Youth Services Bureau (YSB)
July 14, 2025
Every month, the Youth Services Bureau (YSB) of Ottawa supports more than 3,000 young people on their path to wellbeing. Marking its 65th year in 2025 as one of the city’s largest and most established youth agencies, YSB offers a wide range of youth programs and services, including shelters and housing, mental health crisis and counselling services, employment support, and programs for youth in conflict with the law.
YSB’s work is broad and deep, serving youth of all ethnicities, faiths and genders. With a staff team of 390 working across 22 locations, YSB meets youth where they are at – physically, mentally, and emotionally – taking into account each one’s unique and individual journeys. YSB staff live the ethos of supporting youth regardless of where they live, what they look like, or whom they love. Central to YSB’s work is a deeply-engrained commitment to listening to young people that, in turn, helps shape the organization’s direction and ensures services stay relevant, impactful and innovative.
With more than 1,400 youth facing homelessness each year in Ottawa, YSB’s two shelters and four long-term housing buildings provide stability, safety, and a sense of community. At age 15, Cassandra underwent brain surgery that left her struggling to speak, remember things and manage daily life. As she fought to recover, her family faced hardships of their own, and by 16, she was without a home. Thanks to a caring donor community, Cassandra found a safe place at YSB’s Young Women’s Shelter. With stability, guidance, and the support of YSB staff, she didn’t simply survive, she thrived. Today, at 24, Cassandra is a proud business owner, running her own small construction company. And in the most beautiful full-circle moment, she is now giving back both as a donor to YSB and as a mentor to other youth facing their own challenges.
Support from donors and community partners ensures that life-changing, and often life-saving, services remain accessible. Along with youth shelters and housing, investments fund vital mental health supports including 24/7 crisis phone and chat services, walk-in and virtual clinics, mobile crisis support, and youth and family counselling. YSB’s work also includes helping youth develop life skills, find employment, and navigate the justice system.
To continue this work, the YSB Foundation welcomes partners and the community to be part of YSB’s mission in a number of ways. One such initiative is the Shelter Room Sponsorship Campaign, where families, businesses, and community groups sponsor a youth shelter room for one or more years. A YSB youth shelter room is a safe haven, providing not only shelter but a foundation for a brighter future.
The YSB Foundation also hosts RISE & THRIVE, its annual fundraising breakfast each October. This event showcases the achievements of youth and celebrates how community support helps fuels their success. It’s an inspiring morning filled with real stories, bold vision, and the energy of a community coming together to create change.
YSB’s biggest success is not in numbers but in moments: when a young person finds stability, is reminded of their strengths and life goals, or feels seen and heard perhaps for the first time in a very long time. It’s a story of a community leaning in and stepping up – and a promise that Ottawa’s young people are never alone. At YSB, we believe their future is everybody’s business.
