Family Transition Place Annual Report 2013-2014

ANNUAL REPORT 2013/14 www.familytransitionplace.ca 20 Bredin Parkway Orangeville, ON L9W 4Z9 24 Hour Crisis Line: 1-800-265-9178 | TTY: 519-942-1651

Safety. Support. Hope.

Building healthier communities – one relationship at a time.

Our vision: A community free of abuse where all women, children and men are treated with respect and equality, and live in healthy relationships within their families.

ContentS 05

Message from Norah Kennedy

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Who We Are and What We Do

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A Year in Review

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Board of Directors 2013-2014

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The Future

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Understanding & Managing Risk

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Volunteers

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Event, Partnership and Fundraising News

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Financial Highlights

Our mission To be a leader in the work to eliminate woman abuse by supporting women, children, men, their families, and the community by: •

Providing a welcoming, safe shelter for women and their children;

•

Counselling those who have experienced abuse and its associated impacts on a person’s wellbeing;

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Educating to promote healthy relationships and end the cycle of abuse;

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Advocating for systemic change; and

•

Providing responsible stewardship of our resources and our community’s goodwill through accountable and transparent processes.

every year, over 3,000 women and girls directly benefit from our programs.

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message from

Norah kennedy Last year, following the development of our Annual Report, we were so proud of it that we entered it into a competition. The brilliant thing about this competition was that it didn’t just award winners and losers; it provided detailed feedback. Which was lucky because, despite our pride in our work, we didn’t score all that well. But what we gained was more valuable than any award. We gained knowledge. And this year, we have incorporated – not all – but a lot of the feedback received. We’ve made changes, included some best practices, and incorporated more detail and information than we normally would include. And this year, we will again send it out to this competition – not because we think we’ll win, (we don’t) but because we want to learn more about how we can be better.

As I reflect on this, I realize that this small example of the how change was made to an Annual Report, is actually reflective of the culture at FTP. I’ve realized how much of what we have done over the past year was about learning how to be better at what we do. In one year we have learned so much about the issues and barriers facing women and children, about the running of our operations, about our community. We completed the Voices Initiative, a project funded by the Status of Women Canada which was designed to help us learn more about the attitudes and perceptions of violence against women and girls in our community. We participated, with two other shelters, (one in Kitchener, Waterloo and one in Halton), in a research project that interviewed numerous users of our services in order to learn more about what was helpful and what was not helpful about their shelter and counselling experiences.

We committed to being part of the Bridges out of Poverty project and attended workshops to learn about the barriers that poverty creates. We actively set out to learn from others about the different philosophies for supporting women with mental health and addictions issues and started to implement a harm reduction framework and reduce rules that worked against women having a

successful experience while staying in the shelter.

And also during this past year, we embarked on an accreditation process that requires us to take long hard looks at what we do and how we do it, in order to learn about ourselves and our work and how to do it better.

Some of what we are learning throughout the Accreditation process is a new language. For example, we now know, that based on the activities listed above, (and many more that aren’t) we can call ourselves a “learning organization”. We strive for excellence, we actively seek projects that will enhance our knowledge of the issues and the work that we are doing. We are not afraid to admit when we need help or when we feel we can learn from others. We are open to change.

Learning is not attained by chance.

It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.

- Abigail Adams (1774-1811) • First Lady of the United States Thank you to our funders, our donors and supporters and most of all, the women and children and users of our services who place their trust in us and teach us so much every day. We continue to learn and change whenever and wherever it is necessary, so that we can do the best possible work and be worthy of the honour of that trust.

Sincerely,

Norah Kennedy Executive Director

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who we are and what we do

offering safety, support and hope Since 1984, Family Transition Place (FTP) has been providing critical services to women and their children who have experienced abuse and unhealthy relationships.

Inside FTP’s doors, women find a warm and welcoming place where their safety and wellbeing is the most important thing in the world. Whether they need a safe place to live, or the services of a professional, skilled counsellor to assist them on their journey, FTP is there to help.

senior staff organizational chart Family Transition Place employs approximately 40 full-time, part-time and relief staff. Annually, each full-time staff member identifies a list of specific goals and objectives that relate to the agency’s mission and strategic plan.

