Growing up shouldn't be this hard.
For too many children in Waterloo Region, childhood comes with adult-sized worries.
Growing up shouldn't be this hard.
For too many children in Waterloo Region, childhood comes with adult-sized worries.
The reality facing local children & youth
Growing up should be about learning, playing, and dreaming. But right now, many children and youth in our community are navigating hunger, unstable housing, mental health stress, and family financial pressure — all at once.
Hunger makes it harder to focus and succeed at school.
Housing instability erodes safety, routine, and belonging.
Ongoing stress and uncertainty impact mental health and emotional well-being.
No child should have to worry about where they’ll sleep, whether they’ll eat, or how their family will cope. Yet for too many kids in Waterloo Region, these worries are part of everyday life.
When Challenges Stack up, Community Steps in.
When families face more than one barrier, they need coordinated support. United Way brings local organizations together so families don’t have to navigate a complex system alone.
For many children, challenges like hunger, housing instability, and ongoing stress don’t happen one at a time — they compound over time.
By giving monthly, you help ensure support is always there. Your ongoing gift provides consistent care and resources that help children and families move forward with stability and hope.
Food Insecurity
Hunger is a daily worry for far too many children.
Families across Waterloo Region are struggling to put enough food on the table. When children don’t have reliable access to healthy meals, it affects their concentration, energy, and academic success — and turns every school day into a challenge.
What are young people in Waterloo Region Saying?
Young people want to see improved school lunch and nutrition programs to make them more accessible
$10
Your donation of $10 could provide 20 safe, healthy snacks to support students' academic success, ensuring they are ready to learn.
$50
A $50 donation could provide a healthy meal to 6 homeless or at-risk youth.
$1200
Your donation of $1200 could supply daily after-school snacks to 61 children for 3 months, helping them thrive academically.
“[United Way WR] supported our children’s programs, which are essential in ensuring that young people in food-insecure households have consistent access to nutrition and educational resources. Reductions in funding would have limited our ability to offer these programs, directly affecting some of the most vulnerable members of our community”
Housing & Homelessness
Safe, stable housing is becoming out of reach for too many families.
Rising housing costs and limited availability are forcing more children and youth into unstable or temporary living situations. Without consistency and security, kids struggle to focus at school, maintain routines, and build a sense of belonging — creating stress that impacts their well-being.
What are young people in Waterloo Region Saying?
You can’t start your life without a place to live.
$50
could welcome a young person into Argus' Youth Foyer with dignity by supplying a personal essentials kit—the first step toward rebuilding confidence and independence.
$70
could provide one overnight stay at an emergency shelter.
$1200
could fund 40 hours of dedicated support, ensuring a young person has consistent guidance, mentorship, and the practical help they need to stay on track and thrive.
Mental Health
Too many children and youth are carrying stress no child should have to manage.
Anxiety, trauma, and emotional distress are rising among young people in Waterloo Region — often driven by poverty, instability, and uncertainty at home. When mental health needs go unmet, it affects learning, relationships, and a child’s ability to feel safe and hopeful.
What are young people in Waterloo Region Saying?
Youth are looking for help that’s accessible and timely
$100
$100 could provide a youth with 2 subsidized counselling sessions to better manage their anxiety.
$70
could provide one overnight stay at an emergency shelter.
“With funding that United Way has provided, JHSWW had the capacity to meet one-third of the program referrals via WRDSB Mental Health Lead. There is a direct correlation between bullying or being bullied and involvement in the criminal justice system later in life. Preventing bullying and building social competency skills are a key part of JHSWW mission to provide effective, just and humane responses to crime and its causes.”
“Funding from United Way helped us meet the needs of young victims and the community by helping us wipe out our waitlist, and ensure all young victims get the support when they needed it. “