ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 - Victoria Cool Aid Society6 Victoria Cool Aid Society Annual Report 2016-17...

ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17

SHELTER > HEALTH CARE > SUPPORT > HOUSING

2

2016-17 OVERVIEWThe twin crises of housing

affordability and drug overdoses

had major impacts on Cool Aid

operations, staff and clients this year.

The Province invested heavily in

new housing. At year’s end, Mount

Edwards Court and Cottage Grove

were housing and supporting

58 residents. With further

redevelopment of Mount Edwards

and the Tally Ho, the three new

buildings will collectively house

190 tenants in the future.

The opioid crisis had a deep impact

on our clients and staff, who

responded to 20-30 overdoses each

month. Hundreds of potential deaths

have been prevented thanks to the

fast and effective responses of front-

line staff and client volunteers. The

majority are now trained in the use

of naloxone and other resuscitation

techniques and an Overdose

Prevention Unit has been set up

for the use of clients at Rock Bay

Landing.

April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017

3Victoria Cool Aid Society - Annual Report 2016-17

BOARD CHAIR AND CEO’S REPORT

Victoria Cool Aid Society, like many organizations

serving vulnerable populations in the Capital

Region and across the Province, had an incredibly

demanding year. While homelessness remained a

significant challenge, it was overshadowed by the

opioid crisis and its resulting epidemic of overdoses.

Cool Aid staff on the front lines became first

responders and saved many lives, while residents

and clients in our buildings and programs also

stepped up to support their peers. Even so, deaths

did occur and this took a toll on all of us. We are

so grateful for the dedication, compassion and

commitment of all these brave staff and clients.

Crises notwithstanding, Cool Aid’s daily business

of building homes, lives and community carried

on, and you will see the great results of that

work throughout this report. None of these

accomplishments would be possible without

the ongoing financial assistance of our funders,

particularly BC Housing and Island Health, and the

continuing generosity of our donors and volunteers.

To all of them we offer our heartfelt gratitude.

At a more strategic level, Cool Aid continues to

make significant progress on our goal to create

360 new homes for those in our community who

have none:

» Thanks to the new Regional Housing First

Program – a partnership of the Capital

Regional District, BC Housing and Island

Health – Cool Aid has received a commitment

of $5 million towards the redevelopment of

our Cedar Grove property (210 Gorge Rd E),

where we plan to replace the 21 old motel

units with 82 brand new supportive and

affordable apartments.

» And at the end of March, with incredible

support from BC Housing, Cool Aid became

the new owner of the former Tally Ho Hotel!

Our immediate goal is to provide homes for

52 individuals in the fall as well as some on-

site health services, but the future potential of

this property is tremendous.

Cool Aid remains committed to working in

partnership with others to end homelessness

and improve quality of life in the Capital Region.

Projects like the ones above will help make this

a reality.

In closing, we thank our Management Team and

Board colleagues for your continued guidance,

support and confidence. We extend our

appreciation and heartfelt thanks to all of our amazing staff – it is through all of your daily efforts

that Cool Aid can continue to reach out and make a

difference; it is with thanks to each of you that Cool

Aid is helping to build a better community for all of

us who call Greater Victoria home.

René Peloquin Board Chair

Kathy Sinson Chief Executive Officer

SHELTERS1,631 people from throughout

the Capital Region stayed at

Cool Aid’s three emergency

shelters this year after

experiencing homelessness.

They received a place to stay,

nutritious meals, support in finding

housing and income, health care

services and more. Our shelters

were consistently full and with the

overflow mats in constant use at

Rock Bay Landing we operated above

capacity there throughout the year.

Cool Aid’s support workers helped 106

of our clients find housing this year –

unfortunately fewer than the previous

year due to Victoria’s increasingly

tight and expensive housing market.

Assuming a successful rezoning

later this summer, Mount Edwards

Court transitional program will

become permanent housing.

The ability to open the second

floor with an additional 40

homes for residents over 50

will provide many of our

more stable shelter clients

with the supports they need

to thrive.

CoolAid.org/shelter

4 Victoria Cool Aid Society - Annual Report 2016-17


EMERGENCY SHELTERS HIGHLIGHTS

This year, the overdose crisis deeply impacted both the clients and staff at Cool Aid’s four emergency and transitional shelters. The people

of Rock Bay Landing have been particularly hard hit,

where some days our caring and well-trained staff

have responded to multiple overdoses. To reduce

harm and stress, Cool Aid opened an Overdose Prevention Unit in the building to provide a safe

space and medical support for clients addicted to

opioids and needle drugs. At year’s end, 121 clients

were regularly accessing this service.

