annual report 2008 | 2009

ANNUAL REPORT 2008 | 2009
shelter. support. hope.
our place peel
is a non-profit organization that provides community leadership to address the needs
of youth ages 16-21 within the Region of Peel. We exist to provide advocacy, education,
residential and support services. Through programs designed to empower youth, we
strive to instill hope and enhance lives by providing counselling and resources along
with the basic necessities of life.
who we are
our place 1
Our Place Peel is a registered non-profit
agency founded in 1985 with a mandate
to develop and operate emergency shelter
and residential services for youth within the
Region of Peel.
The residential program located, in Brampton, provides a supportive living
environment for up to six youth 16-21 years of age who are without appropriate
housing or adult supports. The goal for Our Place 1 is to teach youth the skills they need
to live as independent young adults by providing life skills training and counselling in a
supportive living environment.
our place 2
Funding for Our Place Peel has been
provided by the Region of Peel, The
United Way of Peel Region, The Ministry of
Children and Youth Services, The Ontario
Trillium Foundation, Canadian Mortgage
and Housing Corporation, fundraising and
gaming activities, as well as donations and
grants from various foundations, service
clubs, corporations, schools, church groups,
labour unions and concerned individuals.
Residential Centre
Emergency Youth Shelter
In operation since 1989, the fourteen bed emergency youth shelter provides crisis
counselling and referral services within a supportive environment for young people
16-21 years of age. Youth are able to stay at Our Place 2 for an average of three weeks.
While part of the program, youth are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves,
their actions and their future directions.
resource room
Located at the Emergency Youth Shelter
The Resource Room exists to support young people in the Region of Peel with
transitional and long term needs through the provision of supports and resources.
Employment counselling, computer skills training and access to e-mail, Internet, fax
machine and photocopier is offered to shelter residents and youth in the community.
The program strives to empower youth towards independent living through building
confidence, skills and knowledge.
H.Y.P.E. program
This program aims to connect at-risk/street involved youth who are not
accessing services to appropriate supports. This program also provides support
to those youth in need of aftercare once leaving Our Place 1 and Our Place 2.
The HYPE coordinator makes presentations in schools and community agencies
about homelessness and creates awareness about available services.
Our Place Peel Annual Report 2008 | 2009
3
2008 / 2009 board of directors
2008 / 2009 staff
The Board of Directors of Our Place Peel
is comprised of community volunteers
from varied backgrounds, who all share
a commitment to youth who are in need
of residential and support services. They
have an extensive knowledge of Peel and
bring their expertise in areas that include
counselling, education, law and finance to
the Board and to the committees in which
they participate.
Executive Director
President
Hanif Ladha
Vice-President
Sophia Reid /Joseph Mbuyi
Treasurer
Andrew Swanson
Secretary
Sophia Reid
Neil Bobb
William Chung *
Mark Cauchi*
Brandon Fang
Sanjay Gomes
Janice Lepiten
Rene Liebs-Benke*
Ellen Morita
Christopher Moore*
Nabeel Yousif*
Pamela Yudcovitch
4
Christy Upshall
Tanya Godson (maternity leave contract)
Development Officer
Residential Manager
Director Of Programs
Shelter Manager
Andrea Cochrane/Jacqueline Crawford*
James Colgan
Staff
Tinuola Akhere
Justina Anaab
Bernice Arhin
Ian Baker
Lancia Barnaby
Christina Beck*
Catalina Canola
Richard Chichon
Shillann Clarkson
Heather Coburn*
Karen Cogswell*
Jennifer Cornish
Paula DeBrito
Wendy Edmunds*
Students
Tanesha Anderson
Justina Anaab
Katayoun Baktash
Volunteers
Jeff Alves
Celeste Bernard
Jodi Cecchi
Tyler Clark
Winnie Concessao
Diviesh Daya
Lakshmi Duggina
Glenn Dulay
Marie Gaspari
Claudett Bailey/Elisa Reid*
Shana Thomas (maternity leave contract)/
Crystal Da Silva
Diane Gardisch
Tony Gonzalez