On going reports are delivered to the board on how the strategic directives are being accomplished. Staff work tirelessly and in partnership with each other in order to provide the best possible service to our community.

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to the community for over 25 years Over the years, FTP has become known, not only for these core critical services, but for also being a leader in the field of healthy relationship education. The Transitions Training division of FTP offers corporate training for organizations on domestic violence and its’ impact on the workplace, and the extremely popular Youth Education programs in the schools are helping to build healthy communities, one classroom at a time. Through all of these measures, FTP strives to deliver services that provide safety, support and hope – so we can help create a healthy community, one relationship at a time.

A CLIENT’S PERSPECTIVE “You are changing lives of people – giving them support and hope. Making us strong every minute of the day. I thank you for being there.” – Past FTP client “I never thought in a million years that I would end up staying at a shelter, but life is full of surprises. I met wonderful and caring people, memories I will cherish forever. There are times in one’s life when you find yourself in a helpless situation, and it is then, when timely support makes a huge difference...you made that difference for me. You welcomed me and my children so warmly on the first night of our stay and have definitely left footprints on our hearts. Thank you so much.” – Past FTP Client

a year in review summary of achievements & challenges This past year FTP was focused on continuing the momentum of the current strategic and operational plans. We are proud to share some of our highlights: •

Participating in the Bridges Out of Poverty project to align with our strategic directive to address the issue of poverty and advocating for systematic change;

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Strengthening partnerships and FTP’s profile in our Caledon/Bolton service area by redesigning signage at our Bolton satellite location and sitting at key community tables;

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Creating greater financial sustainability by partnering with Bethell Hospice in co-locating services in our Bolton office;

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Identifying new ways to reach out to the community using social media and fundraising software;

•

•

Completing a two year project in conjunction with Social Innovation Research Group and Status of Women Canada titled The Voices Project, Engaging Brave Discussions for a Healthier, Safer Community;

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Experiencing growth in new partnerships and experiencing an increase in third party fundraising by raising our profile to the community;

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Initiating a Woman Abuse Prevention Month (WAPM) Purple Scarf campaign partnering with the Town of Orangeville to garner support for the initiative;

•

•

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Launching the Mothers Changing Paths program, which provides counselling for pregnant or parenting mothers who are struggling with opiate misuse;

Presenting Sexual Harassment presentation to a local high school, developed upon request by the school administration; Piloting new Primary Programs for grades 1-4 in partnership with the Morningview Foundation;

•

Developing a teacher training specific to Changing the Lens Regarding Bullying. Working with teachers to support them and build capacity to support students experiencing bullying.

We have been very successful in meeting many of our current strategic objectives. One that remains unmet is to find a sustainable funding model for the very popular Youth Education programs.

In December of the past year, a generous grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation was completed. This grant helped FTP to expand the program into more of the Caledon catchment area and to redevelop programming. The challenge now is to find a way to continue to meet the demand for programming.

Current economic realities have also brought to the forefront challenging circumstances for our clients. The culmination of a four year freeze on provincial budgets couldn’t help but have an impact on operations.

Simutaneously, the demand for service has been consistently high.

Increasing mental health, addiction and homelessness issues are more prevalent among FTP clients, demographics are changing (clients are increasing in diversity (culture, same sex and age). This presents new and evolving service delivery paradigms for staff and for outreach to both clients and communities.

Despite these challenges, Family Transition Place continues to advocate for the changes needed to help eliminate woman abuse while supporting our client’s journey from abuse to healthy relationships.

how we served

emergency shelter: 87 women & 65 children housing 59 women & 27 children counselling support (woman abuse) 348 women sexual abuse counselling 123 women & 6 men ADDICTIONS & OUTREACH 33 WOMEN transitional support services 325 women & 3 men YOUTH EDUCATION APPROXIMATELY 4,000 YOUTH

two thousand nine hundred and forty-two calls were made to our 24 hour information/crisis line last year which is a

23% increase in crisis calls from prior year

our clients’ voices “You have helped so much to help me believe in myself and to follow my dreams. I will never forget my time here of nurturing, sharing and caring. Bless you.”

