2020-2021
Annual Report Safety. Support. Hope.
FOREWORD
At Family Transition Place (FTP), “Transition” is our middle name! But this past year challenged us with a crisis with which we had no experience and too many transitions to count. Just prior to the beginning of our new fiscal year, the virus sweeping the globe was officially declared a pandemic. I sat with FTP’s leadership team as we took in the enormity of the news and tried to make sense of what it meant for our clients and our staff. We then gathered all the staff together in our board room (seems inconceivable now) to let everyone know that we would be relocating all of the clients who were safe and willing to go to offsite locations. We then sent all staff home “for two weeks” while the government got this “COVID thing” figured out, and so that we could make a plan for continuing our work. Well, we did make a plan. And then we made another one. And another. And two weeks extended to—well, as we all know only too well—much longer! As we worked to understand all the new information and directions from our governments and our public health units, our commitment to supporting our clients, no matter what, remained strong. We realized that we were going to need to re-design our programs in such a way that we could “ride the waves” of COVID-19 and ensure that our clients were always able to get the support they needed from us. Our agency grounds our work in our five core values (see page 10). This year, the value of Continuous Learning and Innovation has been lived to its fullest. The pandemic presented us with many complex challenges, but it also provided us with opportunities to learn and grow. In recognizing the opportunities inherent in the crisis, we were in fact, able to move forward with many new initiatives—many of which will serve us well in the post-pandemic world. You can read about some of them later in this report. Change, while necessary, is never easy and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the staff of FTP for their patience throughout all of the changes. The resilience and determination to adapt to each new plan, strategy or directive has been remarkable. Thank you to the residential team who faced, not only an entirely new residential model, but were at
times, the only staff at work in the building; to the counsellors in all programs who adjusted to juggling virtual client sessions while working from home with children, pets and households to manage; to the youth educators who had to change their approach numerous times over the year in order to reach the students who needed their messages of hope and resilience more than ever; to our support services team who adapted fundraising to online events, who kept up with emergency funding opportunities, conducted audits, made sure people and bills got paid, staffed reception and answered questions and redirected calls. Thank you to the hardworking facilities team who learned more about sanitizing and “IPAC” than they had ever imagined, keeping those working on-site safe and with appropriate PPE at all times. This while also managing the renovation projects that made our shelter safer. And, a special thank you to the leadership team who worked long hours, and who despite the stress and exhaustion, continued to support each other, their staff teams, and (incredibly) me throughout it all. These women are astonishing, in their strength, courage and wisdom. They are my rock. Because of the hard work of these people, FTP has remained open and accessible to anyone who has needed us throughout this difficult year. Our services have evolved to be, in many ways, better and more equitable than ever. I am forever grateful for the resilient spirits of the FTP family, including our board of directors, who has unfailingly continued to support and guide us throughout this crisis. And most importantly, I am profoundly grateful that the women and children who need shelter and all the individuals who seek us out for support through our counselling and education programs, continue to place their trust in us. We will continue in our efforts to be worthy of that trust. Better days are ahead. Stay Hopeful.
Norah Kennedy Executive Director Family Transition Place
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome Message Our Board of Directors Our Vision, Mission and Values Strategic Plan Our Work Our Committee Support Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Fundraising and Donations
4 5 6 7 8 10 12 14
Our Major Donors Our Volunteers Our Community Partnerships and Collaborations Risks and Challenges
16 17 18 20
Our Impact
21
Financial Report
22
Connect with Us
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Most of the images used throughout this report are photos of staff adapting and working through pandemic-related changes. Icons used throughout this report from www.flaticon.com.
WELCOME MESSAGE Recognizing FTP’s primary mission of supporting the well-being of our clients, I would like to start with a sincere and heartfelt thank you to the entire FTP team and board for their commitment, dedication and contributions during this incredibly challenging year. COVID-19 has impacted all of us as individuals, our families and friends, and not just FTP as an organization, or our clients. The fact that FTP has accomplished so much and helped so many this past year, is testament to everyone involved. The work that we do is particularly important during the pandemic which created extraordinary circumstances for the shelter, the organization and even more challenging and dangerous circumstances for those in genderbased abusive relationships.
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Norah and her team’s positive impact expands beyond that of FTP. They are proactive within the community supporting Ontario Health Team stakeholders and many other partners providing needed community services within our sector. Their leadership, resolve and compassion for the organization has been inspiring, is matched only by the unimaginable strength and resilience of our clients. Since the announcement of the pandemic more than a year ago, our board and committees have held meetings virtually. The board has maintained our governance role with our focus on crisis management and supporting the ED where possible.
Through this year I have been continually impressed by the compassion, innovation and resilience of the staff from this organization. Their dedication and commitment has been tested beyond belief during this time. They have worked tirelessly to ensure shelter, support and services continue and that women and their children are safe.
I would like to recognize those members who remained past their term commitments into September ensuring strong board support for our ED. As well as those who continued to serve even longer to help on-board and mentor new members, quickly building collaboration, engagement and inclusion. The result of these efforts is being realized through needed and appreciated stability at the FTP board level.
