Awareness, Prevention and Early Intervention

As many as 40,000¹ young people experience homelessness in Canada every year, and hundreds of youth are being trafficked^2. These issues deeply affect and shape young lives, and often transcend background, income or gender.

We strive to prevent homelessness and sex trafficking by sharing knowledge, raising awareness and reconnecting youth with their families and social networks.

By combining 40 years of front line experience with current research, we provide our community with tools to support those in need, intervene and stop homelessness and trafficking before it even begins.

We work together to ensure every young person has the potential for a bright future.

Prevention in action

16,542 students educated in 2019 on the risks and realities of homelessness and sex trafficking.

3,874 industry staff and community members trained on sex trafficking prevention in 2019.

137 young people reconnected with their families or personal support networks.

^{All numbers above based on Covenant House Toronto administrative data (2020 and 2021)}

Awareness and prevention presentations

Covenant House school presentations teach the next generation about homelessness and sex trafficking. Our facilitators can help teachers and students recognize and understand the issues.

School presentations

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Many young people struggle alone with complex issues. Youth in our shelter tell us they wish they'd known the risks of leaving home and what their options were. Sex trafficking survivors often say they just didn't see the signs.

Our free school presentations explain the issues through youth stories and interactive activities. Before You Run, Reality Check and Trafficked are available to grades 6 to 12 and connect to curriculum. Please note that presentations are currently on hold due to COVID-19 and will be available virtually starting in October 2021 (Before You Run and Trafficked). Reality Check will be available after January 2022.

In each presentation, students learn:

Important information: the realities of homelessness and/or trafficking, how it can happen to anyone, and that help is available
What resources are available in their local community
How to build empathy and engage in civic responsibility and social justice
How to take action with fundraising, advocacy and volunteering opportunities

All three presentations support the Ministry of Education’s strategies for Student Success, Safe Schools and Equity and Inclusive Education. Curriculum connections also include Citizenship Education, Healthy Relationships, Well-being, and Character Education.

"I’ve seen a lot of presentations throughout high school; this one was by far the best. Powerful, enlightening and effective. Our facilitator talked to us, rather than at us. I was engaged on intellectual and emotional levels. I won’t forget the facts, faces and stories that were shared."
- Student, Ajax HS

"This presentation brought forward concerns for a fellow student that are now being addressed. They may have remained quiet without the information from Covenant House. Thank you for bringing these important issues to light."
- Teacher, St. John CES

"Fabulous presentation, informative and positively life-changing for students."
- Guidance Counsellor, Dr. Marion Hilliard SPS

Book now

For more information contact:
Awareness and Prevention Program
presentations@covenanthouse.ca

Please note: our program has one facilitator to cover all Toronto and GTA schools. Programming will be available virtually until it is safe to offer in-person. When in person, we prefer large assembly-style sessions because they allow us to reach more students in more schools. When possible, we ask for a minimum group size of 20 students per presentation.

Early intervention training

Sex trafficking is a local issue and a hidden crime. We teach industry and community agencies to spot and intervene in sex trafficking. The training we provide expands the network of support and early intervention.

Community agency training

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Our human trafficking advocates provide customized presentations on sex trafficking and survivor support to other frontline agencies. Whether you work in shelters, child welfare or act as youth justice workers, our training can help you:

Identify warning signs
Act from a trauma-informed lens
Know what resources are out there
Provide essential support

To book, email us at endht@covenanthousetoronto.ca

Industry prevention training

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Trafficking victims show signs of exploitation that are easily dismissed when staff do not know what to look for.

Our industry training for hotel, tourism, and transportation will help you protect youth (and your business) by:

Teaching employees to recognize the warning signs of trafficking
Equipping staff with the resources and knowledge to respond accordingly
Complementing any existing training at your organization
Bringing in a local perspective and tailored examples

Please note that our training program is currently on hold due to COVID-19. For more information about sex trafficking, visit Traffick Stop, our anti-trafficking online resource hub.

“The training delivered by Covenant House was hugely impactful for our associates. With facts and data collected in Toronto, the GTA and Canada, the training resonated much more deeply. I highly recommend this training . . . the information, although disturbing, is delivered in a sensitive and engaging manner."
- Andrea, Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville

Family and natural supports

The Family and Natural Supports program aims to intervene early to prevent homelessness.

We provide a range of supports to youth, aged 16 to 29, who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness, and who want to find and strengthen their network of supportive people.

How this program helps youth

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The Family and Natural Supports (FNS) program, in partnership with shelters and service providers across Toronto, helps youth at risk of, or currently experiencing homelessness, to strengthen their connections with family and/or their extended networks of support.

The goal is for all youth to have long-term relationships that provide both emotional and practical support, in addition to an ongoing sense of belonging and connection. The FNS Program provides support to both youth and their family members to mediate conflicts, reconcile or strengthen relationships, and help youth and families access resources they might need.

FNS workers have flexible schedules and can meet with youth and their family members and natural supports at locations convenient to them. FNS workers can continue to support youth even if they move to a different shelter or into housing.

What does family and natural supports mean?

People may have different ideas about what "family" means, so "family and natural supports" is used to describe any group of people who care about each other.

The Family and Natural Supports Program respects each person’s beliefs, culture and life experiences and will follow the youth's lead in who they say is their family.

Contact us
Justin Sage-Passant, Registered Psychotherapist
Family and Natural Supports Project Coordinator
Phone: 416-598-4898 x 5824
Email: jsagepassant@covenanthouse.ca