Community Connections

Our Mission: To improve the lives of 2SLGBTQI people in Canada and to enhance the global response to 2SLGBTQI issues. Egale will achieve this by informing public policy, inspiring cultural change, and promoting human rights and inclusion through research, education, awareness and legal advocacy.

Our Vision: A Canada, and ultimately a world, without homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and all other forms of oppression so that every person can achieve their full potential, free from hatred and bias.

LGBT Youthline LGBT YouthLine is a *2SLGBTQ+ youth-led organization that affirms and supports the experiences of youth (29 and under) across Ontario. We do this by:


• Providing anonymous peer support and referrals;
• Training youth to provide support to other youth; and
• Providing resources so youth can make informed decisions.

Non-profit, community governed, multi-service health center that provides primary health care, health promotion, community development services, all under one roof at no cost. This includes the Queer Youth Collective group. This group runs on Monday's from 4:00pm-5:30pm (excluding holidays). Ages 13-18 attend 1st and 3rd Monday of month. Ages 19-29 attend 2nd and 4th Monday of month. No registration is required. Drop-ins and new friends always welcome!

OUTniagara supports our local LGBTQ2+ community and beyond by amplifying the voices of our community, acting as a public policy advocate and helping to build relationships within the community.

What do we do

We support, educate and provide resources to anyone with questions or concerns. Peer support is provided one-on-one or in a friendly, welcoming group setting.

We promise to offer local, practical, and emotional peer-to-peer family support for individuals and their loved ones challenged by gender/sexual identity.

Primary Health Care: services to individuals who experience barriers to accessing health care.
Rainbow Niagara: a program of Quest Community Health Centre. 

Trans Lifeline connects trans people to the community support and resources we need to survive and thrive.

Workforce Inclusion Planning:
Our Workforce Inclusion Planning service supports individuals and families in preparing for meaningful employment by identifying strengths, interests, and long-term career goals. We collaborate with families, employers, and community partners to build inclusive opportunities, strengthen workplace readiness, and create sustainable employment pathways for people with disabilities. Through thoughtful planning and coordinated support, we help ensure each person is positioned for success in environments where they feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow.

The work we do helps all autistic individuals and families in their communities have access to meaningful supports, information, and connections so they are equitably and seamlessly supported across their life course.

Founded in 1918, the CNIB Foundation is a non-profit organization driven to change what it is to be blind today. We deliver innovative programs and powerful advocacy that empower people impacted by blindness to live their dreams and tear down barriers to inclusion. Our work as a blind foundation is powered by a network of volunteers, donors and partners from coast to coast to coast.

Community Living Ontario is a non-profit provincial association that has been advocating for people who have an intellectual disability and their families for nearly 70 years. We proudly work alongside over 100 local agencies and advocate on behalf of more than 80,000 people across Ontario. We are an active member of Inclusion Canada and regularly communicate with equivalent provincial and territorial associations. We also have influence at the global level thanks to our affiliation with Inclusion International.

Our qualified, professional staff can guide and connect you to a range of community Mental Health, Developmental and Autism resources for Children, Youth, and their Families.

Down Syndrome Niagara is a registered charity supporting people with Down syndrome in Niagara and their families. Down Syndrome Niagara is a parent volunteer driven organization. Through advocacy and support we are dedicated to improving opportunities for people with Down syndrome that promotes independence, confidence and inclusion.

We are dedicated to serving children, youth and adults with special needs within the community through a network of clinical supports. Our staff is caring and committed to working with you to best support you or your loved one and family.

What we do:
Link people with FASD, caregivers and professionals to services and supports. Transfer knowledge and develop resources. Create a sustainable, provincial organization that connects the FASD landscape.

Inclusion Action in Ontario is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to the inclusion of students with disabilities in education and the community. We believe that inclusive education is the foundation of an inclusive life.

Our purpose is to provide resources and support to individuals who are affected by learning disabilities within the Niagara Region. We provide leadership in learning disabilities advocacy, research, education and services.

