Centre 454 Annual Report 2015

It has been another rewarding year at Centre 454. In this Annual Report, we highlight the strides we've made in 2015.

Financial Sustainability

In 2015 we have taken steps to ensure that the Centre remains financially stable for years to come. The revenue base has been expanded by the creation of lasting and meaningful relationships with private foundations. In 2015 Centre 454 increased its private foundation budget line by $57,000. This new income will be used to pilot the extension of our Seven-Day a Week programming throughout 2016. A huge thank you to The Cowan Foundation and Allchurch’s Trust for seeing the value in the work we do and helping make it possible for us to continue caring for some of the most vulnerable in our community.

Strong Governance, Strong Organization

In 2015 Centre 454 continued strategic recruitment for its Management Board and was pleased to welcome John Coleman, Connie Yuan, David Tobin, and Kaite Harris to the Board as well as new Chair Norman Moyer. The Centre also began the process of collaboratively developing a new strategic plan with input from our Board, staff, community partners, and participants in 2015. It is now completed and the new strategic plan came into effect in January 2016. This plan will provide clear direction and measureable outcomes to guide the organization over the next three years. Key accomplishments from our last strategic plan include new and revamped services to meet the changing needs of our participants, increased community involvement and, innovative partnerships.

Creating a Community Centre 454 successes are the direct result of the support, commitment, and enthusiasm of the community we have created. Together, we are putting Centre 454 in a position to thrive as a leader and change-maker in the sector during the next three years and beyond. We thank our Management Board members for their leadership, our management team for their energy and creativity, and our staff, volunteers, and students for their caring and dedication. And of course we thank the many individuals who trust us to help them work towards their goals and dreams. Choose Hope!

Jen Crawford

Executive Director

Councillor Jean Cloutier Jennifer Crawford, Mayor Jim Watson, and Councillor Mathieu Fleury at ILLUMINATED–Centre 454’s 60th Anniversary wrap-up event.

Strategic Planning

In the spring of 2015, Centre 454 embarked on strategic planning for 2016—2018. Led by consultant David Swayze with the assistance of a small steering committee made up of Centre staff and Board members, a three-year plan was developed. This plan aligns closely with the City’s Housing First initiative and will guide the Centre through the next three years.

The plan will focus on four main areas, each with its own set of objectives:

1. Organizational Performance Measures: determine measures, set baseline metrics, and collect performance data (program evaluation). 2. Service Partner Networks: build strong, lasting partnerships with community partners. 3. Centre 454 Service Capabilities: seven-day programming, leveraging technology, case management. 4. Funding: funder considerations, other funding, alignment with municipal funders, and allocation of

funds.

Each year the Executive Director sets an Annual Plan for the Centre. It is through this plan that strategic plan goals are operationalized.

Centre 454 would like to thank David Swayze for his excellent leadership during the strategic planning process.

For more information about the Centre’s Annual Plan for 2016 or the Strategic Plan, please email centre454@ottawa.anglican.ca.

Achievements ILLUMINATED

In February 2015, Centre 454 wrapped up 60th anniversary celebrations with ILLUMINATED. This was a series of black and white photographs taken by local photographer Onno Kremers. Unlike conventional photographs associated with homelessness, Onno Kremer’s images showed the faces of

our community, making a human connection that drew viewers in. The portraits, together with glimpses into the stories, highlighted the humanity of our community and attempted to break down some of the stereotypes often associated with homelessness. The event, held at City Hall, was attended by many people

from across the city. It was a wonderful opportunity to

spread the word about Centre 454 and to share the stories

that we hear each day. ILLUMINATED provided an opportunity for members of the Centre 454 community to share their stories with the city.

Visitors enjoying ILLUMINATED.

Impact and Value

ODSP

In 2015 the Program saw a significant change in the agencies making referrals to the Program. Due to the significant improvements in housing outcomes, the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) has been identified as a pathway for Housing First providers to deliver higher quality, more sustainable accommodations for their clients. The Program also continued to evolve its partnership with the Community Health Centres (CHCs), providing more drop-in services and working closely with our highly valued Nurse Practitioner partners. Overall the Program still saw a large increase in referrals and was operating above capacity by year’s end. The Program continued to see grant rates far above the provincial average.

Faces of the Centre

“James” was a long-term

shelter user and through the

Housing First initiative James

finally obtained safe, secure,

and affordable housing.

Supports were put in place to

ensure James was successful,

and part of this support system

was Centre 454.

Unfortunately a few months

after moving in James

discovered he had bedbugs. He

had kept this information to

himself in fear of eviction but

when it became too much he

spoke with a trusted staff

member here at the Centre.

The staff educated James on

his rights as a tenant and

helped advocate on his behalf

to his landlord and to the City.

Within a few weeks not only

was his apartment treated but

he also received a new bed

through a program within the

City. He was so relieved and

grateful to the staff that he

couldn’t wait to come tell them

that his first night in his new

bed he slept like a baby!

Volunteer Program

This year, we had over 123 volunteers give their time to the Centre, totaling 2851 hours including off-site events such as the summer picnic, Christmas party, and volunteer trainings.

The demographic has shifted slightly from those who are recently retired (50–65) to a younger generation (20—30) wanting to get involved in fields like policing or social work.

Support Services

Throughout 2015, requests to front-line staff centred mainly on practical and personal supports and physical and mental health and referrals. Relationships with community partner agencies continued to play a huge role in meeting the needs of Centre participants.

The shift to case management began as the Support Services Coordinator participated in the “Outcomes Star” training. The Outcomes Star is a participant-led self-evaluation tool. This training was then put into practice with one participant in 2015. All front-line staff are slated to receive training and begin using the tool in 2016.

There was increased interest in the Participant Skills Development Program with seven participants signing up in 2015. Those who participated in the program worked on conflict resolution, goal setting, and punctuality. All those who participated have learned new skills and enhanced old ones.

Social Recreation

The Social Recreation Program continues to provide some of the most popular programming offered by the Centre. In 2015 the program continued to focus on the health and wellness of participants by continuing the partnership with the Community Food Advisor Program through Ottawa Public Health. New programming was added in the form of yoga classes, which are currently offered twice a month.

The Creative Expressions Program, funded by the King’s Daughters and Sons has also continued to flourish through arts and crafts as well as writing. The group is currently planning its next big project, so stay tuned!

The Centre 454 Creative Expressions Program held it’s second annual tie-dye event with The Ottawa Mission

Centre 454 celebrates all our wonderful volunteers!

2015 Financials

Centre 454 would like to thank all its funders for making 2015 such a successful year!

City of Ottawa;

Anglican Diocese of Ottawa;

The Cowan Foundation;

Allchurches Trust;

King’s Daughters and Sons; and

Individual donors and supporters!

Centre 454 Management Board 2015

Peter Cazaly (ex-officio, Centre 454 Chaplain), John Coleman, Jennifer Crawford (ex-officio, Executive Director), Beverly Ensom,

Gina Grosenick, Kaite Harris, Patrick McMenemy, Norman Moyer, Joe Stelliga, David Tobin, Rebecca Volk, Phil

Whittall, Connie Yuan

454 King Edward Ave Ottawa ON K1N 7M8 613-235-4351 www.centre454.ca

70.2%

20.8%

9%

Expenditures

Program

Admin

Facilities

14%

63%

0.5 %

5%

0.03%10%

8%

Revenues

Donations

Government Grants

Fundraising

Foundation Grants

Other Income

Diocesan Apportionment

Surplus (Deficit) from previous year

Due to rounding, numbers may not add up to 100%