Home Hospice Association
GTA Chapter
Our mission is to ensure that anyone facing death and their loved ones have equitable access to quality end-of-life care and support. By working with our agency partners and volunteers within the GTA, we’re able to mobilize hospice palliative care cost effectively and expediently, continuously drawing the circle of care wider.
With a focus on dignity, compassion, and culturally sensitive human connection, Home Hospice Association empowers communities to help people die wherever they call home.
GTA Chapter Directors, Officers & Local Leadership
We meet the 1st Tuesday of every month.
If you’re passionate about wanting to provide equitable access to quality end-of-life care in our community and would like to join our Chapter Board or Become a Chapter Board Member, we’d love to hear from you! Email volunteer@homehospiceassociation.org and we’ll follow up with you.
It Takes a Village: Thank you to our Chapter Partners!
If your agency or organization serves clients or patients nearing the end of life, we can help you make care for these people and their loved ones even more accessible and holistic. Visit our community partnerships page to learn how we work with our agency partners to increase access to compassionate end-of-life care across Canada.
Be part of our future and partner with our Chapter today!
Follow us on Facebook to find out about all the great things happening in our Chapter!
How We Help
Houseless Hospice Pilot
Our community’s houseless population is being supported through our Chapter’s participation in HHA’s Houseless Hospice Pilot Project, which aims to increase access to compassionate end-of-life care for one of our most vulnerable and marginalized populations. The goal of this project is to customize HHA’s existing programs to the needs of the houseless population and to connect with local agencies in order to deliver care efficiently and cost effectively through HHA volunteers, agency partner volunteers and HHA-trained Death and Infant & Pregnancy Loss Doulas. Learn more about our Pilot Project and keep up-to-date with our progress - or join our Houseless Hospice Pilot Project Working Group!
Death Doula Mentorship
Given that the Death Doula community is such a vital part of how we can effectively mobilize compassionate end-of-life care, supporting the on-going mentorship and training of HHA Death Doulas and Candidates in the GTA is one of our Chapter’s key priorities. If you are an HHA Death or Infant & Pregnancy Loss Doula / Candidate be sure to check out our Doula Social & Training Calendar of events.
If you're interested in Becoming a Death Doula or Infant & Pregnancy Loss Doula, check out our Certificate Programs and upcoming training dates.
Metis Nation of Ontario
Home Hospice Association has partnered with the MNO to support the development of end-of-life education, services and support systems for its citizens. From the customization of our Compassionate Caregiving online training to the mobilization of Death Doulas, we’re committed to meeting the cultural, social and spiritual needs of the MNO in collaboration with their existing staff and front-line workers. We began working with the MNO in March with a three-day Compassionate Caregiving and Death Awareness Workshop at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Toronto (see photos here!), and will continue to work with their 37 communities to develop and implement care for their members facing death and those who love and care for them.
Our Babies, Our Grief
Through HHA’s Our Babies, Our Grief progressive healing group model, our trained Chapter leaders support those who have experienced Pregnancy and Infant Loss - whether the loss occurred days ago or decades ago.
At this time, Our Babies, Our Grief is being offered online as a six-week progressive healing group and monthly virtual drop-in. In partnership with Port Hope Senior Centre, we’re also testing a new version of Our Babies, Our Grief, for those who experienced a loss many years or even decades ago.
Death Education
Community Workshops
We provide our workshops and presentations free of charge for organizations across the GTA, such as at the 519, where we offer our “Talking About Death Won’t Kill You” workshop. The 519 is a hub for 2SLGBTQ+ communities in Toronto that is committed to the health, happiness and full participation of the most vulnerable and marginalized folks within their communities.
Learn more about our community workshops and presentations and how you can invite us to your organization!
In-Person Death Cafes
HHA’s Death Cafes are an important part of our Death Education programming because of how they help to normalize death through open and honest conversation. Our community-specific death cafes create essential spaces where people can feel even safer to talk about these issues with others who share similar experiences.
Our Host Partner for our 2SLGBTQ+ Death Cafe is Toronto’s Glad Day Book Shop. If you would like to become a host partner for an HHA Death Cafe in the GTA, we’d love to hear from you!
Death Doula Experience
We partner with other charities in our community, such as Hospice Toronto, Long-Term Care Facilities, such as the Rekei Centre, and hospitals, such as Mount Saini, in order to create placement opportunities for HHA Death and Infant & Pregnancy Doulas at no cost to our partnering facilities or their patient/clients.
If your facility would like to benefit from having an HHA Death Doula on its care team, please contact us to discuss our Practicum Program.
Fundraising
Moonlit Memory Walk
Etobicoke is proud to host one of the 5 official Moonlit Memory Walk Locations this year!
HHA’s annual Moonlit Memory Walk fundraiser helps us raise awareness for the amazing work we’re doing in our Chapter. Plus, the funds collected from this event stay in our community, helping to improve compassionate end-of-life care and support here in the GTA!
If you're interested in helping to plan the event or volunteering on-site, please check out our Moonlit Memory Walk volunteer opportunities.
Eric Elliott Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Eric Elliott Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2024 by Eric's parents, Ryan and Amanda, and his grandmother, Tammy Elliott, in collaboration with Home Hospice Association. By providing training opportunities in Infant and Pregnancy Loss Support, the fund aims to increase the number of trained professionals capable of offering compassionate care to individuals affected by the devastating loss of a pregnancy or infant.
Your support makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those who have experienced the loss of an infant or pregnancy. With your generosity, we can cover program tuition fees, enabling participants the comprehensive training required to provide crucial emotional, spiritual, and practical support to bereaved families.
Get Involved
Compassionate Companioning Volunteers
We continue to be committed to ensuring that we have a growing and vibrant community of compassionate caregivers to support the front-line care work needed across our Chapter. Having enough volunteers also allows us to establish new programs in our Chapter and support even more members of our communities.
If you’re interested in becoming a Compassionate Companion in the GTA, please reach out to us about taking our Compassionate Companioning Online Training.
Houseless Pilot Project Volunteers
We're looking for dedicated individuals who believe that we all deserve dignity and compassion at the end of our lives to help us with our new Houseless Hospice Pilot Project. The goal of this project is to build and mobilize a complete care offering that addresses the dying, death and grief needs of houseless populations.
We’re specifically looking for people who have experience in one or more of the following areas:
Project management and Team engagement
Social work or Social services work
End-of-life care, Death Doulas
Marketing and/or Fundraising
Experience working with houseless populations
If you’re interested in joining our Project Working Team, please fill out our Volunteer Application and specify “Houseless Hospice Pilot” on the form.
