Mental and Physical Health Supports

What to do if you are in crisis

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need immediate help, you can:

  • Call 911.
  • Go to the nearest hospital.
  • Call the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 1-833-456-4566.
  • Call your doctor.

Help is available. You are not alone.

Accessing mental and physical health support

If you are currently in care or have recently transitioned out of care and you are looking for support for your mental and physical health, help is available through the Connections Program.

Connections is offered at the Pape Adolescent Resource Centre, a partner of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. Young people accessing the program meet with a nurse navigator, who conducts a wellness assessment and creates a customized care plan to assist young people in getting support within a short period of time.

The nurse navigator then identifies appropriate mental health experts and services available in the community and helps young people access them. Ultimately, the navigator facilitates a smooth transition from youth to adult services.

What type of support is available?

Based on your individual needs, supports available through Connections may include:

  • One-on-one counseling or therapy.
  • Cognitive/Educational Assessments.
  • Health literacy education through monthly virtual workshops.
  • Wellness groups, including health promotion activities, mental health awareness, and therapy-based groups.
  • Comprehensive assessment by an in-house primary care physician and psychiatrist.
  • General system navigation.
  • Disability support services.
  • Primary care referrals.
  • Mental health medication cost coverage.
  • Referrals to established community services and partners.
  • Integrated wraparound services provided by the program’s mental health navigator in partnership with youth workers from the Pape Adolescent Resource Centre.

Who is eligible?

You may be eligible for support through the Connections program if you are:

  • In government care or formerly in government care.
  • Between the ages of 18 and 29.
  • A resident of Toronto or the Greater Toronto Area (referrals will be considered on a case-by-case basis for young people who live outside of the GTA).

How to apply for support

For more information, and to apply for support through the Connections program, please contact the Pape Adolescent Resource Centre at 416-462-1010.

Referral Form Download PDF

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Young People In Profile

Meet Tom

“I think it’s incredibly important for foster agencies and youth from care to get support, because it’s impossible to live without it. And more importantly, to build a community and mental health support. The money will help to teach [youth] that they have mentors and a community, and that people around them will do everything in their power to let them go. A lot of youth want to learn and be given these opportunities.”