With crisis can come opportunity, and with great leadership comes positive action. Enough cannot be said in recognition of our Executive Director (ED), Norah Kennedy and her fearless and forward-thinking leadership with her leadership team.
The board has continued to learn, improve and develop policies, strategically focusing our efforts to provide support and continued progress on priority board work while adding new programs to the agenda to continue the advancement of FTP.
They jumped into action immediately last March to adapt services and programs, while at the same time, develop policies and adopt new protocols to provide safe, secure shelter that followed provincial and local public health recommendations and directions. Their crisis-management skills represent the best of its kind. They skillfully juggled the needs of clients and concerns of staff, responding and managing with empathy, encouragement and calm.
On behalf of the board, we are immensely grateful for the outpouring of generosity from our community. Remarkable individuals, organizations, community groups and businesses have all continued to support us in our commitment to transforming the lives of those affected by domestic violence. As we move into another year, facing unique challenges coming out the other side of a pandemic, we thank you for your continued support.
I am so proud of how the FTP team identified and embraced the opportunities it saw for positive change, developing innovative solutions for counselling and support, as well as youth education, to work virtually minimizing health and safety risks while ensuring that they always improved and modeled best practices.
With gratitude,
Carissa Burton Board President, Family Transition Place
1st row, left to right: Preeya Rateja, Sheralyn Roman, Carissa Burton 2nd row, left to right: Tony Maxwell, Denyse Horner, Trish Keachie rd 3 row, left to right: Laura Cameron, Nicole Hambleton, Kimberly Van Ryn
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FTP is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of individuals who have a broad range of experience and a commitment to ending violence in our community. Their strategic leadership focuses the efforts that support the agency to meet the changing needs of our community, while simultaneously ensuring that FTP’s mission and values are front and centre. Board members, individually and collectively, evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency annually in order to identify areas for growth and development. New board members are recruited by FTP’s Governance Committee; a committee that is also responsible for reviewing the terms, expertise and diversity reflected in current members and identifying expertise gaps. Once a new board member is recruited, they are included in the slate of directors put forth for election at FTP’s Annual General Meeting held each June. New members are given a comprehensive orientation as dictated by FTP’s Board Policies and Procedures. Board meetings are held monthly throughout the year and require a five-person quorum for decisions that will affect the operation of the agency.
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OUR VISION, MISSION AND VALUES Since 1985, FTP has served the Dufferin and Caledon communities—dedicated to supporting women and their children who have experienced abuse, unhealthy relationships and homelessness. For over 35 years, FTP has been offering emergency shelter, second-stage housing, transitional support services, counselling (addictions, sexual assault and women abuse) and youth and community education.
OUR VISION FTP primarily provides services to women and children who have experienced abuse. We know that abuse has wide ranging impact on peoples’ lives in the community and society in general, so we aspire to: A community free of abuse where all individuals are treated with compassion, equity and respect, and live their lives in healthy relationships.
OUR MISSION Our Mission is to support the holistic well-being of those affected by gender-based violence and promote healthy relationships and community, through education. Therefore, we commit to:
Providing SAFETY: •
Providing a safe shelter for those identifying as women and their children.
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Providing referrals and options to help ensure the safety of all individuals who reach out to us for help.
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Creating safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces.
Providing SUPPORT: •
Providing respectful and compassionate counselling and supports to those who have experienced trauma and/or abuse so that they are empowered as they move forward on their life journey.
Inspiring HOPE: •
Educating to promote healthy relationships and end the cycle of abuse.
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Advocating for systemic change; always learning and innovating to create positive impacts on the lives of the diverse individuals we serve.
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Living and promoting the values of respect, integrity, compassion and inclusivity at all times (within the agency and community).
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Providing responsible stewardship of resources and our community’s goodwill through accountable and transparent processes.
OUR VALUES COMPASSION: The human quality of understanding a person’s strengths and vulnerabilities along with the authentic desire to offer acceptance and support.
INTEGRITY: Upholding the fundamental ethical, operational and institutional principles of FTP in a transparent, trustworthy, honest and consistent manner.
RESPECT: Recognizing, acknowledging and accepting people as individuals with their own lived experiences. INCLUSIVENESS: Treating all people fairly, respectfully and equitably. CONTINUOUS LEARNING & INNOVATION: The ongoing effort to stay current with trends and needs while recognizing and implementing opportunities to improve oneself, the team and the service to clients. 6
STRATEGIC PLAN FTP is now in the third and final year of the current strategic plan and already looking ahead to the next three years. The pandemic highlighted the need to ensure the agency is prepared for any potential emergency situation and will ensure that those strategies are included. Our current plan is as follows:
Pillar 1: Love We embrace and celebrate with a watchful eye and a firm hand on our heritage. We tend to the foundation of LOVE that we have built over the life of the agency and over the last three years. An organization that is marked by (companionate) LOVE is also typically associated with the following attributes: • Trust • Tenderness, compassion, caring • Respect for diversity and difference • A freedom to express affection and affirmation • Careful listening, thoughtful, mindful speech • Affirmation and connection • High levels of emotional intelligence, consciousness, self-/bias-awareness • High levels of job satisfaction and engagement • Low levels of absenteeism • Collaborative teamwork • Forgiveness • Innovation, creativity, high productivity • High levels of both commitment to the organization and a mutuality of accountability • A flexibility in work hours, sick and compassionate leave It’s clear. This foundational pillar names what is obvious and true and lifts it up for intentional attention, to be embraced, celebrated and reinforced.