This year, our provincially-supported rent

supplement program allowed Cool Aid to house

18 people who had been homeless in market

apartments by supplementing their $375 rental

portion of income assistance to meet the actual

cost of renting an apartment in Victoria. As well, the

funds were used in emergency situations to prevent

people from becoming homeless and with moving

and start-up costs (e.g. furniture and kitchenware).

These clients and their landlords were supported by

a dedicated client support worker.

The Clean & Safe Teams, which provide cleanup and needle pickup in shelter neighbourhoods,

were expanded and are conducting more patrols

than previously.

Community volunteers and generous donors

continue to fill a critical role in helping our clients.

Ptarmigan Music and Theatre Society have been providing music therapy jam sessions at Rock Bay

and Mount Edwards to the delight of our clients.

McGregor Socks came through with another

generous gift of thousands of socks this winter.

NexGen Hearing has offered free hearing screenings for Sandy Merriman clients and helps

them find the resources for any needed hearing aids.

In ways too numerous to list, we thank all the many,

caring community members helping Cool Aid

clients.

BC Housing made many significant upgrades to Cool Aid’s all-women shelter, Sandy Merriman House this year, including adding an accessible

chair lift, bathroom improvements, electrical

upgrade, larger kitchen, bright interior painting, a

private room for confidential appointments, and

storage for the many donations we receive from

caring community members.

We are thankful that Island Health and the CRD

allowed us to share space on Pembroke Street

while the renovation was underway to keep our

services open for the women we serve.

“This will come as no surprise but

Fentanyl has impacted all of our

work. Everyone is right in the thick

of trying to educate, resuscitate,

counsel and support our clients and

each other… Thankfully we do see

people pulling together to keep one

another safe, and to be there when

someone is lost. The community

is fighting to gain control of this

whirlwind of an issue.“

– Client Service Worker


The Overdose Prevention Unit at Rock Bay Landing

emergency shelter opened February 1, 2017, as part

of the response to the skyrocketing number of overdose deaths in our city.

This need was acutely felt by staff as they were

responding to a significant number of overdoses

in and around the shelter on a daily basis. The

Overdose Prevention Unit at Rock Bay (funded by

Island Health) is a triumph for the harm reduction

efforts of Cool Aid, Island Health and many others.

Since the Unit’s opening, shelter residents and

community members have started to use it. The

number of clients has already grown to 30-60 per

day and continues to climb as word spreads of this

much-needed service. Most of the clients have

reported that they were previously injecting in bathrooms, on the sidewalks, alleys and other sites with little or no safety or oversight.

One of the key features for success are the contributions of the 30 client/peer volunteers,

who work as part of a team, alongside dedicated

Cool Aid harm reduction staff, to monitor the site,

keep it clean, stocked and ready for the next client,

and play a leading role in responding to overdoses

when they occur.

Several of our client volunteers have reflected

on how the program has empowered them in

their personal lives and how giving back has changed how they view themselves as helping the community as well as being more accepted

and valued. Staff have noticed how they now take

a leadership role with their peers inside and outside

of the Overdose Prevention Unit.

This service and the client volunteer program continue to organically evolve and expand

to meet the needs of the clients, such as more

training opportunities for the volunteers, designed

to increase and expand on the valuable knowledge

and skills they already bring to this role.

SAVINGS LIVES AT THE OVERDOSE PREVENTION UNIT

COMMUNITY HEALTH Cool Aid’s Community Health Centre

continued to show research and

best practices leadership in inner-city

medicine with several research projects

underway in HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

This year, 93% of our HIV-positive patients

had plasma viral loads below the target

set by the BC Centre for Excellence. The

Clinic has more hepatitis C patients

than all of Prince Edward Island, and

92 of them started active treatment

this year.

Altogether, Community Health

Services provided 16,891 doctor

appointments; 10,920 nurse visits;

2,766 counselling appointments

and 74,727 prescriptions were

filled. 5,407 patients were served

in the Dental Clinic, including

352 new ones.

