Crisis intervention and restorative practice
Working with partners and trained staff, we use restorative practice with youth, families, and staff, focused on identifying root causes and on reconciliation and accountability rather than punishment. Healing is embedded throughout our youth and family programs as the central path to resolution, and families in crisis receive immediate support and sustained follow-through.
Media lab
The Horton’s Kids Media Lab was built to give young people and community members a professional space to make their own media: music, podcasts, recorded stories, and demos. The purpose of the lab has been consistent since it opened. We share the space with partners who bring their own curricula and projects, and we run our own programming inside it so that youth in our community build real technical skills in music production, podcasting, audio engineering, and storytelling. Both halves of that work, the sharing and the building, are how the lab amplifies community voice.
Housing advocacy
Feeling safe and secure at home is central to a person’s well-being. We work alongside families and property management to advocate for healthy, secure, and dignified living conditions. We actively help residents document housing conditions, file complaints through the appropriate channels, connect with legal partners, and organize with their neighbors. While systemic barriers mean families continue to face deeply challenging conditions, we are fiercely committed to growing our capacity, staying by their side, and strengthening our advocacy.
Parent and Youth Advisory Councils
Our Parent Advisory Council and Youth Advisory Council are composed of participants and residents from Wellington Park, Stanton Oaks, and within a half mile of Horton’s Hub. The Parent Advisory Council is consulted on major decisions. The Youth Advisory Council gives older youth a platform to share feedback and take part in decisions about program development, and produces HK Confessions, a youth-led podcast. Together, the councils provide consistent feedback on programming, inform changes that better meet community needs, and have partnered on community conversations including a recent town hall on teen online safety.
Safety task force
The Safety Task Force brings together staff, residents, and partners to address safety concerns affecting participants and families. We build relationships with security staff and police so that engagement with residents is respectful. Youth and families take part in community safety advocacy alongside partners across Ward 8, including Know Your Rights training that helps residents understand what to do in an encounter with law enforcement. This work aims to keep decisions about safety in the hands of the people who live with the consequences.
Space for older youth to gather and lead
Teen forums give older youth a regular space to raise the issues affecting them and work through them together, supported by structured lessons on emotional regulation, healthy relationships, and conflict resolution. Fridays are now dedicated to high school programming, with older students leading the activities and shaping how the time is spent. Teens with a consistent place to gather and adults who know them are more likely to stay engaged in school and less likely to be alone during the hours when risk is highest.
