The whole family, not just the young person.
Strong families build strong communities. The Family Support & Clinical Care pillar is one of YAAACE’s six core pillars. It offers culturally reflective support that strengthens Black families and helps them get the social services they need.
Families in Northwest Toronto face many pressures at once: community violence, grief, incarceration, housing insecurity and systemic racism. This pillar works with the whole family, not just the young person. It recognizes that parents and caregivers are a child’s first and most important line of support, and it gives them the tools, connections and confidence to advocate for their children and for themselves.
What We Offer
What it offers
Gender-Based Violence Prevention (GBVP)
A program funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS). It addresses physical, emotional, financial and online violence, with a focus on safety, healing and prevention for young Black women, girls and families.
Learn more about Gender-Based Violence Prevention (GBVP)Urban Violence Traumatic Stress Disorder (UV-TSD)
A healing-centred, culturally grounded approach to the chronic, cumulative trauma that comes from ongoing exposure to violence, racism and instability. It supports youth and families in recognizing that trauma and responding to it.
Learn more about Urban Violence Traumatic Stress Disorder (UV-TSD)Men’s and Women’s Committees
Gender-specific spaces where community members come together for mentorship, peer support, leadership and shared responsibility for the well-being of children and youth.
Men’s Conference
A gathering that brings fathers, mentors, elders and young men together around healthy masculinity, fatherhood, healing and their role in building safer communities.
Open and Closed Custody Programming
Support for youth in custody and their families, keeping family connections strong and preparing young people for successful reintegration into community, school and work.
Africentric Parenting Program
Workshops that build parents’ confidence and help them navigate the education, justice and social service systems, including in partnership with Parents of Black Children.
Clinical Care Social Work and System Navigation
One-on-one counselling and wraparound support with housing, financial literacy, Ontario Works and ODSP applications, food security, legal matters, education, identification, and therapy referrals. It also includes help for families affected by incarceration, violence, grief and loss.
GBVP Initiative · Public Health Approach
Gender-Based Violence Prevention
A public health approach to reducing gender-based violence in Jane and Finch, combining school-based education, support for survivors and families, employment pathways and mentorship in one place.
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Clinical Framework · Pilot
Urban Violence Traumatic Stress Disorder (UV-TSD)
A clinical framework for naming and responding to the chronic trauma carried by Black children and youth who grow up surrounded by persistent violence, piloted with clinical and research partners.
Learn more
Our Goal
The change we are working towards.
We envision Black families that are stable, connected and empowered. Parents and caregivers should feel confident advocating for their children, have fair access to culturally responsive services, and be supported through healing instead of being left to carry trauma alone. By investing in the whole family, we aim to:
- 01
Strengthen relationships between caregivers and children
- 02
Reduce the conditions that lead to violence
- 03
Rebuild trust between families and institutions
- 04
Break intergenerational cycles of harm
The goal is safer, thriving communities where every child can reach their full potential.
Get in Touch
Questions about family support?