CoolAid.org/health



COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS

The past year saw the Cool Aid Community

Health Centre, located at 713 Johnson Street,

provide integrated, multi-disciplinary primary health care services to some of the region’s most vulnerable people. Our team of medical

and dental practitioners provided high quality care

to over 7,000 clients living with chronic mental

health challenges, problematic substance use,

homelessness and poverty.

In addition to high quality care at the Health Clinic,

our team provided outreach health services

to many of Cool Aid’s housing and emergency

shelters sites, indigenous communities in the

region including the Native Friendship Centre and Pacheedat Reserve, and community partner

agencies like AIDS Vancouver Island, PEERS and

Anawim House.

In the past year, the Community Health Centre was

pleased to receive a generous private donation from supporter Beverly Unger that allowed us to

add a Health Outreach Worker to help patients to navigate the health care system by accompanying

them to specialist appointments and procedures,

coordinating care, doing hospital visits and a variety

of other services that ensure clients are accessing

quality care and utilizing available health care

resources.

Another significant achievement was the

implementation of rapid access to opiate agonist therapy in response to the current opioid overdose

crisis. The Community Health Centre opened

its doors to anyone wanting to receive medical treatment to reduce or stop their opiate use and

was able to provide same-day access to methadone

and buprenorphine for several hundred community

members at risk of harm or death from overdose.

This year, leadership of Health & Support Services

was transitioned to nurse Grey Showler, after

Irene Haigh-Gidora’s retirement. In addition to his

responsibilities as Director, Grey is also the President

of the British Columbia Association of Community

Health Centres.

In the year ahead, we look forward to exploring health services expansion at the newly acquired Tally Ho building to further meet the needs of the

region’s most vulnerable and underserved.


Many of you may recognize Leonard James; he is

an established public speaker within the Greater

Victoria area, and partners with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. Leonard is a keynote speaker who shares his experiences in the

hope that he can stop others from making some of

the mistakes he has made.

But Leonard has been able to overcome his challenges and adversity—and has stable housing, stable work and a set of shiny pearly whites to boot—thanks to the Victoria Cool Aid Society

Dental Clinic!

Leonard first came to the Dental Clinic when he

had abscessed teeth.

“My friend told me how harmful they were — and

recommended I come here. I was hesitant as I

don’t like dentists… but everyone here was so caring and gentle.”

Leonard not only had his abscesses taken care of,

but he also now sports a set of brand new dentures

that keep him smiling from ear to ear. To some a

full smile may seem small, and is something many

take for granted, but as Leonard pointed out during

our interview, people don’t realize how important

having a full set of teeth and an attractive smile can

be for someone’s confidence–it can make a world

of difference in one’s life.

Good teeth can also be an important factor in obtaining an apartment or work.

Leonard now has no shortage of confidence and,

as he tells us, he has to remind himself: “Head up

Leonard — show off that smile.”

“My friend told me how harmful abscesses were—and recommended I come here. I was hesitant as I don’t like dentists… but everyone here was so caring and gentle.”

LEONARD IS ALL SMILES THANKS TO COOL AID DENTAL!


SUPPORT SERVICESREES Support Services

helped over 1,500 clients:

» 303 found paid work through the Casual Labour Pool.

» 523 clients with housing, income, health and other challenging needs were helped by the Outreach and Support Team.

» 80 volunteers from 44 organizations received free training to better help people living with mental health, substance use and other challenges, thanks to a grant from the United Way.

» Hundreds used the computers, phones and mail-drop services to look for housing and employment and reach out to

family and friends.

The Downtown Community

Centre responded to an

increase in demand with

longer hours and expanded

programs. Over 6,000 drop-

in visits were welcomed this

year, and there were 1,500

registrations for a variety of

free, ongoing programs.


REES SUPPORT SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS

REES Support Services (Resources, Employment,

Education and Support) assists people living with mental health, substance use and other challenges, whether housed or experiencing homelessness, through a variety of programs.

Thanks to residents and businesses in our

community, the Community Casual Labour Pool placed 303 people in jobs last year, an increase

from 275 in 2015–16. The Labour Pool connects

reliable, skilled and motivated workers with

residents and businesses that need a job completed

in an affordable, responsive and flexible manner.

A grant from the United Way of Greater Victoria

for our Building Lives Through Work initiative

allowed the Labour Pool to hire an Employment

Recruitment Liaison in April 2017, who will connect

with residential and commercial employers to

increase job opportunities for our workers.

