Choices for Youth

What Choices for Youth does

Choices for Youth (CFY) is a Newfoundland and Labrador nonprofit charity (founded 1994; BN 130889942 RR0001) headquartered at 261 Duckworth Street, St. John's, that serves youth and young families ages 16-29 across the province. Its core programs span a continuum of housing supports (Choices Shelter, The Lilly, RallyForward, Soft Landing), employment services (EESE), perinatal support (Momma Moments), Family and Natural Supports, an Outreach and Youth Engagement Centre, and social enterprises (Your Turn Boutique). The organization reports serving 1,500+ youth annually and has engaged 32+ communities and 1,200+ young people through its provincial outreach work since 2017.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding stack: government grants and transfer payments (federal and provincial), charitable donations and community fundraising (e.g., Coldest Night of Year), and earned revenue from social enterprises. CFY is the designated backbone agency for the Newfoundland and Labrador Integrated Youth Services (NL-IYS) initiative, coordinating 4 new provincial sites and integrating services across housing, health, and employment partners. Strategic positioning is reinforced by formal partnerships with CMHA NL, A Way Home Canada, the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, Buy Social Canada, Stella's Circle, End Homelessness St. John's, and post-secondary institutions.

Leadership transitioned in 2024, with Jen Crowe succeeding long-tenured founder/Executive Director Sheldon Pollett; Bruce Belbin (Director of Student Residence & Ancillary Operations at Memorial University) chairs the board, and Lynnann Anstey leads fund development and communications. CFY does not operate a technology platform and shows no evidence of AI/ML capabilities; its competitive position rests on its community embeddedness, 30+ year operating history, and provincial mandate rather than on proprietary technology.

Name

Choices for Youth

Legal name

Choices for Youth

Website

https://choicesforyouth.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Choices for Youth is a St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador nonprofit that serves youth and young families ages 16-29 through housing, employment, family support, outreach, and social enterprise programs across the province, with a current annual reach of 1,500+ youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homelessness Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Social Assistance (624), Temporary Shelters (624221), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth homelessness services
• Integrated youth services
• Emergency youth shelter
• Supportive housing programs
• Social enterprise employment

Headquarters

HQ city

St. John's

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Grants: Choices for Youth receives core funding from federal and provincial government departments including the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, and federal agencies for youth homelessness prevention and intervention programs.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate giving, and community fundraising events including Coldest Night of the Year walk, Hockey Helps the Homeless NL, and annual campaigns like Home for the Holidays. The February 2022 CNOY walk raised over $46,000 with 150+ walkers.
3. Social Enterprise Revenue: Operating social enterprises including Your Turn Boutique and the Education, Employment and Social Enterprise (EESE) department that provide job training and employment opportunities for youth while generating revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Choices for Youth is a registered nonprofit charity that delivers wraparound social services to at-risk youth and young families ages 16-29 in Newfoundland and Labrador through four integrated program pillars: housing (emergency shelter, supportive housing, rapid rehousing), employment and education (EESE department with social enterprises), family support (Momma Moments, Family and Natural Supports), and health outreach (Outreach and Youth Engagement Centre). Services are provided at no cost to participants, funded through government grants, charitable donations, and social enterprise revenue.

Product overview

Choices for Youth is a non-profit organization (not a technology company) offering a portfolio of wrap-around social services programs for youth ages 16-29 experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Newfoundland and Labrador. The core programs span four interconnected areas: Housing (emergency shelter, supportive housing units, rapid rehousing), Employment and Education (EESE department with social enterprises), Family Support (Momma Moments, Family and Natural Supports), and Health and Outreach (Outreach and Youth Engagement Centre). Programs operate from CFY's St. John's location with expansion to four additional sites across the province through the NL-IYS initiative. The organization also provides referral forms for external agencies to connect youth to services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Programs
• Education, Employment and Social Enterprise (EESE)
• Momma Moments Program
• Family and Natural Supports
• Outreach and Youth Engagement Centre
• Social Enterprises
• Provincial Integrated Youth Services (NL-IYS)

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership with York University's homelessness research hub. COH is a national research partner working to improve understanding of youth homelessness issues and inform policy changes through evidence-based research.
• A Way Home CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational coalition focused on ending youth homelessness. CFY aligns with A Way Home Canada's key elements framework for provincial planning to end youth homelessness.
• Community of Practice for Youth (Learning Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of youth-serving organizations sharing best practices and research. CFY participates in knowledge exchange and collaborative learning to improve service delivery.
• Canadian Mental Health Association NLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for mental health support services. CMHA NL provides expertise and coordination for mental health programming accessible to CFY youth participants.
• Buy Social CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork promoting social enterprise and social procurement. Supports CFY's social enterprise operations including Your Turn Boutique and other youth employment programs.
• Community Youth Network (Multiple Locations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of community-based youth centers across Newfoundland and Labrador (locations include Gander, Nain, Placentia, Corner Brook, Harbour Breton, and 20+ other communities). Collaborative partners in provincial service delivery and Statement of Principles signatories.
• Stella's CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing shelter services (Naomi Centre for young women) and related programming. Co-located in some initiatives and collaborative on youth homelessness response.
• End Homelessness St. John'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinating body for homelessness response in St. John's region. Signatory to Statement of Principles and collaborative partner in system-level planning.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ottawa Mission: Large multi-service shelter and housing organization in Ottawa combining emergency shelter, supportive housing, food, and training programs. Comparable multi-pillar service model, though serves a broader adult population rather than youth specifically.
• A Way Home Canada: National coalition working to end youth homelessness that CFY is a member of. Functions as a sector umbrella and policy/research body rather than a direct service provider, but comparable in mission and influential in the same funding and policy ecosystem.
• Canadian Observatory on Homelessness: York University-based research hub that is a direct research partner of CFY. Comparable as a thought-leadership and evidence producer in the same youth-homelessness policy domain.

Direct peers

• The Alex Community Health Centre: Calgary-based nonprofit combining health, housing, and food security programs for vulnerable populations. Comparable in its integrated wraparound service architecture and vulnerable-population focus.
• Boyle Street Community Services: Edmonton-based nonprofit delivering integrated housing, employment, health, and outreach services using harm-reduction and trauma-informed frameworks. Direct methodological peer to CFY's Housing First for Youth approach, though in a much larger urban setting.
• Covenant House Toronto: Canada's largest youth homelessness agency operating emergency shelter, supportive housing, and education/employment programs for youth 16-24. Directly comparable four-pillar service architecture and target population to CFY, though at much larger urban scale.
• Eva's Initiatives for Homeless Youth: Toronto-based organization delivering shelter, housing, training, and social enterprise (Eva's Phoenix print shop) for homeless youth. Closely mirrors CFY's integrated housing-plus-social-enterprise model.
• Stella's Circle: St. John's-based nonprofit providing housing, shelter (including the Naomi Centre for young women), and community support services. Most directly comparable NL peer given shared geography, youth-housing mandate, and overlapping shelter operations with CFY.

Emerging players

• Na-Me-Res (Native Men's Residence): Toronto-based Indigenous-led organization providing housing, health, and cultural programs for Indigenous youth and adults experiencing homelessness. Comparable to CFY's Indigenous youth programming and harm-reduction approach, though Indigenous-led and Toronto-based.

Others

• Buy Social Canada: National network supporting social enterprise development that partners with CFY. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler for CFY's social enterprises (e.g., Your Turn Boutique), not a direct service peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/choicesforyouth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/choicesforyouth/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/choicesforyouth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/choices-for-youth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Choices for Youth