2026–2027 Services delivered: Housing Support Worker Program

Component: Child welfare - community and prevention supports

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA)

Service objectives

To improve the outcomes and increase the resiliency of youth in a Voluntary Youth Services Agreement (VYSA) with a society by helping youth find and retain housing; and identify, access, and navigate service systems relevant to their needs and plans, as they transition to adulthood.

Service description

The goal of the Housing Support Worker (HSW) Program is to provide housing supports and services to youth who are 16- and 17-years old and are subject to a written agreement with a society for the provision of services on a voluntary basis (VYSA). HSWs help youth to develop and pursue their housing goals, and will support them to identify, access, and navigate service systems relevant to their specific needs. HSWs also support youth to connect to existing supports and resources within their communities including education resources, employment services and training, life skills training (e.g. financial management, household management), health and mental health services, and legal services.

HSWs meet with youth through person-to-person, voice-to-voice, email and other interactions, which may occur in the community or neighbourhood locations or settings. HSW services are provided beyond regular business hours (i.e. 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday), and are flexible to meet the needs of the youth.

HSWs work with local community agencies to both inform them of the HSW program, and to become aware of the services available in the community that can support the various needs of youth who are accessing the HSW program.

Specifically, HSWs are expected to work closely with the societies in the region they are located to ensure all eligible youth have access to the program. HSWs are also encouraged to leverage the experience and expertise of YITWs in their region/agency.

Target population

The priority of the HSW program is to provide housing supports and services to youth aged 16 or 17 who are parties to a written agreement with a society for the provision of services on a voluntary basis (VYSA). However, if the HSW has capacity, they may also support youth who are

• 16 or 17, receiving services from a society, and not yet in a VYSA; and/or
• 16 or 17, not receiving services from a society, and need help being connected to services and supports from a society.

HSW program/service features

The transfer payment recipient will ensure that the Housing Support Worker:

• Advocates for the specific housing needs of the new cohort of eligible youth to municipal service managers, and local housing providers;
• Supports provincial YITWs through peer consultations, and participating in agency delivered workshops that would help society and community-based workers provide housing support to youth leaving care;
• Works closely with the societies located in their region to ensure all eligible youth have access to the HSW program;
• Participates in the case planning process (e.g., youth transition conferences) with societies and youth with respect to the youth’s housing needs;
• Assists youth with identifying their housing needs, searching for and viewing housing, and applying for housing; and
• Provides ongoing support to youth to sustain/keep housing (e.g., life-skills programming, such as financial management, budgeting, household management, tenant skills).

HSW program goals

Services will be:

• Reflective of and responsive to the youth’s individual needs, including their goals as identified through the program or in the youth’s plan of care and/or youth plan with the society;
• Accountable to the individual youth and community;
• Sensitive to the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of youth;
• Staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the housing needs of youth; and
• Based on the individual's assessed needs and preferences, and available individual, agency, community, and contracted ministry resources.

Ministry expectations

The transfer payment recipient will:

• Provide for effective delivery of the YITW and/or HSW program;
• Establish and build both informal and formal inter-agency linkages and/or partnerships to strengthen/enhance service provision. This includes implementing referral processes with the local societies (YITW and HSW program), and other local community agencies (YITW program). The transfer payment recipient should consider completing a protocol with the society/societies outlining the referral process, communication, dispute resolution, monitoring and evaluation; and
• Provide statistical and/or qualitative data requested by the ministry relating to service performance measurement, and, as requested, participate in program and service evaluation initiatives established by the ministry.

The transfer payment recipient is responsible for the following activities:

• Overall YITW and/or HSW program administration and delivery, including agreed upon program activities;
• Financial and service performance reporting, including submission of required and requested reports within established time frames;
• Employing the agreed number of YITWs/HSWs (full-time equivalent positions)
• Providing or ensuring supervision of YITWs/HSWs;
• Providing or ensuring training of YITWs/HSWs, including training on personal safety in a community setting;
• Reporting serious incidents involving YITWs/HSWs and youth participants when in the company of YITWs/HSWs, to the ministry’s Regional Office; and
• Developing appropriate policies and procedures for protecting the privacy of personal information collected from youth participants. The policies and procedures that are developed by the transfer payment recipient shall comply with the Youth Criminal Justice Act, including Part 6, when the information and records relate to young persons as defined by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the confidentiality provisions relating to children who are the subject of a child welfare proceeding and Part X (Personal Information) under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017.

VYSA HSWs YITW

Reporting requirements

• The transfer payment recipient is expected to monitor and evaluate program performance and to confirm that program objectives and deliverables are being met. On an interim and final basis, the transfer payment recipient will submit reports on financial and service data through Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON). Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.
• The transfer payment recipient will provide a narrative report for the program to the ministry as part of their final report, using the template provided by the ministry.

The following service data will be reported on at an interim and final basis in TPON. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.