Youth shelter now offers sports and arts programs by day

Youth shelter now offers sports and arts programs by day. Eva Satellite general manager Morag Perkins stands outside the new structure Thursday, built for Eva's Initiatives. The program for homeless and at-risk youth includes recreation, culture and arts programs. The projects were made possible through a $50,000 donation by RBC. Photo/KYLE MACPERSON

For the first time in its 15-year history, Eva's Initiatives is offering recreational day programming at one of its North York locations.

Thanks to a $25,000 donation from Royal Bank of Canada Thursday, June 25, Eva's Satellite is now offering sports and arts programming during the day for youth, said Marie MacCormack, director of development for Eva's Initiatives.

"RBC has partnered with Eva's for 10 years," she said. "We saw the need for a recreation program. Of the three shelters we operate, the youth at Eva's Satellite have to deal with addiction or mental health issues first before they can focus on school or other programming. And dealing with those issues are hard when you are idle all day. At the shelter you can eat, sleep, wash your clothes and then you have to leave in the morning. And where are they going? If they have somewhere to go, there's a better chance of not getting into trouble."

The recreation program includes basketball, yoga and Tai Chi, MacCormack said, adding the funding will be used for equipment, clothing and staff support.

Along with the donation for Eva's Satellite, Royal Bank of Canada also presented an additional $25,000 for the life skills program at Eva's Place, also in North York and Eva's Phoenix, downtown.

Eva's Initiatives works with 2,300 homeless and at-risk youth aged 16 to 24 annually to get them off the streets permanently.

Eva's operates three shelters that house 122 youth each night. Youth must leave by 9 a.m. and can seek shelter at 4 p.m.

Eva's Initiatives' shelters provide homeless youth with emergency and transitional housing, harm reduction services to address drug and alcohol use, counselling, employment and training programs, housing support and services to reconnect youth with their families.