UPDATE: Restricted services due to COVID-19

Transitional Housing

Friends of Ruby Home is Canada’s first custom built transitional house for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and two-spirit young people. In addition to the Home, we offer ongoing housing support through our case management services.

Friends of Ruby Home

Applications to the Friends of Ruby Home are currently closed. For more information please email housing@friendsofruby.ca.

The Friends of Ruby Home is a transitional house built specifically for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and is a place where youth can focus on life skills, get connected to community supports through case management and work towards living independently. 

Features: 

  • Each room is furnished with a bed, desk and chair, drawers and includes a 3-piece bathroom and kitchenette (microwave and sink)
  • Pet-friend​ly

Common areas include:

  • Large kitchen and dining area 
  • TV lounge 
  • Computer/work areas
  • Rooftop garden and patio
  • On-site laundry
  • Wi-Fi

Applicants for the Home’s transitional rooms must meet all the following criteria: 

  • 16-29 years old 
  • Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and additional sexual orientations and gender identities.
  • Be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada or having applied for permanent resident status or being a refugee claimant or a convention refugee 
  • Able to live independently after one year
  • Income below $1,788/month 

Apply

If you wish to apply for transitional housing at Friends of Ruby Home, please complete the application form and include as much accurate information as possible.

*Applications are currently closed.

Referral

If you are looking to make a referral* in partnership with a youth to the Friends of Ruby Home, you must complete the referral form. Please email housing@friendsofruby.ca. for referral form links.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the completion of any of these forms, please email housing@friendsofruby.ca.

No Place Like Home

Most important to youth was that the Friends of Ruby Home not feel like an institution, but rather a place of comfort and warmth – somewhere they could feel at home.

  • group icon

    Space for 33 youths

  • couple icon

    Rooms for couples

  • pet icon

    Pet friendly

  • sun icon

    Rooftop patio

  • pencil icon

    In-house programs

  • life skill icon

    Life-skills workshops

  • rainbow icon

    Community connected

Community and Care

The Friends of Ruby Home is more than a roof over one’s head. Through shared spaces and in-house programming, youth will be part of a community, one in which they’re free to live true to who they are.  Everything will be geared towards supporting youth on their path towards independent, stable and empowered living.

This includes programs focused on cooking, cleaning, financial literacy and professional mentorships, as well as mental and physical health services like crisis intervention, counselling, health check-ups and physical activity at the house and in partnership with the Friends of Ruby Youth Services.

Thank you to all of our Friends of Ruby Home capital donors, funders and supporters

$3,000,000+ donors

  • Martha LA McCain
  • The Clark Family Foundation

$1,000,000 – $2,999,999 donors

  • City of Toronto Logo

$200,000 – $999,999 donors

  • Mike and Martha Pedersen

$100,000 – $199,999 donors

  • Timothy M. Thompson 
  • Bill and Teri Currie
  • Bob Dorrance and Gail Drummond

  • John Cappozzolo and Paola Ceolin & Robert and Simone Cappozolo  

  • Harold E. Ballard Foundation

$50,000 – $99,999 donors

  • Paul and Susan Douglas
  • Terry Burgoyne
  • Sharon Geraghty and Paul Wickens
  • Paul Boniferro
  • Bill and Bronwen Thomas
  • Kerry Peacock
  • Mark Samuel and Kevin Sanford
  • Mary Lou Maher and Virginia Hatchette
  • National Bank of Canada
  • TD Securities
  • Colleen and Brian Johnston

Capital Campaign Champions

  • Mark Bonham

  • Catherine Meade

  • Bonte Minnema

  • Ed Clark 

  • Martha LA McCain 

$10,000 – $49,999 donors

  • Public Safety Canada

  • Hon. William C Graham, P.C., C.M., Q.C.