We enable children and youth with physical, developmental and communicative delays or disabilities to achieve their optimal potential within their home, school and community environments.

We do this through delivering a continuum of therapeutic supports and services to children and families and by working with our partners to deliver coordinated, integrated and family-centered care.

Niagara Support Services is a non-profit organization with the mandate of providing services for people with a developmental disability.

VOICE is an organization that develops and implements programs and services encompassing advocacy, family support, and public education. VOICE has connected hundreds of parents and families of children with hearing loss and has become one of the largest support organizations of its kind. There are different chapters across the province of Ontario.

In-School Mentoring:

Provides girls and boys with a role model and a friend to talk to and share the experiences of growing up within school grounds. Play games, hang out on the playground etc.

DSBN’s EarlyON Child & Family Centres are bright, fun places that offer games, books, music and toys for parents and children to experience together. Each Centre is staffed by an Early Childhood Educator who further supports children’s learning through story and music time activities. The EarlyON Centre also features a lending library with multilingual stories and parenting books.

Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) is an initiative that aims to bring the right services to youth (and their families) at the right time and in the right place. YWHO is a critical step toward improving Ontario’s mental health and addiction services for youth and young adults by:
• Providing rapid access to easily identifiable mental health and substance use services with walk-in, low-barrier services and clear service pathways
• Providing evidence-based interventions matched to individuals’ level of need, and supported transitions to specialized care services when the severity of need is evident
• Integrating mental health, substance use, primary care, vocational, housing and other support services into a one-stop-shop model of care offered in a youth-friendly space
• Reducing transitions between services through co-location and shared services in a single place
• Establishing common evaluation across sites
• Co-creating services with youth & families

Gillian's Place is much more than a safe shelter. Our team provides confidential and compassionate counselling, legal advice, and transitional support to women, children, Two-Spirit, genderqueer, trans and non-binary people facing gendered violence in our community. We desire to offer services and spaces where all survivors can come without reservation, knowing they will be welcomed, respected, and provided with hope, support, and choices.

https://gilliansplace.com/child-youth/

If you have children in your household, they too are impacted by the abuse. We can provide support such as recreational activities, family violence education, and therapeutic activities designed to help explore feelings and build self-esteem. We can also provide you with referrals to community agencies that specialize in various aspects of child and youth care.

The RAFT helps kids living on the street and those at risk of being on the street. For homeless and at risk street youth, the RAFT provides a Resource Drop In Centre, Hostel and Steps to Independent Living Program. Through its Neighbourhood Awakening Initiatives, and After School Programs, the RAFT helps young people and local groups make positive changes in their neighbourhoods. The Youth Reconnect Program supports at risk youth in their home communities and prevents them from having to leave the Region to obtain services.

One-on-One Inclusion Planning:
Our One-on-One Inclusion Planning service provides personalized, person-centred support to help individuals and families identify goals, navigate services, and build meaningful pathways toward community participation, employment, independence, and overall well-being. Through structured planning sessions, collaborative mapping tools, and practical action steps, we create clear, achievable plans that align with each person’s strengths, preferences, and long-term vision.

The BYH approach brings innovative, professional, culturally relevant perspectives to understanding and addressing the root causes of challenges faced by children, youth and families. Youth, families, schools and other mainstream organizations have a culturally appropriate resource they turn to for related support.

This Creed Accommodation Family Guide has been developed to help families understand the creed accommodation process to actively engage as partners with the school in acquiring religious and creed based accommodations. This Family Guide is supplemented by an administrator’s guide to creed accommodations so families and schools can work together. These partnerships will help to support an equitable education system that upholds and reflects the principles of fair, anti-racist and inclusive education to create positive outcomes for all students.

DCGT is a service agency dedicated to providing timely emotional support, crisis intervention, and suicide prevention to people in distress.