“Thank you for showing me that there is HOPE even when I was in the worst time of my life. I could not have managed without you.”

“I felt welcome from the first night I was here. You are all so understanding and have helped me, and have allowed me to feel that I need to put the past behind me.

I am a stronger woman now.”

Approximately 1 in 3 women experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

– National Clearinghouse on Family Violence (2008).

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board of directors | 2013-2014 Family Transition Place 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.

President: Stacey Coupland The President is the official spokesperson of the organization’s mission to the broader community; an ex-officio member on all committees; and, accountable to the Board.

Vice President: Elaine Capes Works closely and cooperatively with the President. Is well versed on policy and by-laws in order to monitor Board conduct. Performs other responsibilities at the request of the President or Board and is accountable to the Board.

Treasurer: Blair Russell Lead role in financial policy development and monitoring finances.

Advises and assists the Board in understanding finances and is accountable to the Board. Does not take away the Executive Director’s accountability for budgeting and financial health.

Past President: Pete Renshaw Board Member: Kemi Palmer Board Member: Cynthia Rayburn Board Member: Mike Walmsley Board Member: Dave Quinton Board Member: DEBORAH BROOK

The Board of Directors key role is to provide strategic leadership and to focus efforts that progress the agency to meet the changing needs of our community, while simultaneously ensuring that Family Transition Place’s mission and values are front and centre. Board members, individually and collectively, will evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency annually, in order to identify areas for growth and development.

New Board members are recruited by the Governance Committee. This committee is also responsible for reviewing the terms and 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 which is put forth for election at the Annual General Meeting held each June. New members are given a comprehensive orientation as dictated by 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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Missing from photo: Deborah Brook & Pete Renshaw

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THE FUTURE continuing the journey of this Strategic Plan The current Strategic Plan builds on the momentum of the last plan. It lays out specific goals designed to create success in three specific areas:

Therefore, much of our 2013-2014 Operational Plan was focused on the previously mentioned concerns.

Some of the objectives set out for 2013 included:

• supporting our clients on their journeys, as they migrate from abusive situations to healthy relationships;

• Enhancing the organizational capacity to support the diversity of clients, their individual circumstances and experiences; by reviewing recent demographic reports to learn about emerging demographic trends in the communities we serve.

• expanding community awareness of the issue of woman abuse and the need for prevention; • creating greater stability and sustainability for Family Transition Place.

Many voices were involved in the development of the Strategic Plan and contributed to the newly updated Mission, Vision and Value Statements. These were crafted to reflect a shared aspiration for a society where violence and abuse are not tolerated.

However, despite the hopefulness of the Vision Statement, many expressed concerns about the barriers, especially the socio-economic ones, that are faced by women seeking to move to a violencefree reality. Specifically: • a lack of affordable housing; • access to gainful employment opportunities; • transportation in order to access services (legal, medical, etc.); • too often women are required to make a choice between accepting a new life marked by poverty and potential homelessness or remaining in an abusive enviornment.

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• Enhancing community partnerships that will expand available resources for women such as Supportive Housing in Peel, the Community Advisory Board and the Homelessness Task Force.

• Exploring the development of broader economic actions and strategics to bring clients out of poverty. FTP is currently participating in the Bridges Out of Poverty initiative.

• Actively engaging client input into our current and future strategies to ensure that their voices and needs are reflected. We are accomplishing this by giving incentives to women to complete client satisfaction surveys. In our Youth Education Programs we are conducting focus groups, and using ethically approved, statistically-reliable evaluations.

• Updating our signage at our Bolton satellite office to raise our profile so our services are more accessbile to women in that catchment area.

• Developing a strategy to engage men by creating the Headwaters White Ribbon Committee, which is a group of men raising awareness through various efforts to eliminate violence against women.

understanding & managing risk Annual review Once a year, the Executive Director (ED) uses a Ministry of Community and Social Services risk assessment tool to help determine the level of risk for the agency.

This year, we are pleased to report a 3.5% rating, which is a very low level indicator of risk. This figure is determined by the assessment of the risks to the agency, including, but not limited to: the overall 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.