Pillar 2: Nurturing/Growing Into Our Growing Edges We nurture, tweak, alter as needed, those aspects and attributes of our work and our teams that make us who we are—to keep them at optimal levels of function and well-being, while stretching for excellence where our edges need growing. The Strategic Objectives undergirded by this pillar are familiar territory for FTP staff: • Increasing access to/quantity of services in all sites • Advocacy with and for clients and beyond • Communication within, communication without
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Education, training, capacity building for both staff and clients Collaboration with community partners Counselling and Groups Youth Education Funding diversification Housing, housing, housing Legal services Mental Health services, addictions, sexual violence, trauma Primary care gaps Figuring out rurality and what needs to be done to bridge those gaps Harm reduction Residential living-together Trans-inclusion Wrap-around, social determinants-informed care Understanding, getting with the shifts already under way
Pillar 3: Collaborative Action Leading to Collective Impact We will forge community partnerships to a new level of groundbreaking consensus-building, planning and collaboration that will enable us all to work together for the common good of those in our community most in need. This Strategic Pillar is all about collective impact that is the result of action together. It is all about dreaming big across shared and overlapping mandates, acknowledging that no one group can do it alone. Collective Impact, as a body of research and learning, proposes a way. It identifies the five phases: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Assess Readiness Initiate Action Organize for Impact Begin Implementation Sustain Action and Impact
—and offers resources along the way.
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OUR WORK March 12, 2020 was the last day that our staff were all working together in person. At the time, we thought the concerns of the pandemic would only last a couple of weeks, but over a year later, we are still spread apart with only a percentage of our staff working from our offices on a regular basis. The safety for our clients and staff was, and remains, paramount. Despite the challenges, we are proud to have created some new opportunities for our FTP family. • Adjustments were made to the shelter program to safely support women and children in our congregate setting: » Renovated shelter spaces to give every woman/ family their own, private, independent living space. » Women able to bring pets into their private living spaces. » Alcohol is allowed on the premises in private living spaces to reduce the need for women to go out as much as possible. »
Food service is provided to each of the rooms in individual portions to eliminate communal dining —staff are using compostable food containers when possible in keeping with FTP’s environmental commitment.
» Started the “off-site” shelter program to support women needing housing stays; for women who are safe to be off-site. • We shifted counselling and transitional support services to virtual; promoted texting as a way for clients to connect with their counsellors. • Our hours were adapted to fit home/life schedules and in doing so, provided more options for clients. • We added the necessary infrastructure to support all the work-from-home IT needs and the multiple virtual meetings taking place every day. • The work hours and work week were flexed to minimize the number of staff in the building at any one time. • We shifted to electronic reports to reduce the need for printing, reducing unnecessary contact and waste. • Our youth educators explored and developed multiple options for the delivery of our Youth Education 8
programs. It was important to us that children and youth still had access to these programs virtually, either in the classrooms or at home, to keep them engaged and learning about their own mental well-being.
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Fundraising events were all redeveloped to run virtually. This adjustment eliminated any large gatherings while still successfully promoting FTP, raising vital funds and developing awareness about violence against women.
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Our community collaborations were strengthened in ways that could not even have been imagined prior to the pandemic (see more on page 18); agencies working together to support our community across all human services sectors.
• Continuing, in the midst of it all, with the commitment to our core values. » Our IDEA and Values committees joined together to begin the work on dismantling systemic racism in our agency (see more on page 10). » Staff worked with our board to learn more about Indigenous lands and how to create a meaningful Land Acknowledgement (see more on page 12). »
Staff met (virtually) regularly in discussion groups to bridge programs and departments across the agency. Even through the busyness, these groups helped support our need for connection while building our resilience and optimism with a focus on gratitude and hope.
