Head & Hands

What Head & Hands does

Head & Hands (also known as À Deux Mains) is a registered Quebec non-profit organization founded in 1970 and headquartered at 3465 Av. Benny in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. The organization provides free, confidential medical, legal, counselling, and community services to youth ages 12-25, regardless of health insurance (RAMQ) status, immigration status, or proof of address. Its service portfolio spans six interconnected programs: Medical Services (primary care, STI/HIV testing, contraception, gender-affirming care, vaccinations), Legal Services (free consultations with volunteer lawyers across housing, employment, family, immigration, and criminal law), Counselling (short-term, medium-term, and drop-in virtual sessions), the Young Parents Program for parents under 25, Frontline Services (harm reduction, food pantry, gear bar), and the Jeunesse 2000 satellite drop-in center for teens aged 12-17. There is no proprietary technology platform; all services are delivered in person at two physical locations or via virtual channels (phone, email, video). Head & Hands also operates the Solidarity Through Action third-party fundraising program enabling community members to host independent fundraisers.

The organization's revenue model is donation-based rather than commercial: services are provided at no cost to youth, with funding sourced from individual donations, suggested $5-$25 contributions from non-youth legal clients, community-organized fundraisers, and grants (Bell Let's Talk in 2017). Volunteer lawyers contribute pro-bono professional services. Governance is by a volunteer Board of Directors led by President Rina Lall and Executive Director Andi Vicente. The organization employs a small team (11-50) of specialized clinical staff, including certified counsellors, creative arts therapists, and somatic practitioners trained in trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and harm-reduction approaches.

Head & Hands has operated continuously for over 55 years and remains active with bilingual English/French service delivery. Its recent activity includes consolidation of harm reduction and food services into a unified Frontline Services offering, expansion of virtual counselling, and a temporary reduced opening-hours schedule through September 2026. The organization is not venture-backed, has no parent company, and operates as a standalone non-profit entity.

Name

Head & Hands

Legal name

Head & Hands

Website

https://headandhands.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Head & Hands is a Montreal non-profit founded in 1970 that provides free medical, legal, counselling, and community services to youth ages 12-25, regardless of insurance or immigration status, funded through donations and community fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Community Health and Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAG)

Keywords

• Youth social services
• Community health clinic
• Free legal clinic
• Youth counselling services
• Harm reduction programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Volunteer Services: Volunteer lawyers provide free legal consultations. The organization benefits from pro-bono professional services rather than directly generating revenue.
2. Optional Donations for Non-Youth Legal Services: For legal consultations, non-youth (outside 12-25 age range) are asked to make suggested donations of $5-$25 via e-transfer to support the Head & Hands Emergency Legal Fund for Youth. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Head & Hands is a Montreal-based non-profit organization that delivers free, confidential medical, legal, counselling, and frontline support services to youth ages 12-25 regardless of health insurance or immigration status. Its integrated programs include primary and sexual health care, volunteer-lawyer legal consultations, short- and medium-term therapy, harm reduction and food security (Frontline Services), the Young Parents Program, and the Jeunesse 2000 teen drop-in satellite.

Product overview

Head & Hands operates as a single integrated youth services organization offering multiple interconnected programs for Montreal youth ages 12-25. The core portfolio includes Medical Services (primary care, sexual health, gender-affirming care), Legal Services (free consultations, legal coordination), and Counselling (short/medium-term therapy, drop-in sessions). Additional support programs include the Young Parents Program (YPP) for young families, Frontline Services (harm reduction, food security), and Jeunesse 2000 (J2K) satellite drop-in center. Solidarity Through Action enables community-driven fundraising. All services are free and accessible regardless of insurance or immigration status.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Young Parents Program (YPP): A program for parents and parents-to-be under the age of 25 to meet, connect, and build community with free hot lunch, workshops, activities, and excursions.
• Jeunesse 2000 (J2K)
• Frontline Services
• Solidarity Through Action

Products and services

• Medical Services Free, confidential medical care for youth ages 12-25, including general check-ups, STI/HIV testing and treatment, contraception, pregnancy testing, gender-affirming care, hormone therapy, mental health referrals, and vaccinations. Provided with or without health insurance.
• Legal Services Free legal clinic offering consultations with volunteer lawyers and one-on-one legal coordination for youth ages 12-25. Covers housing, employment, family law, immigration, criminal law, and human rights; includes Commissioner of Oaths certification and referrals.
• Counselling Free, youth-oriented, non-judgmental counselling for youth ages 12-25, including short-term support (3 sessions), medium-term therapy (15 sessions), and drop-in virtual sessions. Informed by healing justice, trauma-sensitive, and harm-reduction frameworks.
• Young Parents Program (YPP) Support program for parents and parents-to-be under 25, offering peer connections, free hot lunch, workshops, activities, excursions, childcare, children's clothing, toys, and food security programming.
• Frontline Services Harm reduction, front desk, and food services including a monthly food pantry for youth 12-25 (no ID or proof of address required), gear bar for drug users, condom bar, donations, public phone and computer access, and information/referrals.
• Jeunesse 2000 (J2K) Youth drop-in center for teens ages 12-17 located on Decarie Boulevard, offering video games, music studio, movies, and workshops as a safe recreational and creative space.

Quantifiable outcome

• All services are free for youth 12-25 with no health card or insurance required
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kids Help Phone: Canada-wide e-mental health service for youth offering 24/7 counselling, text support, and crisis intervention. Comparable as a youth-focused mental health service provider with virtual delivery and no-cost access.
• Dans la Rue: Montreal-based non-profit serving homeless and at-risk youth with shelter, health, education, and outreach services. Most comparable peer due to shared Montreal geography, youth focus, and integrated service model.
• Native Youth Sexual Health Network: Indigenous-led organization addressing sexual and reproductive health, harm reduction, and mental wellness for Indigenous youth across Canada. Comparable in youth-focused, harm reduction, culturally-safe service delivery.
• Stella's Place: Toronto-based mental health non-profit serving youth ages 16-29 with peer support, counselling, and wellness programs. Comparable as a youth-focused mental health service provider offering drop-in and virtual support at no cost.
• Youthdale Treatment Centres: Toronto-based mental health organization serving youth with crisis services, residential treatment, and outpatient counselling. Comparable in providing mental health and social support services to youth populations.
• Tel-Jeunes: Quebec-wide youth support service providing phone, text, and chat counselling to young people in French. Comparable in youth mental health focus, bilingual service delivery, and free-access model.

Others

• Head & Hands (La Casa) — note: not a peer, the subject itself: Placeholder removed — not a valid peer entry.

Emerging players

• Jeunesse Lambda: Quebec non-profit offering support services to LGBTQ+ youth, including peer support, counselling, and community programming. Comparable as a Quebec-based youth services organization focused on marginalized populations.

Regional players

• Clinique communautaire de Pointe-Saint-Charles: Montreal community health centre offering primary care, mental health, and social services with a focus on underserved populations. Comparable as a community-based, low-barrier health and social service provider in Montreal.
• Batshaw Youth and Family Centres: Montreal-based public organization providing child welfare, youth protection, and family services. Comparable in serving vulnerable youth and families in Montreal with counselling and social support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/head_and_hands

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Head & Hands