Apart from our English line which is available 24/7, we also offer services in Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, open Monday to Friday, 10am to 10pm. 

Why is Black Advocacy needed

We understand the reality of being Black in Canada will include the experience of racism, discrimination and microaggressions. These experiences can be hurtful, discouraging, and confusing at times as all three are not always done in an overt way. Black advocacy will offer support and encouragement to other Black identified individuals that feel they require support while involved with Family and Children’s Services Niagara or experiencing challenges within the District School Board of Niagara. Our Black advocates are passionate, have lived experience and strive to uplift and strengthen the voices of our people in the Niagara Region.

At Equity Connections, we believe in inclusive transformative leadership. We identify structures and practices that create systemic barriers within organizations. We work with you to create sustainable systems that are grounded in equity and anti-oppression.

Feminist-informed Future Black Female (FBF) is a non-profit organization that works to empower Black girls and women between the ages of 16 and 22 to take charge of their education and career paths as well as their social, political, and civic engagement.

We offer access to strong networks, skills development and advancement, and rights-based advocacy. Since 2019, FBF has successfully initiated and implemented numerous initiatives in collaboration with community partners and other organizations.

Niagara history was made on June 6^th 2020, when Sherri Darlene, founder of Justice4BlackLives, along with thousands of Niagara residents marched in a peaceful demonstration in a show of solidarity with the world after the murder of George Floyd. Justice4BlackLives has become an important resource in the Niagara community. Through Authentic Accurate Anti-Racism education, Sherri Darlene interrupts the ideology that maintains and upholds systemic racism. 

Justice4BlackLives unapologetically represents the Black agenda. We support individuals and institutions in the community who are working on moving the needle forward for change on a professional and personal level. In the words of Don Lemon: “Imagine the life-changing, world-shifting, power of solidarity between people of color and people of conscience.” 

Naseeha Mental Health is dedicated to building a well-connected community in Canada, where advanced mental health research and grassroots support networks come together. Our vision is to create a responsive and resilient environment for addressing mental health crises while advocating for compassionate, effective care. By bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and practical, community-level support, we strive to make mental well-being a priority for future generations.

1. 24/7 Confidential Helpline – Providing immediate, anonymous, and culturally sensitive support in multiple languages.
2. Therapy Clinic – Offering culturally sensitive, low cost mental health services tailored to individual needs.
3. Psychoeducation Programs – Raising awareness and reducing stigma through community workshops and educational initiatives.

Our services are open to everyone, regardless of age, gender, or background. We are committed to creating a safe, non-judgmental space where individuals can seek support without fear of stigma or discrimination. Visit our website at https://naseeha.org/

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots human rights, civil liberties and advocacy organization. As Canada’s largest Muslim advocacy organization, NCCM is headquartered in our Ottawa national office near Parliament Hill.

Parents of Black Children is an advocacy group working to support families and facilitate equitable outcomes for Black children, through accountability and transformational change.

Mission:

Empowering immigrant and marginalized women through multi-lens educational workshops, programs, and other support services to  improve their economic, educational and mental well-being outcomes to enhance their role in their own lives, local communities, in business, and in the wider world using our Five Pillars of Empowerment. TOES also offers support for families in navigating school systems by providing guidance, and advocacy services.

You’re not alone. We’re here for you, without judgment. Our services are for Indigenous women and are provided by Indigenous women, ensuring support and solutions that will help you take control of your own life in your community. We offer 24/7 help, support and resources for Indigenous women, by Indigenous women, all across Ontario. Our services are fully grounded in Indigenous culture, wisdom and tradition.  

Since our establishment our focus and goals have remained the same which is “To Enhance all Aspects of Native Life While Extending Friendship to the Community.”. No one person in our organization takes the credit for all of our success as we work “Together for a Stronger Tomorrow.”. With our values of Tradition, Friendship, Respect, Professionalism, Compassion, Integrity and Honesty we will continue to move forward with helping our community to not only heal but to allow its members to prosper, becoming the persons who they were meant to be. We offer a variety of programs for every part of life.