Outreach Workers provided one-on-one assistance to people who are struggling with housing, health and income challenges, providing

referrals and assistance in accessing government

and non-profit resources.

Peer volunteers are a critical part of REES Support

Services’ success. Peer initiatives served hundreds

of individuals this year and included one-to-

one peer support, a Peer Connections group, a

journaling group, peer-led computer training, and

Community Agency Visits to learn about other

helping organizations in Victoria.

The REES Volunteer Training Program, a

collaboration with Umbrella Society, helped 80

volunteers from 44 different organizations learn

more about how to support people who are living

with mental health, substance use and other

challenges.

The Every Step Counts running and walking program met four times weekly at the Downtown

Community Centre to provide dozens of

participants overcoming various challenges with

a healthy run or walk, followed by stretching and

nutritious food and camaraderie.

A new Client Engagement Coordinator position has been added this year to assist REES and all

Cool Aid programs to provide more opportunities

for our clients to give meaningful input that helps

shape Cool Aid programs to best meet their needs.

CoolAid.org/rees


DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY CENTRE HIGHLIGHTS

The Downtown Community Centre hosts a wide

variety of free, healthy recreation and lifeskill

programs for thousands living and working in the

heart of downtown and elsewhere. Over 6,000 drop-in visits were made possible this year, thanks

to generous support from the City of Victoria, Provincial Employees Community Services Fund, United Way of Greater Victoria and the Province.

As well, the Downtown Community Centre

provides healthy activities and a calm atmosphere

for those who are still experiencing homelessness

and answers the question of “what now?” for many of our clients once they are housed.

Thanks to several new volunteers and training

provided for free by Ajna Yoga Studio and Yoga

Den, our trauma-informed weekly yoga program continues to be popular.

The Community Centre also has forged strong

relationships with many organizations including:

» Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness

has a home for several of their arts and food

programs.

» CARTS – Christian Actions Reflecting The

Spirit provide a weekly meal and clothing give

away in the Centre’s lovely courtyard.

» Yates Street Community Garden Project uses

meeting space for the partners, which include

the City of Victoria, Downtown Victoria

Residents Association and UVic.

» UVic 101 hosts information sessions for

individuals wishing to take free humanity

courses.

The number of Mustard Seed food hampers being

delivered to our tenants every month by Downtown

Community Centre tenant volunteers increased

from 87 to 124, improving food security for many

people who find it difficult to access the food

hampers directly. Food availability has also been

supplemented for all Cool Aid programs through

the leadership role of the Community Centre’s coordinator in the Food Recovery Warehouse in Esquimalt, supplied by Thrifty Foods, that opened

in March. The Centre itself served up 832 meals

in 2016-17, and another 504 at the 10th Annual

Chili Supper and Live Music held in December and

organized by volunteers.

The Community Centre also proudly hosted dozens

of preschoolers each school day morning for

kindergym activities and musical enrichment. Each

evening during the cold and wet months, from

November through March, the Cool Aid Seasonal Shelter provided sleeping space and a meal for 40

adults.

All programs remain free and include equipment to ensure that everyone can access them regardless

of income.

CoolAid.org/dcc


As a certified yoga instructor what brought you and your skills to volunteer at the Downtown Community Centre operated by Cool Aid?

“Yoga is such a beneficial practice and gift to share, and if I can bring that to as many people

and places as possible, that is always my purpose.

The fact that the program is provided free at the Downtown Community Centre is wonderful! People who wouldn’t normally be able to access

the benefits because they do not have money to

participate are able to come to the Centre and

practise yoga and experience greater well-being

for themselves.”

“I enjoy being involved as a yoga teacher at the

Community Centre because it brings together

my love for yoga with my career and educational

goals. I am studying Community, Child & Family Studies at Camosun College, and hope to work

with individuals in the community who have

experienced trauma, such as refugees. Through

teaching yoga at the Community Centre I am

actively helping community by widening access

for people who couldn’t otherwise afford to

participate.”

BRITTANY – YOGA VOLUNTEER

“I enjoy being involved as a yoga teacher at the Community Centre because it brings together my love for yoga with my career and educational goals.”

HOUSINGCool Aid’s campaign to build

more housing had a strong year.