Yvonne Gouveia
Nathan Hutton*
Chantelle Jacobs
Chanel Jardine
Breann Jodway*
Grace Kopacz
Susan Lloyd
Yolanda Malcolm
Terri-Lynne Marchand*
Elizabeth Martins
Winsome Mcbean
Lindsey Mcfedries
Shekera Mclean
Kimberly Miller
Harpreet More*
Krystal Morgan
May Nwokedi
Yinka Obisesan
Jennifer Pacheco
Chantelle Palmer
Jennifer Pasquale
Maria Esel Panlaqui*
Paula Paterson*
Debbie Pereira*
Carol Persaud
Jesse Peter*
Trista Robertson
Chris Rukovo
Johanna Rutherford
Shontelle Sargeant
Robert Saunders*
Erin Sowdon*
Colleen Sparks*
Timothy Stevens
Janel Talbert
Annette Tomlinson
Julian Toy
Agatha Vramidis
Roxanne WadeHeslop
Stephanie Brown
Sophia Coore
Daniella Commisso
Katherine Dann
Susan Ohimai
Vanessa Scrivens
Vanessa Vincente
Harprit Gill
Darren Godson
Rochelle Henry
Younis Mahamed
Mary McAuslan
Gill Nawnit
Tony Nikolovski
Connie Oliveira
Tiago Oliveira
Grant Redpath
Craig Rideout
Mohsin Rizvi
Patrick Robbins
Waseem Shahid
Ann Marie Silvestri
Rami Sooch
Eddie Sourial
Timothy Tham
David James
Zeshan Khan
Amy Leung
Sandy MacDonald
Adriana Maillet
Terry Maillet
Doug Turner
Maria Vecchiato
* Left during the 2008/2009 year.
executive director/president report
On behalf of Our Place Peel, we are pleased
to present you with our Annual Report for
the 2008/2009 year.
Our Place Peel opened its doors in 1985
in Brampton with a long-term, semiindependent program designed to support
young people who are homeless. This
program provides the youth with stability
and empowers them to learn how to live
independently. Many youth from this
program are successful as they move to a
stable housing environment, continue with
their post secondary education or move
back home with their family.
In 1989 Our Place Peel opened its first
youth shelter in Mississauga with a 12 bed
capacity; currently we house 14 beds in
the shelter for youth aged 16-21. This is
the only shelter for youth in the Region of
Peel; we are at full capacity on a daily basis
and turn away more youth than we serve.
The youth who we turn away are referred
to Toronto shelters and are forced to leave
their community and support structure.
In April of 2008 Our Place Peel launched
the H.Y.P.E (Helping Youth Prepare
Effectively) program that is geared
towards supporting youth who are leaving
our programs and need support through
the transition to live independently in the
community. The objective of the HYPE
program is to reduce the rate of youth
homelessness and provide support to the
youth who are living independently.
The 2009 year was a busy one for Our
Place Peel, we have had a struggle
financially keeping up with our programs,
which support and improve the lives
of the youth in the community, due to
the economic situation. One quarter of
our operating costs are raised through
our own fundraising efforts, and given
the current economic environment,
has created a major challenge. Through
these tough times we have ensured that
the youth who are utilizing our services
are our top priority. We have seen more
youth who have been turned away from
our shelter program because we are at
full capacity nightly. This has put a strain
on the staff and our services and reminds
us how important our services are needed
within the Region.
The 2008/2009 year has been quite busy
for our staff, students and volunteers and
the support that you give to the agency
certainly does not go unnoticed. We
appreciate your hard work and dedication
and we could not do the work we do
without you.
It is great to be associated with a dynamic
organization lead by a strong Board
of Directors comprised of members
who work tirelessly to ensure that our
organization is successful. Thank you to
your hard work and commitment that you
make to Our Place Peel.
We would like to thank our core funders;
The Ministry of Children and Youth
Services, The United Way of Peel Region,
The Region of Peel, our committed staff
and volunteers who have supported us
throughout our many years of service.
We have also been privileged to continue
to receive many donations this year;
both financial and in-kind from churches,
service clubs, schools, corporations,
foundations and individuals. We cannot
thank you enough for all that you do for us
and how much we appreciate the efforts
that are made by our donors.
