Chris Brown, Director of Clinical Health Services at Covenant House Toronto.
“While we have always seen anxiety and depression in young people, today, what they’re facing is more overwhelming. The level of trauma is far greater than it was even a decade ago,” he says.
On the ground we have observed many youth are navigating anxiety, depression, and trauma, often all at once, alongside the instability and uncertainty of homelessness.
Youth mental health challenges can look very different from an adult. In young people, distress can appear as irritability, withdrawal, risk‑taking, or difficulty sleeping and managing daily routines.
Our clinical team at Covenant House is trained to recognize early signs, including sudden changes in mood or behaviour, increased stress, and expressions of hopelessness.
“Most of the youth we see come with some level of trauma,” Chris says. “Being without a home is traumatic in of itself. And often there are deeper experiences that led them there — conflict at home, violence, or prolonged instability.”
What sets Covenant House Toronto apart is that young people have access to many on‑site services, such as low‑barrier healthcare and counselling services, occupational therapy, and access to psychiatrists and primary care physicians through our partnership with Inner City Health Associates.
Each year, Covenant House Toronto supports hundreds of young people, many of whom access mental health and health‑care services on site. In 2025, there were over 4,600 health visits and more than 400 youth accessed counselling on-site.
This timely care helps shift youth from crisis and change the trajectory of the young person’s life at a critical moment.
There is no one‑size‑fits‑all approach to mental health care. Some youth benefit from counselling alone, while others need additional clinical support. Decisions are made collaboratively and at a pace that feels safe.
“I often hear youth say, ‘I wouldn’t be working toward a better future if I didn’t have what I had here,’” Chris says. “That’s when you know the work makes a difference.”