Our housing team, working with

Centralized Access to Supportive

Housing, had filled 25 of our 45 brand

new Cottage Grove apartments by

March 31. We continued to work on

our rezoning plan for Mount Edwards

Court to provide supportive housing

to an additional 40 people and began

redevelopment for Cedar Grove on

Gorge Road East, to add 50 new

affordable and 11 more supportive

housing apartments. Finally, with the

generous support of the Province,

the former Tally Ho hotel was

purchased, where we will house

52 people initially.

At year’s end, Cool Aid was

housing and supporting

457 tenants in 13 buildings in

Victoria, Saanich and Langford.

CoolAid.org/housing



HOUSING HIGHLIGHTS

It was a year of great success in developing new housing for those who are living without any home – surviving on the streets, in parks, cars,

emergency shelters, or “couch surfing” with friends

and family. By year’s end, Cool Aid was 65% towards

our target of 360 new apartments, with 83 units

now housing people in Cottage Grove and Mount

Edwards Court and another 152 in development

at Mount Edwards, Cedar Grove and the former

Tally Ho.

84% of our new tenants have remained successfully housed after six months; beating

our strategic plan target of 75%. In three of four

apartment buildings surveyed, 91-95% of all tenants report that they “feel at home” where they live. The fourth building reported 70% of

tenants felt “at home” compared to our target

of 75% – indicating we have more work to do at

that site.

Monthly delivery of food hampers to our tenants

– a project of the Downtown Community Centre

– increased from 87 to 124 this year, and tenants receive nutritious, hot meals daily at our four seniors buildings and Mount Edwards Court.

Forty-five new apartments for seniors at Cottage Grove were built – thanks to generous support

from our donors, the Province, the CRD’s Housing

Trust Fund, District of Saanich and the City of

Victoria. With the support of Island Health we have

positioned Cottage Grove to be a next phase for

individuals over 55 who have stabilized in other

supportive housing buildings throughout the

region and no longer require the higher level of

support provided elsewhere. This has freed up their previous apartments for people who remain homeless and need the full spectrum of support

services to stay healthy and housed.

With this new resource operational, Cool Aid has

worked to free up twenty apartments within our

housing portfolio to support a new partnership

project with the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness. Together we were successful

in receiving a grant from the Homelessness Partnership Strategy to house and support an

Aboriginal cohort identified through the Mayor’s Priority One task force. This project is an “outside

of the box” pilot program rooted in cultural

strategies and approaches that re-imagines

practices in order to better respond to the needs of

20 high-risk, aboriginal, homeless individuals who

have not been well served within our community’s

existing housing system. We applaud our Pandora block staff for embracing this project with fresh eyes and open hearts.

Artwork: Doug Horne, Coast Salish artist carving and design

Victoria Cool Aid Society - Annual Report 2016-1718

Step into Thomas’ room at Desmond House, and

one can see this former Navy man’s attention to detail shines. The bed is made to perfection, the

bookshelf organized immaculately, and then there

is Thomas, reading from his expansive library.

Thomas has been at Desmond House for the past

nine years and has become an integral part of the

building community. In Thomas’ words, “Desmond House is a community - we are all there to support

each other. Whether it’s a can of beans, or what

have you, we always try to help each other out.”

Thomas once served in the Navy, but like many veterans, he fell on hard times and challenges. He was on and off of the streets for a few years,

but Thomas worked with Cool Aid to face these

challenges head on.

With support from his housing worker Mike (on the

left) and resources from Cool Aid, Thomas has had

stable housing, a strong support system and works every week at Desmond House to keep it spic-and-span.

THOMAS KEEPS THINGS SPIC-AND-SPAN

“Desmond House is a community - we are all there to support each other. Whether it’s a can of beans, or what have you, we always try to help each other out.”