The Governance and Organizational risk structure scored low risk for various reasons, one being the regular interaction of the Board of Directors. The Board is comprised of nine community members who reflect a variety of diverse skills and experience.

They meet monthly and review financial statements and projections regularly, and also help guide a strategic planning process every three years. The E.D. presents a “risk assessment dashboard’ quarterly to the Board to identify any potential risks to the agency. Risk mitigation strategices are also presented. Current areas for mitigation include the development of a succession plan for the Executive Director position.

The low risk score is also due to good service delivery processes that include an internal complaints process and emergency protocols.

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.

In the finance category, FTP scored very low because the agency has no outstanding loans, has clean financial audits and follows all ministry, C.R.A. and accounting guidelines for financial policies.

FTP is proud to be a participating member of the Imagine Canada Ethical Code program, demonstrating excellence within Board governance and financial accountability, staff management and volunteerism.

The agency is currently seeking recognized accreditation to ensure that every facet of the agency is examined and reviewed in order to deliver optimal services, programs and outcomes.

‘‘The Greater Part of Progress is the Desire to Progress.”

VOLUNTEERS

approximately 900 hours of volunteer time was provided in 2013/14

“Every day, thousands of unsung heroes bring caring and compassion to the lives of millions. Their names are never featured in the headlines, but our world would be a much darker place without them.” – Charles Devlin

Thank you to our dedicated volunteers.

Joe Andrews Caleigh Arbuckle Donna Arsenault Adrian Bita Erin Blackstock Shirley Boyle Deborah Brook Christine Bucciarelli Steve Bunyan Elaine Capes Larry Clark Stacey Coupland Paulene Deifel Harold Doan Liesje Doldersum Richard Fearon Michael Horton Manda Jones

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Karen Klucowicz Richard Long Mary Maw Tony Maxwell Shannon McGrady Max McLaughlin Alec McLaughlin Ravi Minhas Sandra Moffatt Lenora Netzke Rita Nordine Jennifer Osborne Kemi Palmer Kathy Payne Rebecca Pearl Brittany Pierson Julia Poletto Kelley Potter

George Power Brendan Purdy Dave Quinton Cynthia Rayburn Peter Renshaw Adriana Roche Blair Russell Shelly Sargent Tom Schuett John Shillum Jonathan Soares Beverley Sorbara Andrea Stuart Susan Teeter Debbie Van Wyck Gillian Vanderburgh Candace Walmsley Mike Walmsley

believe Family Transition Place has been fortunate to recruit and retain committed and loyal volunteers over the years. We are grateful that they believe in supporting the work we do.

in making a difference is governed effectively. But because they do believe, they are there. And we are more than grateful. “We couldn’t dream this big without you.”

But because they do believe, they are there.

And we know that they do, or they wouldn’t be here with us on cold, rainy golf days, or early morning International Women’s Day Celebration Fundraiser events. They wouldn’t be standing in the cold with us on December 6th, or showing up to answer the phone and “staff” the shelter on Monday afternoons. They wouldn’t be giving up one more evening, away from their families, to come to yet another meeting, reviewing finances and ensuring that the agency

Special thanks to the following volunteers for their lengthy commitment to our work:

Deborah Brook – 5 years Stacey Coupland – 5 years Richard Fearon – 10 years Lenora Netzke – 10 years Gillian Vanderburgh – 10 years

In partnership with FTP, the Headwaters White Ribbon Committee is a volunteer group of men committed to ending violence against women and girls. They are a committee of men volunteers – fathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles, sons and friends. These men invite other men and boys to sign the pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women. headwaterswhiteribbon.ca.

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event, partnership and fundraising news In addition to our two major fundraisers, FTP believes in collaborating with community partners to bring awareness to events such as Woman Abuse Prevention Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and commemorating the National Day of Remembrance on December 6th in both the Dufferin and Caledon Communities.

valued partnerships include: Dufferin Connects, the Town of Orangeville, the Morningview Foundation, Homewood Addiction Services, Public Health, the Upper Grand District School Board, Headwaters Health Care and the Greater Dufferin Chamber of Commerce.