MAJOR PROJECTS? As referenced on the previous page, the pandemic lead to significant changes to our program delivery. In order for our clients and staff to live and work together in our congregate living setting, we needed to make physical changes to our living and working spaces as well. In addition to a parking lot expansion—a project that had been in development for a couple of years prior to the pandemic—we needed to re-examine the layout of all of our shared spaces in our residential shelter. Thanks to funding received through the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), Dufferin County, Community Foundations of Canada, the Dufferin Community Foundation, the Guelph Community Foundation and the United Way Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin, we were able to complete several major projects at our Orangeville office to make our spaces more functional and comfortable, and to accommodate the physical distancing requirements in place due to the pandemic. In 2020-2021, we completed: •
The expansion and resurfacing of our existing parking lot – funding provided by MCCSS
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The installation of LED lighting upgrades – funding provided by MCCSS
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The installation of updated flooring in the shelter – funding provided by MCCSS
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Updates to shelter bathrooms – funding provided by MCCSS
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A shelter bathroom expansion – funding provided by Community Foundations of Canada, Dufferin Community Foundation, Guelph Community Foundation and the United Way Guelph-Wellington Dufferin
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Shelter renovations to expand individual suite capacity – funding provided by the County of Dufferin 9
OUR COMMITTEE SUPPORT THROUGH CHALLENGING TIMES Pandemic Response Committee When the pandemic was declared in March 2020 and most staff were sent off-site to isolate and work from home, we knew we had to find a way to keep all of us connected and informed. The Pandemic Response Committee was quickly developed and continues to meet weekly to review and discuss any COVID-19 related information. The committee developed a fluid document called Riding the Waves of COVID-19 that we e-mail to staff with updates. We implemented policies and procedures around the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Infection Protection and Control (IPAC) practices. We schedule ongoing training for staff and continue to work with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, who have helped us navigate this new landscape and complete regular IPAC inspections. From that committee we also decided to schedule a Pandemic Q & A Zoom meeting to allow staff time, twice a month, to connect, share information and experiences and answer any questions or concerns they may have.
Values Committee
(FTP’s Core Values: Respect, Compassion, Inclusiveness, Integrity, Continuous Learning & Innovation)
During the last year FTP has been challenged to pivot and adapt to meet the needs of its clients and staff in an ever changing environment. Being rooted in the values of compassion, respect, integrity, inclusiveness and continuous learning has provided a clear and focused roadmap on how to accomplish that. Part of that roadmap has been the continued work of the Values Committee. Comprised of staff from each agency team (residential, counselling, administration, leadership and education), the committee has developed and launched initiatives over the last year to reinforce the importance of staying true to FTP’s values. Using FTP’s values as their compass, the committee has utilized the difficult world events of 2020/21 to provide training, connectivity and opportunities to uncover the lessons that can come from arduous circumstances. It was to meet these extraordinary times that the Committee discovered that a temporary expansion of our values was required. Values like adaptability, gratitude and hope were things that were taking on greater importance as the year wore on. So, these values were explored through a series of interactive activities such as: •
An internal poster campaign to explore how staff had adapted to the reality of working during a global pandemic.
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Small discussion groups that allowed staff to connect and focused on things that they were grateful for.
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The creation of messages of hope for the year to come that was shared throughout the agency.
The Values Committee also spent a great deal time focusing on the value of inclusiveness as a way of responding to the violence that was committed against the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) community this year. By having the Values and the IDEA (see next page) committees work together, FTP has been able to offer many valuable all-staff training sessions that have focused on exploring privilege, bias, harmful language and how to create a safer, more inclusive environment for all people. In a year like no other, FTP has found it more important than ever to remain committed to its core values. The current state of the world has shone a light on how relevant and integral FTP’s values are to being able to provide safety, support and hope during such a tumultuous time. It is our values that have grounded us and given us focus during the last year.It is also our values that have allowed us to not only survive but thrive and continue to provide the exceptional service our community needs and expects from FTP. 10
IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) Committee While the world was coping with the pandemic, numerous tragic events surfaced and many people began to mobilize and speak out against the many forms of violence perpetrated against BIPOC communities. Although we recognized that BIPOC communities have been facing violence and systemic racism for generations, it was the tragic events that were brought to light in the spring of 2020 that were the catalyst that brought the issues to the forefront of our work. We recognized that as an agency we needed to be not only an ally, but we needed to make changes that challenged systemic racism that may have impacted decisions made in the past, but also how decisions were made moving forward. FTP’s IDEA committee has been operating for many years. The committee came to a crucial point in their work. Do we put the work on hold until the pandemic is over or does the work continue? It was unanimously decided that the work must continue as it was more important than ever before. It was decided that the creation and promotion of safer and more inclusive spaces must be prioritized even during a global pandemic. Education and awareness was needed. FTP has always valued educational staff training; one of FTP’s values is Continuous Learning and Innovation. In the last year, regular trainings were designed and implemented to address the deep-rooted issues that contribute to privilege, the unlearning of biases, and working towards undoing systemic racism and oppression towards the BIPOC community, 2SLGBTQ+ and all marginalized identities. These trainings included important topics like, “Being Mindful of Language”, “What it Means to be White Centered”, “Challenging anti-Black Racism in Organizations”, and ”Unpacking The Global Organization of Racism.” Through these trainings, which were most times led by the committee, we decided to move away from the idea of Safe Spaces conversations to Brave Spaces conversations. We learned that as much as we hope that our spaces were safe, we couldn’t assume they were for everyone. By moving to a Brave Space modality, the committee is hoping to promote honest dialogue even when it is difficult and uncomfortable. In addition to the ongoing commitment for training for staff around addressing systemic racism we’ve done the following: •
Utilized our Facebook Workplace to post regular articles and videos promoting learning and unlearning.