  • John Gordon

  • Nimet & Riaz Ahmed Family Giving Foundation

  • Torys LLP

  • Elizabeth Hurly

  • Colleen Moorehead

  • Kelly Moffatt and Michael Fekete

  • Bonte Minnema

  • Geoffrey Smith

  • S. Firoz Ahmed Professional Corporation

  • Steven Smith

  • Ruth Woods

  • Marianne Smith and Lisa Trajlovic

  • John Unger

  • Jeremy Forgie Professional Corporation

  • Andrew Fleming and Roger Keglevich

  • Barbara Hooper

  • Brad Berg and Brian Rolfes

  • Bruce Lawson

  • Heather Killough

  • Catherine Meade

  • Christopher Hewat

  • Connie Reeve, in Memory of Bonnie Tough

  • David W. Anderson

  • Douglas Stollery

  • Glenn Pushelberg

  • John F. Clifford

  • Malcolm and Tara Lang

  • Marc Brazeau, CPA, CA

  • Mark S. Bonham

  • McKinsey & Company Canada

  • Paul Douglas

  • Richard J. Balfour

  • Richard Silver

  • Ryan Hindmarsh and Diane Niec

  • Stephen J. Graham

  • The Cantlon-McConvey Family

  • Frank McKenna

$5,000 – $9,999 donors

  • Gale Rubinstein

  • Christina Hendrie Trust

  • David Leonard

  • Jean M Fraser

  • John Macfarlane

  • Mark Lehman and Greg Laciak

  • Matthew Peters

$1,000 – $4,999 donors

  • Colleen Dunning and Rachel Gottlieb

  • Todd Melendy

  • Amy Hanen

  • David Handley

  • Larry Lowenstein and Nina Lester

  • Adam Ship

  • Andrew Parker

  • David Lever

  • Douglas Cannon

  • Konta Lake

  • Nancy’s Very Own Foundation

  • Shelley Obal

  • Tom Sutton

  • Thomas Tower

  • Sanofi Pasteur

  • Erin Hoult

  • Gord Willcocks

  • John Currie

  • Steven Aronoff

  • Rod Miller

  • Chia-Yi Chua

  • Cynthia MacDougall

  • David Tait

  • Kim Thomassin

  • Shea Small

  • The Catherine Donnelly Foundation

  • Simon Elias

  • Alison Kemper and Joyce Barnett

  • Thomas Lax

  • Drew Morier

  • Andrew Grimes

  • Carol Hall

  • Cynthia Sefton

  • Deborra-Lee Jackman

  • Gail Asper, O.C., O.M., LL.D.

  • Grant Jameson

  • Jim Janetos

  • Michael Salvatori

  • Michel Langlois

  • Molly Reynolds

  • Pearse Murray

  • Peter Brady

  • Phillip Moody

  • Poon Helen

  • Randy Bauslaugh

  • Richard Isaac

  • Rogier Janssen

  • Ron Nelson

  • Samuel Leizorek

  • Sheerin A. Sheikh

  • Shirley Pushelberg

  • Stephan Mehr

  • Tzen-Yi Goh

Under $999 donors

  • Konata Lake

  • Sean O’Neill

  • Isabel Henkelman and Rory McGillis

  • Tim Leonard

  • Arundel Gibson

  • Adrian Mitchell

  • Donald Peckover

  • Mark D’Souza

  • William Klein

  • Michael Hale

  • Daniel Bain

  • Justin Schurman

  • Helen Hoy

  • Mathieu Malard

  • Natalie Kelly

  • Xudong Ding

  • Patricia Poirier

  • Amalia Klinakas

  • Andy Radhakant

  • Donna Daitchman

  • Karen Mitchell

  • Kevin and Desiliu McCallum

  • Laura Redekop

  • Jeff Kroll

  • Ruby Knafo

  • Patrick Hall

  • Craig McClure

  • Brenda J Simpson

  • Brian Atkinson

  • Claire Szatmari

  • Dmytro Galagan

  • Dylan Schoenmakers

  • Edward Wood

  • Evan De Rienzo

  • James Geuzebroek

  • Janine Pierre

  • John Ryan

  • Larry Baer

  • Sal Polito

  • Sharron Richards

  • Wayne Madden

  • Paul Melancon

  • Brian Shackleton

  • Brian Webster

  • Daniel Groot

  • David Conlin

  • Fraser McDonald

  • Janet Parsons

  • Jim Nason

  • Jorge Soto

  • Joseph Wearing

  • Kaycee Chapman

  • Liz Gildner

  • Miranda Pelay

  • Randy Coates

  • Stephanie Karapita

  • William MacLean

  • Erica Cartwright

  • Keara Graves

  • Michael Kursin

  • Art Pearson

  • Jodi Maclean

  • Mariel Kelly

  • Chantal Sevigny

  • Francesca Pang

  • Isabel Henkelman and Rory McGillis

  • Rohit Jajoo

  • Daniel Bain

  • Kira Dawidowski

Community Partners

  • Toronto Community Housing Logo

We are grateful for our founder

Other Main Services

3 people gathers around a table talking

Mental Health & Wellness Support

Our counsellors’ approach is integrative, trauma-informed, anti-oppressive and collaborative by design. Wherever youth are on their personal journey, we’re here for them.

Learn More
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Case Management & Practical Support

Need support finding a job or inclusive housing? Having trouble navigating the healthcare system? Our case managers can help with that.

Learn More
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Drop-In Services and Programming

At our drop-in space LGBTQI2S youth aged 16-19 will find meals, activities, support groups and community. We offer barrier free one-on-one counselling, support with gender identity and sexual orientation, and help with finding housing, healthcare and jobs.

Learn More

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