The future of Our Place Peel looks strong
and we look forward to the upcoming year
to continue with our strategic plan. Our
Place Peel has secured funding from the
Ontario Trillium Foundation to support
the development costs of the shelter; in
the near future we will see an expansion of
our much needed services in the Region
of Peel. We will also be celebrating a
significant milestone as it will be our 25th
year of service in the Region; we hope you
can join us in celebrating this achievement
with us.
Sincerely,
Christy Upshall, Executive Director
Hanif Ladha, Board President
Our Place Peel Annual Report 2008 | 2009
5
treasurer report for fiscal year
ended march 31, 2009
It is my pleasure to report on the financial
results of Our Place Peel for the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2009. It has been financially
difficult but yet another successful year
for Our Place Peel in providing support to
the youth in distress when they needed
it the most. It has been a difficult year
because of, as we are all well aware, difficult
economic conditions the world (including
Canada) endured over the last number of
months. As a result we have been unable
to raise enough revenues to fully fund the
programs offered. It has been a successful
year because, despite the economic woes,
Our Place Peel maintained all of the youth
programs it has provided for the past
number of years. To do so, we used our
contingency funds which we plan to restore
during more prosperous times. The results
for fiscal year ending March 31, 2009 reflect
the continuing effort of the Our Place Peel
team in meeting the organization’s service
objectives and delivering quality service.
reporting units
unrestricted funds
This fund combines the results of
operations of three activities: Emergency
Youth Shelter in Mississauga (including
Resource Room), Residential Centre Program
in Brampton and General. Although they
are consolidated in the Audited Financial
Statements, Our Place Peel accounting
records do track all Revenue and Expenses
pertaining to each activity.
capital asset fund
The Capital Asset fund reports the
assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses
related to capital expenditures and
improvements.
capital reserve fund
A Board of Directors designated reserve
has been set aside to fund future repairs,
replacements and improvements that
are capital in nature as well as capital
costs associated with the development
of future shelter facilities.
financial review - operations
Overall, in fiscal 2009 Our Place Peel’s
expenditures exceeded revenues by $181K.
Grants, donations, fundraising and other
for the year was $1,006K. This was lower
by $47K or 4.4% than revenue in the
prior year.
6
The costs for the year were $1,187K
and increased by $40K or 3.5% versus
prior year.
unrestricted funds
As mentioned above, Revenue in 2009
was lower than in the prior period. 2008
Revenue included however non-recurring
grant of $40K for expansion feasibility
study ($Nil in 2009). Excluding this
non-recurring item, Revenue decreased
by approximately $7K or 0.7% mostly
reflecting lower investment income and
GST recovery.
The costs incurred to operate the
Brampton residence and the Mississauga
shelter increased by $40K year over year.
If we exclude non-recurring cost of $40K
expansion related feasibility study in
2008, the costs increased $80K or 7.2%.
The main reason for the increase was a
higher personnel cost. Salaries and wages
increased significantly year over year as
we filled many of the positions staffed
with the temporary personnel in 2008
with permanent personnel. The cost of
permanent versus temporary positions
and annual salary increases was however
higher than a reduction in the cost of
temporary personnel. In order to contain
the cost of labour, certain initiatives were
undertaken by management subsequent
to March 2009 to reduce these costs
without jeopardizing the services provided.
Other notable variances include higher
marketing costs associated with fundraising
efforts (special events and direct mail),
higher communication costs and lower
rent recovery offset by lower professional
fees (legal case settled in 2008).
capital asset fund
The balance in the Capital Asset Fund
decreased by $24K or 3%. The decrease
was a result of the $27K amortization
of the existing assets offset by $3K
paid for the purchases of the new or
replacement assets.
capital reserve fund
There have been no changes to this Fund.
The Fund balance remained $90K.
balance sheet review
Cash equivalents consist of safe
guaranteed investment certificates with
maturity of less than 1 year. During the
year, as noted in my introductory remarks,
the Board approved redemption of one
of the GIC in order for Our Place Peel to
remain liquid while management was
collecting some of past due receivables
and to pay for the cost of programs in
excess of revenue.
Decrease in Deferred revenue reflects the
recognition of the Grants from Ontario
Trillium Foundation and Region of Peel
HYPE program in fiscal 2009.
