Friends Of Ruby

Friends of Ruby (previously Egale Youth Services) was founded by Egale Canada in 2014 to meet the needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in Toronto. To date, we have supported more than 900 youth, and prevented over 470 mental health crises and visits to hospital emergency rooms, saving nearly $300,000 in health care costs. At the Friends of Ruby's drop-in space, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth (16-29 years old) find meals, activities, support groups and community. We offer barrier-free one-on-one counselling, support with gender identity and sexual orientation, and help to access housing, health care, and employment. In 2020, we’ll be opening a new programming centre with safe, emergency and transitional housing for up to 33 2SLGBTQIA+ youth at 257 Dundas St E., Toronto, ON.