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Reviewed policies and wording used in our recruitment material.
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Revisited and updated our Land Acknowledgement as part of our commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Act (see page 12).
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Partnered with Dufferin County’s Canadian Black Association.
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Examined how FTP’s services were being provided and how our records were being kept.
Over the past year, regular discussions have taken place about how we can ensure inclusivity, equity, and safety for all clients and staff. COVID has not been easy, people are tired, yet the IDEA committee does not feel this is the time to take our foot off the gas pedal. The work must continue. We know we are not perfect but we can say this; we are listening. We are trying to make sure that each and every day we do better than we did the day before. 11
INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEM history: Work was done in 2017 to develop a Land Acknowledgement with significant contributions from the Dufferin County Cultural Resource Circle and Saugeen First Nation Elder Shirley John. A traditional ceremony was held at our Orangeville location and the following plaque was installed.
During the 2020-2021 Board year, FTP’s Governance Committee undertook a commitment to better understand the role and purpose of a Land Acknowledgement and to receive training and guidance from the voices of our Indigenous community. Our intent was to create an informed and meaningful Land Acknowledgement that reflected our continuing commitment to our community and which also supports and upholds the values of the organization.
Our Process: •
A committee of both FTP board members and staff was asked to work jointly on the initiative.
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A connection was forged with Nancy Rowe, an Elder in the Indigenous community with an extensive and varied background in education.
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Two separate training sessions took place with the governance committee and with the entire board of FTP.
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Our committee reviewed the existing FTP land acknowledgement plaque.
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Our committee reviewed the work of other similar non-profit agencies, town councils and other service-based organizations.
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Further, we undertook a thorough offline review of Nancy Rowe’s presentation with particular attention on her comments regarding the importance and significance of some specific elements such as: » “Learning”: This document is ongoing, fluid » “Ancestral lands” not “traditional” » “Treaties” should be named and acknowledged » To ensure we include something that represents taking action.
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MENT Nancy urged us to let our work reflect the common ground we all share. It’s important our land acknowledgement reflects both the work we do now, the land we are on, and that it honours missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Finally, our committee also agreed that we wanted a document that reflected these values and commitments: •
Gratitude, humility and respect
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Responsibility
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Cultural injustices
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The land and its gifts
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To use more inclusive language in place of “women and families” to better reflect the diversity of those we serve.
Our updated Indigenous Land Acknowledgement: Family Transition Place is committed to honour, respect and acknowledge, in both our words and in practice, the Indigenous and First Nations people who first walked these lands and who continue today, to live, honour and maintain this space and its many gifts. We further uphold that these lands, on which we support the holistic wellbeing of those affected by gender-based violence, is the ancestral territory of the Michizaagiig, the Mississauga’s of the New Credit, in the region of the Ojibwe and the nation of the Anishnaabe. We commit, with humility and gratitude, to respecting these ancestral lands and the gifts they contain by caring for both the community we serve and the land on which it is located. We seek always, by our actions and by this acknowledgement, to fully engage in our responsibility to better understand original treaty partnerships, to listen and honour Indigenous voices and to engage in continuous learning of First Nations history. With the truths of Indigenous history and cultural injustice as our teacher, we aim to move forward in the spirit of reconciliation; to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and to recognize the significance of the Great Document and the 24 Nations Belt and to embrace mutually respectful relationships with all First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples.
What we Learned: More than anything, we learned that a document like this is a living document, one that will continue to evolve as we ourselves learn and grow. Through our guide, Nancy Rowe, we began to understand the true meaning of an acknowledgement—its purpose and importance— and perhaps, most importantly, that any land acknowledgement must be actionable. For the team working on this at FTP, what informed our efforts was also that the land acknowledgement should be closely linked to our work in the community, so that it recognizes not only those who walked the lands before us, but those who do so now and those whom we serve. We therefore endeavoured to ensure our language was inclusive of the diversity of the community, that it honoured missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and that it removed culturally inappropriate terms that made reference to, or implied, colonialism. We believe our land acknowledgement has landed in a place that reflects our respect for our First Nations inhabitants, indicates our commitment to the ongoing work of recognizing cultural injustice and puts into place a commitment to make this work meaningful through action and continuous learning. Thank you to the team of our board and staff members including Denyse, Preeya, Sheralyn, Sabina and Keely for their efforts and the governance committee for their feedback prior to presenting to the board. 13
FUNDRAISING AND DONATIONS
Like many other agencies providing services to the vulnerable sector, we had to adjust our fundraising strategies to accommodate the recommendations put forth by government and health officials. The cancellation of in-person events lead to a significant drop in fundraising revenue; revenue needed to support important program delivery. Our fundraising events—and events held on our behalf by members of the community—provide us with a source of revenue that is used to cover shortfalls in our program budgets and to support the running of our Youth Education program; a program that is largely unfunded. In addition to fundraised dollars, this program also relies on a cost-recovery program developed with participating schools in the Dufferin and Caledon communities. These schools generate their cost-recovery funds through their own fundraising initiatives, all of which were interrupted by the pandemic. We believe so strongly in our Youth Education program—educating youth about the importance of healthy relationships and mental well-being—that we remained committed to continue offering these programs for as long as possible. In-school programming was not an option, so our youth educators had to explore new and innovative ways to offer these programs virtually to continue engaging with youth. Our fundraising revenue is comprised of year-round activities such as direct-mail communications, monthly donations, community-held third-party event fundraisers, the Ontario Association of Interval Housing annual awareness campaigns, online solicitations and more. Over the last fiscal year, we Rick Haw from Club Coffee making a generous donation. were fortunate to receive contributions from many generous donors, which helped support our fundraising efforts. Individuals and businesses came up with creative ways to raise funds on our behalf. And although our gift-in-kind donation program was adjusted for safety reasons, we also received many gift-in-kind donations that helped to support our program needs and budgets. All gift-in-kind donations go through a quarantine process before use.