– Thomas, Cool Aid tenant

20

FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND HIGHLIGHTS

293AMAZINGEMPLOYEES

57% 7.6%Administration

expenseStaff cost

20

Housing

Healthcare

Shelters

Support Services

Administration

0.6M1.74M

6.48M

6.56M

Expenses by Program

$22.88M

7.46M

3% 8%

28%

29%

33%

CoolAid.org/financial


SUMMARIZED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

As at March 31, 2017

Current Assets

Cash and short-term investments

$ 7,489,226

Accounts receivable 984,216

Other Assets 184,289

$ 8,657,731

Prepaid leases 470,932

Land, property, and equipment 35,173,626

$ 44,302,289

Current Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

2,262,180

Deferred contributions 3,236,433

$ 5,498,613

Deferred contributions related to land, property, and equipment

6,372,764

Long-term debt 19,388,929

Forgivable debt 8,696,332

Net Assets 4,345,651

$ 44,302,289

SUMMARIZED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

For the year ending March 31, 2017

Revenue

BC Housing Management Commission

$ 9,431,992

Island Health Authority 4,776,092

Health Centre revenue 4,202,686

Rental income and occupancy fees 2,282,889

Donations and grants 1,309,318

Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission

726,354

Investment income and other 142,254

$ 22,871,585

Expenses

Salaries and benefits 13,024,343

Program expense and client support

5,566,398

Building and mortgage expense 3,938,207

Office, IT, and communications 345,631

Other 14,411

$ 22,888,990

Excess (Deficiency) Of Revenue Over Expenses From Operations $ (17,405)

274,280NUTRITIOUS MEALS SERVED

$1,309,318THANKS TO DONORS AND GRANTS

$


37,418HEALTH CLINIC VISITS

4,631CLIENT

CONTACTS at REES and Casual Labour Pool

IndependentAuditors’Report

To:TheMembersoftheVictoriaCoolAidSociety

ReportonSummaryFinancialStatements

The accompanying summary financial statements, which comprise the summary statement of

financialpositionasatMarch31,2017andthesummarystatementofoperationsfortheyearthen

ended,arederivedfromtheauditedfinancialstatementsoftheVictoriaCoolAidSocietyfortheyear

endedMarch31,2017.Weexpressedanunmodifiedauditopiniononthosefinancialstatementsin

ourreportdatedJune8,2017.

ThesummaryfinancialstatementsdonotcontainallthedisclosuresrequiredbyCanadianaccounting

standardsfornon-profitorganizations.Readingthesummaryfinancialstatements,therefore,isnota

substituteforreadingtheauditedfinancialstatementsoftheVictoriaCoolAidSociety.

Management’sResponsibilityfortheSummaryFinancialStatements

Managementisresponsibleforthepreparationofasummaryoftheauditedfinancialstatementsin

accordancewithCanadianaccountingstandardsfornot-for-profitorganizations.

Auditors’Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the summary financial statements based on our

procedures,whichwereconductedinaccordancewithCanadianauditingstandards.

OpinionInouropinion, thesummary financial statementsderived fromtheaudited financial statementsof

theVictoriaCoolAidSocietyfortheyearendedMarch31,2017areafairsummaryofthosefinancial

statements,inaccordancewithCanadianaccountingstandardsfornon-profitorganizations.

June8,2017Victoria,B.C. CharteredProfessionalAccountants


DONORS, FUNDERS AND PARTNERS

KEY FUNDERS AND PARTNERS

A significant portion of Cool Aid’s operating and

capital dollars are investments by governments

and foundations in essential services critically

needed in the Capital Region. We are very grateful

to our funding and community partners for the

confidence they have shown in Cool Aid by

providing core support and collaboration.

Greater Victoria

Aboriginal Coalition to End HomelessnessWe acknowledge the financial

assistance of the Province of British Columbia

CoolAid.org/thanks

24

THANKS TO HUNDREDS OF SUPPORTERS, VOLUNTEERS AND FRIENDS

Cool Aid very much appreciates

the hundreds of individuals and

organizations throughout the

Capital Region and beyond who

supported Cool Aid this last

year and helped us deliver more

services to more people who are

homeless and vulnerable than

any other organization in Greater

Victoria.

LEGACY GIFTS

A special thanks to the generous donors listed below who are leaving a bequest for Cool Aid Society in their will or naming the society as a beneficiary to a

life insurance policy, RRSP, RRIF,

TFSA or other registered account,

or an annuity, trust or other

investment vehicle.

This year, Carl Young’s bequest

allowed Cool Aid to create a Pets In Need Endowment to

support the pets of our clients.