All other Current Assets decreased by
$13K and Current liabilities increased by
$16K and are mostly a result of timing
in collections of account receivable and
payment of accounts payable.
closing remarks
On behalf of Our Place Peel’s Board of
Directors, management, staff and the
youth of the Region of Peel, I would like
to thank all our community-funding
sources: The United Way of Peel Region,
The Ontario Ministry of Children and
Youth Services, The Region of Peel, as well
as all corporate and individual sponsors
and supporters for their generous
contributions. A complete list of fiscal
2009 contributors is included in Our Place
Peel 2008-2009 Annual Report. We hope
that your support will continue despite
current economic times as the need for
helping hand amongst less fortunate is
greater than ever.
Thank you.
Andrew Swanson
Treasurer
Overall, Our Place Peel cash and cash
equivalent position in fiscal 2009 has
decreased by $161K mostly due to the
shortfall of Revenues vs. Operating
expenses as explained above. The mix of
Cash to Cash equivalent will vary from
year to year and is based on the immediate
cash needs as of year end date.
Our Place Peel Annual Report 2008 | 2009
7
shelter manager’s report
Our Place Peel is a nonprofit agency
providing shelter to homeless youth ages
16 to 21. Once again we remain the only
youth shelter in Region of Peel; we provide
support services to 14 youth at a time to
both males and females.
Our Place Peel is a refuge for many
youth to come to escape their everyday
life issues that have caused them to be
homeless or transient. These issues may
include family breakdown, sponsorship
breakdown, mental health issues, abuse,
substance or alcohol misuse, loss of
housing and living a transient lifestyle.
These issues continue to be the main
reasons for youth to access the shelter
systems. As Our Place Peel continues to
be the only youth shelter in the Region of
Peel, we seek to assist youth with onsite
life skills and crisis counselling and we
provide referrals to the appropriate
service needed during their stay. Some
of these services that may be provided
include: counselling, identification clinics,
treatment or transitional housing.
We continue to receive referrals to our
shelter program from schools, parents,
hospitals, other social service agencies,
and other shelters. Over the past year we
are receiving more and more referrals from
high schools. We attribute the increase
in referrals to our HYPE program as our
HYPE Coordinator is out in the community
connecting with the high schools.
8
In 2008-2009 Our Place Peel served a
total of 425 youth, of those 261 youth
were unique. Of the total youth served
64% were male and 36% were female. On
average the length of stay was 12 days
and 23% of the youth stay between 15-21
days. Our average age continues to be 18
years old, of that the average age for males
is 18 and 17 for females served.
The occupancy rate at our Emergency
Youth Shelter was at 92%, however due to
the lack of space at the shelter, we have had
to turn away a total of 292 youth in 20082009. These youth are then supported in
seeking hostel services in other regions
or adult shelters. When this happens, a
youth is often found disconnected from
their community, schools, churches,
families, or their employment.
As we begin to develop programming
at Our Place Peel we strive to provide
effective programming and teach our
youth life skills. Some of the programming
topics included anger management,
assertion, stress management, self esteem,
coping strategies, cognitive changes and
healthy relationships. Our main goal with
providing programming is so that the
youth are able to apply what they have
learned when dealing with their daytoday life experiences. The youth have
provided positive feedback about the
programming that is offered.
During my time as the shelter manager
I’ve been fortunate enough to work with
an exceptional team of dedicated staff,
students and volunteers. Their devotion
to serving at risk youth has been both
motivating and inspiring. At this time I
would like to thank Our Place Peel for the
opportunity to take on this role and I look
forward to continuing my future with Our
Place Peel as the Resource Counsellor.
Shana Thomas
Shelter Manager
michael’s story
Michael moved into Our Place Peel, in
Brampton in 2008, as he was in need of
stable housing.
Michael originally lived in Africa, and
was abandoned by his mother as an
infant. To this day Michael does not
have any contact with his mother, and
does not have any information on her
whereabouts. Michael’s father also left
Africa when Michael was a baby, leaving
his grandmother to raise Michael alone.
In 2005, when Michael was 14 years old, his
grandmother moved to the United States,
and sent Michael to live with his father and
his new wife in Brampton, Ontario. At the
hands of their father, Michael experienced
emotional and physical abuse. Due to the
severity of the abuse, Michael’s father was
charged with assault, and Michael fled his
father’s home. In 2008, Michael came to
live at Our Place Peel.
