Apply For the Friends and Loved Ones Fund to Receive Financial Assistance for Travel Plans and Accommodations

The winter holidays (like Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Christmas, etc.) can be wonderful, but they can also be pretty tough—often they’re a bit of both, especially for youth in and from care. Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) wants to help ensure you get to spend the holidays in a way that feels right for you. We have often heard from youth that the holidays are a difficult and isolating time. So, we hope that this fund will make the holidays easier for the youth who have had a difficult and stressful time this past year.

The Friends and Loved Ones Fund this is in partnership with youth serving agencies with the intention of supporting youth with their needs during the holiday season (whether it’s travelling to a nearby city to connect with friends or loved ones over the holidays or bringing some holiday cheer to their homes with a modest funding assistance.

Eligibility:

• Demonstrated financial need for holiday, and other event related expense(s) and evidence that all other funding options have been exhausted

• Youth who would be eligible for Continued Care and Support for Youth (CCSY) in Ontario or similar status at any of the Toronto agencies: Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Native Child & Family Services of Toronto and Jewish Family & Child Service of Greater Toronto or former youth in care served by the Pape Adolescent Resource Centre or StepStones for youth and any other agency who is part of the program

• Former youth in care

• Aged 16-29 at time of request

Find out more information about the Friends and Loved Ones Fund by contacting one of these agencies:

Children’s Aid Society of Toronto: https://www.torontocas.ca/contactus

StepStones for Youth: https://www.stepstonesforyouth.com/oldhome/contact-us/

Catholic Children’s Aid Foundation: https://www.ccafdn.ca/contact-us/

Covenant House: https://covenanthousetoronto.ca/contact-us/

Native Child and Family Services: https://nativechild.org/