We believe that there is strength in partnerships and that those partnerships will equate to a stronger community. FTP makes every effort to promote education and awareness about domestic abuse within the community by partnering with various agencies such as: the County of Dufferin, the Dufferin/Caledon Domestic Assault Review Team, the Sexual Assault Review Team, the Child Abuse Review Team with Police, Justice and Health

‘‘We believe that there is strength in partnerships and that those partnerships will equate to a stronger community.” community agency representatives. Our partnership with Dufferin Child and Family Services allows FTP to problem solve around service delivery and shared client issues. Other

Pictured above: The 2014 IWD Event Committee Since the inception of our International Women’s Day Luncheon fundraiser in 2010, we have raised over $100,000 with this event.

45%

Percentage of total net fundraisng that our two major fundraisers contributed to our fundraising bottom line in 2013-14.

The Umbrella of HOPE was a fundraising intiative created

by FTP.

$11,004

Total from staff payroll deductions to the agency. Way to go staff!

100%

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Conviction that we are needed in this community. Shelter occupancy rate has been operating at 95%-100%+ this past year.

Thanks to great partnerships and event supporters, net fundraising revenue increased by 29% over prior year - thanks to our generous community.

29%

We are so grateful for the committed partnerships, sponsorships and donor loyalty we have established in the community. Each year, several community partners hold third party fundraiser events for us. The Ferguson Memorial Walk generated $14,000 for FTP last year, contributing to the $30,000+ total in third party event donations. It is a testament to the great relationships we have established in the community.

A special thank you to Bell Aliant, Husky Injection Moulding and the John David and Signy Eaton Foundation for providing major gifts totalling $33,000.

December 6th, National Day of Remembrance Event

Phenomenal Support for Woman Abuse Prevention Month This year, FTP took part in an Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) initiative selling purple scarves in support of Woman Abuse Prevention Month.

Town councils in Caledon, Dufferin and Mono proclaimed November as Woman Abuse Prevention Month and each counsellor committed to wearing a purple scarf. In addition, the initiative made front page news in our local newspaper and we encouraged all community members to showcase their support by sending in a picture of themself wearing their purple scarves, which we then shared on our social media outlets. The initiative was an astounding success with 800 scarves sold in the community and almost $8,500 raised.

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We value the right and ability of all women to be in control of their lives and make informed choices.

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financial highlights Family Transition Place had a successful financial year allowing for programs and services to continue efficiently and effectively. Strong donor support and a continued focus on tightened budgets attributed to this outcome despite the continuation of a government budget funding freeze.

We are fortunate to have stable funding and continued support from a variety of funders including: • • • • • • • •

Ministry of Community and Social Services Local Health Integrated Network Service Canada Headwaters Health Care Centre County of Dufferin Region of Peel Ministry of Attorney General Status of Women Canada

“FTP is committed to providing responsible stewardship of our resources and our community’s goodwill through accountable and transparent processes.”

– FTP Mission statement

Without this support, we would not be able to provide the many necessary services we offer in our community.

Audited financial statements are available upon request.

5%

2013-14 Operational Revenue $2,550,617

13% 6%

76% Provincial/Federal/Municipal Funding 6% Special Project Grant Funding

76%

13% Donations & Fundraising 5% Other Income

6%

2013-14 Service Delivery Expense $2,549,855 8%

39%

39% Residential Services 30% Counselling Services

9%

8% Youth & Community Education (Funded/Unfunded) 9% Agency Unfunded Programs

8%

6% Outreach Services

30%

8% Special Project Grants

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Thank you.

To the individual donors, funders and organizations whose support inspires us to continue our work to end woman abuse.

To our community partners who work with us to provide the best services possible to all those we serve.

To our volunteers who give freely of their time and talents to help us achieve more for those who need our help.

To our dedicated team members who bring to work every day the hope and commitment to help change lives.

To each person who shares our vision and helps make our community a healthier, safe place for us all.

To the women who come to us for safety, support and hope. They inspire us with their courage, and resilience. We thank them for the trust they place in us. We see it as a privilege and an honour and we strive to be worthy of it.

‘‘Building healthier communities – one relationship at a time.”