Eva’s Initiatives is a proud Black legacy organization, founded by Mrs. Eva Maud Smith. This is a history of which we are proud. It is also a history we lost connection to for several years. This divergence from our genesis, which had real roots and responsibilities in diverse Black communities across Toronto, has caused confusion, hurt, harm and anger. With this Strategic Plan, and a full equity review implementation in progress, we step boldly into our identity as a Black youth-focused organization. Our programs remain accessible to all youth and are culturally responsive and trauma-informed to meet the unique needs of Black youth. We pledge to honour our origins and step into our role, shoulder to shoulder with our friends, relations, and allies. Eva Smith’s expression for what she was called to do in her lifetime was, “what hurt one of us, hurt all of us”, delineating an expansive ethic of community care that applies a fiercely tender focus on those who experience the most extreme forms of oppression. Eva worked tirelessly to establish a tangible response to youth homelessness, and the racism, poverty, violence, and abuse it is grounded in. As an educator, Eva saw the links between education, anti-racism, and the hope for a brighter future for all youth. Mrs. Eva Maud Smith is our north star. But the world we are navigating in her name has also changed. It has grown more complex for the youth who turn to us, and the barriers Eva Smith identified have lost pliability and have become entrenched. Anti-Black racism and the impacts of colonialism have come home to roost. Poverty, forced migration, homelessness, anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hatred, gender-based violence, substance use, and mental health issues have all taken a firm grip on our social reality, blocking the paths forward for Black and other vulnerable youth that Eva fought to open.

Eva’s Initiatives has a crucial role to play in identifying and addressing these barriers.


We certainly do not have all the answers. But we have begun to ask the right questions — of         ourselves, of our communities and stakeholders — and of the youth who seek our support, and who will lead our best strategies and solutions.

With this plan, we face ourselves bravely, and promise to bring the best of ourselves and you, our communities, to a process of change that will centre the youth we exist to support. For this, we need to sharpen our focus and build strong programs and focused advocacy, supported human resources and governance, back into the house that Eva built.

We are thrilled to unveil the four strategic priorities that will honour our legacy, guide our work, and build our future. Our priorities from 2024 to 2027 are: Please read about our journey and join us in advancing real strategies and solutions to youth homelessness that unflinchingly take in the evidence base for its causes and consequences, and links arms with those who know it best: the youth themselves.