SPECIAL THANKSMichael and Christine Bloomfield

Virginia and Charlie Brucker

Frances Mahon Chapman

Monique Clébant

Ross and Sheila Deakin

Nancy Gnaedinger

Ted Humphreys

Ruth Humphreys (Estate)

Marilyn Van Imschoot

Mary Doody Jones

Judy Kedwell (Estate)

Gilbert Lowe

Karen Maxwell

Helen McDonald

Catherine Meagher

Joan Ormiston

Anne Victoria Thomas (Estate)

Pat Vickers

Susanne Wilson

Carl Graham Young (Estate)

Plus anonymous bequestors

695 AWESOME DONORS

27 BEQUESTORS

80 MONTHLY AND FREQUENT DONORS

$105,367 TO ENDOWMENTS

$1,309,318 DONATIONS AND GRANTS

THANK YOU!

Victoria Cool Aid Society - Annual Report 2016-17

26

LEADERSHIP

MISSION

We act to end homelessness by working in partnership

with others to develop community-based solutions. We

are committed to working in a non-judgmental way with

adults experiencing marginalization in Greater Victoria by

advocating for and providing emergency shelter, supportive

housing, integrated health care and other support services.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Victoria Cool Aid Society is governed by an elected,

community-based Board of Directors. The Society’s

constitution and bylaws and Board Policy Manual are also

available online.

René Peloquin, Chair

Heather Brazier, Vice Chair

Arleen Paré, Secretary

Larry Beatty, CA, Treasurer

Janet Donald

Dave Fracy

Sandra Govender

Bruce Kilpatrick

Drew Mildon

Eric Pedersen

Kathleen Perkin

SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Kathy Stinson, CEO

Melanie Fleming,

Director, Human & Strategic Resources

Don McTavish, Director, Residential Services

Hope Roberts, Director, Finance & Administration

Grey Showler, Director, Health & Support Services

Ed Jones, Manager, Information Systems

James Macintosh, Manager, Operations

Alan Rycroft,

Manager, Fund Development & Communications

Rob Linkewicz, Executive Coordinator

26

CoolAid.org/govern


ANNUAL REPORT CREDITS

Editor

Alan Rycroft

Photography

Martin Wright Photography

Design

iD2 Communications

Contributors

Mariah Johnston

Doug Home

Donna McKenna

David MacMain

René Peloquin

Grey Showler

Kathy Stinson

Proofreader

Helma Libick

CONTACT US

Nance and her partner found themselves

unexpectedly evicted when some unforeseen

medical complications left them with some large bills.

They had a short time to collect their things, pack

up and found themselves on the street. However,

through a friend of a friend, they were put in touch

with an outreach worker who knew instantly that

the best place for them to be was Sandy Merriman

House. Quickly putting things into action, Nance

and her partner gained shelter, resources and a

community in a very short period of time.

Walking into Sandy Merriman the day we were to

interview Nance, we were instantly greeted with the

sweet melody of a guitar and an unknown singer.

Once led down the stairs into a quiet room, there

was Nance, with a guitar on her lap and a song on

her tongue — we had found the source of that sweet

melody!

Nance is a well-known singer in the online world.

Having performed and recorded multiple songs in

the virtual world over the past several years, and

written hundreds of songs as well, she is a lover of all

things music. Ironically, Nance has never sung here

in Victoria. We hope that you will take a listen to her

song on CoolAid.org/Nance.

Besides her phenomenal singing voice, Nance has a

warmth and kindness that reaches out from her the

moment you meet. She and her partner stayed at

Cool Aid’s women’s shelter, Sandy Merriman House,

for several months before housing was found.

“The staff here are so friendly—they are amazing and

that is why I wrote the song. The word Merriman,

Merriman kept tumbling through my head so I started

writing. The song came together in less than ten

minutes and it became a kind of salute to the staff. It

is the least I could do to thank them and all they have

done for me during this difficult time in my life. We

are so grateful… we have a community here.”

CoolAid.org/nance

NANCE’S SALUTE TO SANDY MERRIMAN HOUSE

“The staff here are so friendly—they are amazing and that is why I wrote the song.”

[email protected]

/VICCOOLAID (250) 383-1977

102-749 PANDORA AVENUE VICTORIA BC, V8W 1N9

@VICCOOLAID

CHARITY # 12820 5069 RR0001

ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 - Victoria Cool Aid Society6 Victoria Cool Aid Society Annual Report 2016-17...

Documents

Transcript of ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 - Victoria Cool Aid Society6 Victoria Cool Aid Society Annual Report 2016-17...