Bethesda Community Services Inc. | Strategic Plan 2023-2028

A STRONG FOUNDATION Strategic Plan 2023 - 2028

Bethesda Community Services Inc.

Supporting People Since 1937

A Message from the Board President and Chief Executive Officer The old adage ‘the only constant is change’ has never been truer than now.

The last few years has stretched all of us in so many ways.

In times of change, it becomes so important to remind ourselves of those things in life in which we can anchor ourselves.

With this in mind, we are pleased to present Bethesda’s Strategic Plan for the next five years, A Strong Foundation. Bethesda has been Niagara’s best kept secret for over 85 years, and we want to strengthen our solid base by reaffirming our commitment to our Vision, Mission and Values.

Over these next few years, our goal is to refine our service models, increase support options and expertise, and build on our community partnerships to provide quality, seamless supports to people.

Within Bethesda, we refer to all those connected to us, those supported and their families, our staff, Familyhome providers, volunteers, and partners as our Bethesda family, and we invite you all to join us as we seek to support people.

William Jackson Board President / Chair

Paul McGowan Chief Executive Officer

Introduction The purpose of a strategic plan is to pause and reflect on where the organization is going and what priorities will help us to get there. By taking this time, a roadmap is created for us to follow operationally and guide us to success. Our focus, as always, is people. How we can move towards strengthening our infrastructure of supports for those who we have the honour of being involved with through our various programs.

Creating the Plan The creation of this plan was informed through collaboration, and captures the consistent themes heard. Meetings with our Senior Leadership team and focus group of staff, as well as surveying those we support, all our staff and our Familyhome providers to ensure all had a voice. Feedback and consistent challenges known to exist in the community were discussed for how we might further assist and address the greatest needs. Needs such as:

• More housing options • Supported living opportunities for children and youth • Increased specialized clinical expertise • Improved process for transitional aged youth • Educating the community on developmental and intellectual disabilities to further inclusion • And more

What a Strategic Plan Means to Bethesda and Our Community Bethesda’s Board of Directors and Senior Leadership team took time to carefully consider the information gathered in the creation phase, and this strategic plan envisions the future of Bethesda and our community. It is focused with its goals and is aligned with Ministry mandates, providing an overarching plan that will influence the development of many project plans over the next few years to see our combined vision come to fruition.

We want to continue to show people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their loved ones that the achievement of their life goals should be possible. We are here to support and guide people and their families on their personal journey.

Bethesda’s Board of Directors

Bill Jackson President

Doug Peters Vice President

Kevin Stienstra Treasurer

Bill Janzen Director

Beth Vanstaalduinen Director

Tom Wall Director

Cheryl Tyndall Secretary

Brenda tenOever Boks Director

Sharron Haberfield Director

Senior Leadership Team

Paul McGowan Chief Executive Officer

Liz Froese Director, Adult Clinical Services

Alyson Wilson Director, Children and Youth Services

Margaret Lockhart Director, Administrative Services

Shelley Mercer Director, Adult Services

Bethesda’s Impact

More Than 3,000 People Served

# of People Supported: By Age CHART TITLE Ages 55-64

Ages 45-54

no set 45-54 55-64 years years65+ years Ages 35-44 35-44 years

Ages 65+

24

25-34 years

Ages 24-34

Physical Locations

Ages 0-17

Ages 18-24

-24 years

0-17 years

31 Total Program Streams

# of People Supported: By Location

14 Children and Youth Services Program Streams

1% <1% <1% 10%

4%

85%

Niagara Hamilton-Wentworth Brant Haldimand Norfolk Toronto Halton Peel Other

11 Adult Clinical Services Program Streams

6

Adult Services Program Streams

Our Vision An inclusive community of supports and services that inspire, encourage, and empower children, youth and adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, and their families, to live their best lives.

Our Mission Bethesda provides, in the Spirit of Christ, inclusive, collaborative, flexible, and holistic supports and services, empowering people to build their personal capacity throughout life.

Our Values • Respect and Compassion We believe that people and families should receive compassionate supports that respect their privacy, choices, decisions, and rights.

• Diversity, Inclusivity, and Choice We believe that all people should be included in society and have the right to choice.

• Collaboration We believe that collaboration with people, families, partners, and communities lead to success and greater outcomes.

• Innovative, Quality Services We believe that innovation goes hand in hand with providing quality services.

Strategic Priorities Develop further alternate housing options Grow community inclusion options Expand Passport offerings Increase Respite availability and options Reduce time required to access services Increase staff expertise to respond to community needs In collaboration, grow the number of training and development options for our communities Expand the coordination of clinical services between Adult Clinical and Children and Youth Services Examine offering supported living for children and youth, including Respite Expand family and child / youth mental health services Explore and develop new community partnerships Enhance the overall employment experience to ensure Bethesda remains an employer of choice Implement technological solutions that ensure efficiency and data driven decision-making Expand research opportunities with community partners Strengthen corporate wide training Increase community presence

Adult Services Strategic Direction 1 Develop further alternate housing options • Provide increased housing alternatives based on peoples needs.

Strategic Direction 2 Grow community inclusion options • Provide more opportunities for people to actively participate in their community Strategic Direction 3 Expand Passport offerings • Provide additional opportunities for people to utilize Passport funding as they choose Strategic Direction 4 Increase Respite availability and options • Provide Respite services geared towards peoples needs

Adult Clinical Services Strategic Direction 1 Reduce time required to access services • Develop systems that will provide services as soon as possible Strategic Direction 2 Increase staff expertise to respond to community needs • Ensure our staff are industry leaders in areas of need Strategic Direction 3 In collaboration, grow the number of training and development options for our communities • Increase community capacity to better support people Strategic Direction 4 Expand the coordination of clinical services between Adult Clinical and Children and Youth Services • Provide expertise in the transition from Children and Youth Services to Adult Services to make the process as seamless as possible

Children and Youth Services Strategic Direction 1 Examine offering supported living, including Respite • Determine if and how Bethesda can provide Supported Living to children and youth Strategic Direction 2 Expand family and child / youth mental health services • Provide services that positively impact the well-being of children, youth and families Strategic Direction 3 Expand the coordination of clinical services between Adult Clinical and Children and Youth Services • Provide expertise in the transition from Children and Youth Services to Adult Services to make the process as seamless as possible Strategic Direction 4 Explore and develop new community partnerships • Enhance and grow relationships with all community partners • Develop new partnerships to improve services to children and youth

Corporate Strategic Direction 1 Enhance the overall employment experience to ensure Bethesda remains an employer of choice • Implement programs that build on the employment experience to attract and further retain staff Strategic Direction 2 Implement technological solutions that ensure efficiency and data driven decision making • Ensure technology is implemented to build efficiencies in all of our operations Strategic Direction 3 Expand research opportunities with community partners • Within all programs ensure appropriate research is conducted or participated in to enhance our services Strategic Direction 4 Strengthen corporate wide training • Ensure our staffing group is the best trained staff Strategic Direction 5 Increase community presence • Build on our already strong reputation within our current communities and beyond