Friends of Ruby (previously Egale Youth Services) was founded by Egale Canada in 2014 to meet the needs of LGBTQI2S youth in Toronto.To date, we have supported more than 900 youth, and prevented over 470 mental health crises and visits to hospital emergency rooms, saving nearly $300,000 in health care costs.At the Friends of Ruby's drop-in space, LGBTQI2S youth (16-29 years old) find meals, activities, support groups and community. We offer barrier-free one-on-one counselling, support with gender identity and sexual orientation, and help to access housing, health care, and employment.In 2020, we'll be opening a new programming centre with safe, emergency and transitional housing for up to 33 LGBTQI2S youth at 257 Dundas St E., Toronto, ON.