OUR IMPACT
Our programs are now serving 200% more people
than they did in 2020
HELPING PEOPLE FACING HOMELESSNESS in our city
Our Mobile Jewish Response to Homelessness (MJRH) outreach van program provides immediate relief and referrals to people in our city facing homelessness. Each night, our two outreach vans visit several locations in downtown Toronto, North York and Scarborough, with outreach workers and volunteers who distribute food and essential supplies, referrals to available supports while providing genuine care and acceptance. Our outreach vans foster dignity and relationship-building.
In 2023 we made:
In 2023, our outreach vans distributed:
pieces of clothing
In the last decade (2013-2023) Toronto’s homeless population doubled. Our outreach van service visits increased six-fold as we continually strive to meet the ever-growing needs.
hygiene supplies
sleeping bags
harm reduction kits
hot, nutrient-dense meals
service visits
An outreach van client, speaks:
“I found myself out of work and not always having a place to sleep. I never thought this would happen to me. I lost myself for a while, and Ve’ahavta helped me find me.”
– S.L., an outreach van client who moved on to enroll in Ve’ahavta’s Life Stabilization Program
Helping people prepare for employment
Ve’ahavta offers pre-employment programs to people who rely on social assistance for their income and who face complex employability challenges including a lack of training, skills, work experience, and stable housing. Most of the people we serve also face isolation, hopelessness, and a lack of self-confidence, contributing to mental health issues and substance use.
We tackle the problems of poverty from a whole-person perspective, offering practical employment-related training, hand-in-hand with social and emotional supports. The end goal is to build resiliency and sustainable self-sufficiency through the discovery of meaning and purpose. Ve’ahavta’s programs are designed to increase confidence, connection to others, a sense of community, and inspire optimism for the future, as the necessary precursor to the ultimate goal of financial independence.
In 2023, enrollment in our programs grew 27% from 2022, and our graduates achieved an impressive 93% success rate.
graduates
A Ve'ahavta program participant, speaks:
Vines, Life Stabilization Program Graduate, 2023
2023 Graduates: Positive Outcomes
A Ve'ahavta program participant, speaks:
Manju, Building Foundations for Women Graduate, 2023
out and about
People facing poverty often experience social isolation and lack the opportunity to connect meaningfully with others. One of the central pillars of our program model is to create opportunities that lead to socialization, friendship, community-building, and self-esteem.
A Ve'ahavta program participant, speaks:
Lemarch, Ve’ahavta Skills Academy Graduate, 2023
data-driven decision- making
We use data to consistently improve our work to make it more effective and efficient. This year, we implemented two new pieces of software to do just that.
ArcGIS, a web-based mapping software, lets us collect and analyze data from our MJRH outreach van program to better understand which areas of the city need our services most, and which services are most needed.
Our new program participant management software, Bonterra Impact Management, enables us to capture all program participant information in one place and track an individual’s journey from application to graduation and eventually, to long-term outcomes. It also enables us to collect anonymous participant feedback to help assess the user experience of our programs.
celebrating our grads
The celebration of achievements and milestones is central to supporting people as they make significant changes in their lives. Throughout the year, we hosted nine program graduation parties, replete with food, family members and fanfare! We also enjoyed the annual Alumni Summer BBQ, and the return of the Alumni holiday party after a 4-year reprieve.
outstanding Food program finalist!
Our Recipe for Success paid internship program was named a finalist for Outstanding Food Program by Daily Bread Food Bank, which supplied our kitchen with an estimated $15,879-worth of food donated by farmers and other food vendors!
new job placements
In 2023, we launched two critical partnerships, one with Chartwell Retirement Residences and one with Spotwork.co, to support our internship graduates with job placement opportunities.