The LOVE YOU program by Shoppers Drug Mart™ raised over $6,000 for FTP through community donations in 2020. This photo is of staff from the Orangeville Mall store location. All three local Shoppers Drug Mart stores participated. 14
The largest percentage of our fundraising revenue is generated by our two major fundraisers: the International Women’s Day Celebration Luncheon and The HOPE Project luncheon. Both of our major fundraisers were adapted to virtual events for the 2020-2021 fiscal year; an adjustment that was challenging but provided new opportunities for building awareness and community engagement. Our 2020 fall event—The HOPE Project—was moved online with a focus on recognizing our 35th anniversary serving the Dufferin and Caledon communities. This year’s campaign, 35 Days of HOPE, was a daily sharing of 35 hopeful stories on our social media channels; these stories were graciously and bravely provided to us by staff, community members and survivors of domestic violence. Our March event, typically the International Women’s Day Celebration Luncheon was also adapted to a non-luncheon event and developed as not only a fundraising initiative, but also as a recognition campaign to celebrate all of the wonderful women in our community who have gone above and beyond Photo credit: Community Living Dufferin throughout the pandemic. Named The Phenomenal Women Campaign, this event invited community members to publically show their appreciation for women who had inspired them through the purchase of lawn signs in honour of International Women’s Day. Over 200 signs were sold and distributed around Dufferin and Caledon, raising FTP’s profile throughout these communities. We would like to sincerely thank all of the sponsors who supported each of our major fundraisers through this fiscal year. Even with all of the changes and challenges, they were all more than willing to step up and support us with our new event formats.
Thank you to: • 101.5 myFM Orangeville
• Green Monkey Creative
• ARC Document Solutions
• H&R Block Orangeville
• Argo Development Corp
• Insta Plus Printing
• Art of 8 Martial Arts
• Orangetheory Fitness
• Bauhaus Renovations
• Orangeville Auto Care
• Bell
• Pivotal Capital Corp
• Bluebird Café and Grill
• RBC Royal Bank
• Bryan’s Fuel
• RLB Chartered Professional Accountants
• Cavalier Transportation Services Inc.
• Rock Garden Farms
• Don’s Heating and Cooling
• Royal LePage RCR Realty
• Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
• snap’d Dufferin
• Flato Developments Inc.
• TJX Canada
• Gourmandissimo Catering and Fine Food Shop
• Tony’s Garage
• GoYoga Orangeville
• WSI Sign Systems Ltd.
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OUR MAJOR DONORS The challenges of the last year were made less daunting thanks to tremendous support from the following donors. These donors made significant donations ($5,000+), which provided us with the means to support our essential programs and modified services at a time when the future was unclear and drastic changes were needed. The restrictions imposed by COVID-19 left our most vulnerable clients in more volatile situations due to increased isolation. Our program delivery across our services needed to adapt drastically and quickly to ensure safety and support was available for women and children escaping violence when most needed. We could not host our annual fundraisers in person, and knew that the funds we would raise through adapted virtual events would not meet our budget requirements. Those fundraisers generate revenue for programs and services that otherwise do not receive funding (or have funding shortfalls) from other streams. It was obvious to us that we were going to need help, and these generous donors responded. Fortunately, with these significant contributions, and through emergency support provided by both levels of government, our services continued to operate, uninterrupted.