The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available to all Indigenous people across Canada. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors are reachable by telephone and online ‘chat’ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

At the Niagara Regional Native Centre we strive to serve all Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.

The Centre offers programs and services to all age groups, both Native and non-Native, and provides transportation to and from the Center for groups and individuals on request. The Centre currently employs 25 individuals both part and full-time positions. They offer the following programs: Healing and Wellness Program, Health Outreach Program, Youth Program, Community Action Program for Children, Prenatal Nutrition Program, Employment Counselor, Life Long Care Program, Indigenous Community Justice Program, Healthy Babies-Healthy Children Program and Literacy Program plus others.

CMHA provides advocacy and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses, support recovery and resilience, and enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive.

Our qualified, professional staff can guide and connect you to a range of community Mental Health, Developmental and Autism resources for Children, Youth, and their Families.

DCGT is a service agency dedicated to providing timely emotional support, crisis intervention, and suicide prevention to people in distress.

Apart from our English line which is available 24/7, we also offer services in Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, open Monday to Friday, 10am to 10pm.

The Niagara Regional Police Service Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST) provide outreach and support to Niagara residents who are in crisis with mental health issues. The team is comprised of health care professionals and Niagara Regional Police Officers who are trained in mental health and crisis intervention. This initiative is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and by the Local Health Integrated Network. The COAST Unit has been operational since November 2011 and has 2 plain clothes police officers currently assigned to the unit.

The Crisis Line is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The mobile response team works Monday to Saturday - noon to midnight and Sunday - noon to 8 pm. The officers in this unit are highly trained in the area of Crisis Intervention Techniques, General Investigative Techniques, and the Mental Health Act of Ontario.

Kids Help Phone’s e-mental health services are available 24/7 across Canada. This means that we’re here for kids, teens and young adults from coast to coast to coast.

Pathstone Mental Health is the primary accredited provider of children’s mental health treatment in the Niagara region. We offer a broad spectrum of treatment services and programs to strengthen children and families.

Non-profit agency that promotes and helps with the well-being of young caregivers and their families

As you arrive and settle in Niagara, start your journey with us. We offer a variety of newcomer and immigrant settlement programs & services helping you build for you and your family, a new life in Canada.

We celebrate and promote cultural, social and economic inclusion and well being of all immigrants and newcomers. We provide a holistic approach in settlement services: language acquisition, health, financial, education, job seeking, childcare, and mental health support.

Mission:

Empowering immigrant and marginalized women through multi-lens educational workshops, programs, and other support services to  improve their economic, educational and mental well-being outcomes to enhance their role in their own lives, local communities, in business, and in the wider world using our Five Pillars of Empowerment.

The Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre has become a non-profit charitable, service organization helping immigrants to overcome barriers to integration, and develop skills to work and live in Canada.

We compassionately provide vital services and assistance to individuals and families that meet their basic needs and help bridge their journey to self-sufficiency.

Community Care, St. Catharines & Thorold has been meeting the needs of the less advantaged in our community since 1919. The fundamental principles on which the agency was founded have not changed. Programs range from food and shelter security to emergency services and support that lead to the independence clients strive to achieve.

Although most programs are delivered within the communities of St. Catharines & Thorold, the Trustee and Niagara Nutrition Partners Programs are delivered on a regional basis.

Gillian's Place is much more than a safe shelter. Our team provides confidential and compassionate counselling, legal advice, and transitional support to women, children, Two-Spirit, genderqueer, trans and non-binary people facing gendered violence in our community. We desire to offer services and spaces where all survivors can come without reservation, knowing they will be welcomed, respected, and provided with hope, support, and choices.

The YWCA Niagara Region provides shelter, food and assistance to women, men, gender-diverse people and families living in poverty. We are committed to social change and work to create a community that supports people in need and provides support through each step towards financial stability and independent living.