Thank you to:
Airlie Foundation
john david & signy eaton foundation ( the)
Estate of Rosalinda Bradley
klein-panneton foundation ( the)
Bryan’s Fuel
loyal orange lodge palgrave #288
E. hofmann plastics canada inc.
Morell, sarah and wade
GALT FAMILY FOUNDATION ( the)
morningview foundation ( the)
home hardware building centre (orangeville)
Wishart, ken and shelley
Hus ky injection molding systems ltd. We respect the wishes of all of our donors and make sure to use donated funds responsibly. Some of the funds we received last year came from folks who had not engaged in our work prior to the pandemic. This lead to an unexpected year-end surplus. This surplus will be the foundation for our Post Pandemic Recovery Fund. The stability of the economy and our ability to fundraise over the next year is in question. This surplus ensures that our essential programs and services will continue uninterrupted, regardless of the expected instabilities of the coming year. Cheque presentation at Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
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OUR VOLUNTEERS
The safety concerns and restrictions in place due to the pandemic prevented us from engaging with our valued program-support volunteers. Prior to COVID-19, these volunteers helped us with everything from mopping floors to preparing for major fundraising events. They are the heart and soul of our work and remain invaluable to us. FTP leadership was fortunate to continue working with the members of our board of directors and finance committees (virtually) throughout the pandemic. Their commitment to the safety of the women and children we serve and the preservation of our essential programs and services throughout this crisis has been remarkable. We made sure to show our appreciation for their support during Volunteer Appreciation Week (April 19-25, 2020) and look forward to a time when we can work together with them again.
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OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS FTP is committed to collaboration and investment with community partners. The past year highlighted the importance of these partnerships in dealing with the risks and challenges of the pandemic. The community adapted through the pandemic to support the mental health of our frontline staff and the vulnerable members of our community who needed support. Our partnerships include, but are not limited to, the following agencies and services: Bethell Hospice Caledon \ Dufferin Victim Services Caledon OPP Canadian Mental Health Association Peel-Dufferin Community Living Dufferin Catholic Family Services Peel/Dufferin Central West Local Health Integration Network Choices Youth Shelter Compass Community Church County of Dufferin Dufferin Area Family Health Team Dufferin Child and Family Services Dufferin County Cultural Resource Circle Dufferin OPP Good Friends Fellowship Church
Headwaters Health Care Centre Hills of Headwaters Collaborative Métis Nation of Ontario North Dufferin Wellness Centre Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses Ontario Early Years Centre Orangeville Food Bank Orangeville Police Service Services and Housing In the Province Shelburne Police Service Soup Sisters/Lavender Blue Catering Theatre Orangeville The Salvation Army Victim Witness Assistance Program White Owl Native Ancestry Association
We continued our partnership with Dufferin Child and Family Services and Community Living Dufferin in offering the B Social Dufferin Enterprises initiative. »
B Social provides job training to those looking to enter or re-enter the workforce in an environment suited to their needs. This program was adapted to meet the safety requirements in place due to the pandemic.
FTP remains a proud member of the Hills of Headwaters Collaborative (HHC)– Ontario Health Team. »
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The HHC is made up of health care and social services working together to improve the overall well-being of Dufferin-Caledon.
A donation of soup from Soup Sisters Orangeville/Dufferin and Lavender Blue Catering.
Dufferin-Caledon Drug Strategy Committee »
FTP is a leading voice on this committee—a community table of like-minded agencies that are looking to support and coordinate the development and implementation of a local comprehensive cross-sector strategy to reduce the harms related to substance use and/or addictive behaviours.
»
This committee hosts a community event every August in recognition of Overdose Awareness Day. It was held virtually in 2020.
Community Safety and Well-being Plan Advisory Group »
This is a county-lead group working towards the safety and well-being of our communities, focusing on four major areas of support: mental health, addictions, crime prevention and domestic violence.
FTP staff joined a Social Media Working Group developed by the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH)—a group that was developed to discuss social media strategies for participating shelters during the pandemic. FTP staff joined a newly-formed VAW Fundraising Collaborative Group—members are representatives from Violence Against Women (VAW) shelters throughout Ontario. »
This group has proven to be incredibly valuable in developing new fundraising initiatives during the pandemic and is a great example of groups working together (that may not have otherwise) to develop strategies for success throughout a global health crisis.
Despite pandemic-related restrictions, FTP supported and participated in many specialawareness day events—either in person when allowed, or virtually—that were acknowledged by local community groups. Events like: Pride Month/Celebrate Your Awesome, Sisters in Spirit Vigil, National Indigenous Peoples Day, Pink Shirt Day, to name a few. Sisters in Spirit Vigil – October 2020 19
RISKS AND CHALLENGES
Once a year, FTP’s Executive Director (ED) uses a Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services risk assessment tool to help determine the level of risk for the agency. The ED presents a “risk assessment dashboard” quarterly to the board to identify any potential risks to the agency. Risk mitigation strategies are also presented. Current areas for mitigation include having a current succession plan for the ED and senior leadership positions. FTP’s ongoing accreditation plan also allows us to examine policies and procedures with an in-depth focus to ensure that risk management is in place.
Agency Risk: Low Level Each year, FTP scores a very low level of risk, determined by an in-depth risk assessment tool. Factors that are considered risks to the agency include, but are not limited to, the overall risk score, environmental factors, program level risks, the ED’s experience with the agency, the appropriateness of the risk mitigation strategies, and/or estimates of likelihood and the impact of the risks materializing.
Governance Risk: Low Level The Governance and Organizational risk structure scored low risk for various reasons, one being the regular ED interaction with the board of directors. The board consists of nine community members who reflect a variety of diverse skills and experience. They meet monthly and review financial statements and projections regularly, and help guide a strategic planning process every three years.
Service Delivery Risk: Low Level Service delivery also scored low in risk management due to the regular review and processes currently in place. Staff sit at numerous community planning and advisory tables to ensure we are meeting the needs of our community and our service users. The low risk score is also due to good service delivery processes that include an internal complaints process and emergency protocols.
Finance Risk: Low Level In the finance category, FTP scored very low risk because the agency has no outstanding loans, has clean financial audits, and follows all Ministry, Canada Revenue Agency, and accounting guidelines for financial policies.
Challenges: In response to the pandemic, we were faced with the increased mental health and addiction needs of our clients. The impact of COVID-19 restrictions became a global concern for most (if not all) agencies in the VAW sector. Due to physical distancing requirements, our shelter spaces needed to be adapted, leading to a decrease in the number of rooms available. Our counselling program delivery model changed drastically to provide virtual, phone and text counselling options to accommodate our client needs.
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OUR IMPACT In the 2020–2021 fiscal year, FTP’s program delivery was adjusted to provide compassionate services to those in need, while ensuring both clients and FTP staff were safe during a pandemic. The intersection of domestic violence, homelessness and housing insecurity is the basis of our work at FTP. The lack of safe and affordable housing is often a primary barrier that women face when they choose to leave an abusive partner, and the fear of leaving a volatile situation during a pandemic created an even more difficult scenario for many. While our services remained uninterrupted throughout the pandemic, we decreased the number of rooms to provide physical distancing, which lead to a decrease in the number of women accessing our shelter. Despite those changes, we were able to maintain services on a continuum, from education and prevention to safety and housing security. We are dedicated to addressing all of these issues to support a life free from abuse.
Emergency Shelter 55 women and 26 children second stage housing 5 women and 12 children
59 women crisis/info line 3,479 calls woman abuse counselling 283 women sexual abuse counselling 129 women and 24 men child witness program 16 women and 15 children transitional support services 303 women and 1 man addictions and outreach 76 women rural response program 137 women youth education program 1,401 students housing allowance program 27 women/families support within housing/outreach
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FINANCIAL REPORT Audited financial statements are available upon request.
11%
2%
2020-21 Operational Revenue $4,182,594
8%
65% Provincial/Federal/Municipal Funding
14% COVID-19 Emergency Funding 14%
8% Special Project Grant Funding 65%
11% Donations & Fundraising 2% Other Income 0% Joint Venture
18%
0% 37%
2 02 0 - 2 1 S er vice D el ivery Ex p en s e $3,901,697 37% Residential Services 27% Counselling Services
7%
3% Youth & Community Education 8% Agency Unfunded Programs
8%
*Due to an unexpected increase in donations and emergency funding, we were fortunate to end the year with a surplus. This surplus will be the foundation for our Post Pandemic Recovery Fund. The stability of the economy and our ability to fundraise over the next year is in question. This surplus ensures that our essential programs and services will continue uninterrupted, regardless of the expected instabilities of the coming year. If you have questions about our Post Pandemic Recovery Fund, please contact our Executive Director, Norah Kennedy: 519-942-4122, ext. 255 norah@familytransitionplace.ca
7% Outreach Services
3%
18% Special Project Grants 27%
0% Joint Venture
FTP’s program and service delivery is made possible by the stable funding and continued support of: • Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services • Central West Local Health Integrated Network • The County of Dufferin • Ministry of the Attorney General • Headwaters Health Care Centre • The Department of Women and Gender Equality • Region of Peel • Service Canada
FTP thanks our funders, donors, and supporters for helping ensure the ongoing financial viability that is necessary in order to deliver critical services in our community. 22
OUR SUPPORT LINE IS AVAILABLE 24-Hours a day 519-941-4357 | 905-584-4357 1-800-265-9178 Text: 519-278-5410 Email: support@familytransitionplace.ca Text/email accounts monitored Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
support our work Are you interested in donating, sponsorship or fundraising events? Contact: Kelly Lee Community Engagement & Development Specialist kelly@familytransitionplace.ca or ext. 243
volunteer inquiries Do you want to get involved and make a difference? Contact: Kelly Lee Community Engagement & Development Specialist kelly@familytransitionplace.ca or ext. 243
CONNECT WITH US DO YOU NEED SUPPORT? Do you need information about woman abuse counselling, shelter, or have general inquiries about how to help someone, including yourself?
board of directors Do you want to join a progressive team of forward-thinking individuals? Contact: Bonnie Waterfield Executive Assistant bonnie@familytransitionplace.ca or ext. 222
feedback on our report or anything else We would love to hear from you. Contact: Norah Kennedy Executive Director norah@familytransitionplace.ca or ext. 255
You can also find us online: @familytransitionplace @ftplace Send mail to: 20 Bredin Parkway Orangeville, ON L9W 4Z9
@familytransitionplace
www.familytransitionplace.ca 23
Our Commitment Family Transition Place will remain steadfast in our work to educate and advocate for healthy relationships and violence-free lives to help make our world a better place.