Despite all of the challenges that Michael
has faced throughout his lifetime, Michael
remains a very pleasant young man who
shows tremendous promise. He has been
accepted into post secondary to study
Mechanical Engineering, and has moved
on to live on campus.
We wish him all the best!
Since arriving at Our Place Peel in March
2008, Michael was able to secure Ontario
Works for income support, and focus
on completing his high school diploma.
He achieved high grades in school and
participated on sports teams. Upon
graduating from high school, he received
a small scholarship to help support his
future studies.
Our Place Peel Annual Report 2008 | 2009
9
residential manager report
Our Place Peel 1 is a semi-independent
transitional home in Brampton for youth
ages 16-21. Our Place Peel 1 operates on a
phase system. Clients enter the program on
phase one and move through the phases by
demonstrating growth, independence and
responsibility. It is the hope that all clients
graduate from the program, when they
have reached the fourth and final phase.
This year, Our Place 1 operated at a 66%
occupancy rate. We served 13 youth: 7
females and 6 males. The average age
was 17, and the average length of stay
was 18 days. Successfully some of our
youth had reconciled differences with
family members and were able to move
back home. Also, several of them were
able to secure their own accommodation
in a stable, long-term environment. Out
of the 13 youth 8 of them secured parttime employment and 12 of them were
enrolled in school. Of the 12 enrolled in
school, 4 of them received awards for
graduating at the top of their class.
Most of our clients were referred from
Our Place Peel 2, as well as Children’s Aid,
and School Boards. They were all from
the Region of Peel, mainly coming from
Brampton, Caledon, and Mississauga.
Our Place Peel 1 focuses on goal-setting
with each client. The purpose of our
program is to help youth develop the
skills they need to eventually live on their
own. We provide workshops and one-toone guidance with budgeting, cooking,
Ontario Works, OSAP the Residential
Tenancies Act, and employment support.
Our staff team is comprised of Child
Youth Workers, Social Service Workers,
Social Workers, and Teachers, providing a
wide range of experience in the Human
Services field.
10
In the upcoming year our goal is to
increase to occupancy rate by at least
20%. We will do this by raising awareness
through more presentations to different
agencies and schools, connecting with
community housing workers, connecting
with Children’s Aid, and participating on
more community committees. We also
plan to increase the number of volunteers
used in order to run special programs and
sporting activities for the youth.
I would like to take the time to thank all the
staff, students, and volunteers for all their
hard work and dedication. Thank you to all
our supporters and donors who believe in
our vision and give us the opportunity to
keep our doors open.
Claudett Bailey
Residential Manager
youth story
Dylan is a 16 year old who came to Our
Place Peel after years of struggle. Dylan
grew up in home with no father and a
drug addicted mother. Dylan began to use
drugs and alcohol at a very early age and
by the time he turned 16 his life appeared
to be on a one way track to tragedy.
Dylan stayed in various youth and adult
shelters in the Hamilton area. These stays
were short and on more than one occasion
Dylan had to be taken to the hospital
due to alcohol poisoning. Dylan also had
several run-ins with the law as a result of
his substance abuse.
Eventually Dylan found his way into a
short term safe bed program through the
Canadian Mental Health Agency, while
they were able to stabilize Dylan he could
not stay there for any extended length of
time. It was then that a worker from CMHA
contacted the shelter manager at Our
Place Peel. This worker was familiar with
the Our Place Peel program and felt that it
would be a safe, secure place where Dylan
could begin to rebuild his life.
Dylan was able to successfully move into
the residential program straight from Our
Place Peel. On his final day at Our Place
Peel Dylan expressed his appreciation to
staff and stated that this was the first time
where he felt safe in a shelter and though
he had only been here a short time he felt
at home.
Upon intake to Our Place Peel, Dylan
began to open up to staff and exhibit
a dry sense of humor. Dylan’s primary
worker began to formulate a case plan
with Dylan that would assist him in being
admitted to residential program in Whitby
where his unique needs could be met and
he could start afresh. The Youth Support
Coordinator was able to advocate with
Ontario Works on behalf of Dylan to secure
the necessary funds for Dylan to move
into the residential program in Whitby.
Our Place Peel Annual Report 2008 | 2009
11
9
resource room report
For the past year I have been the Resource
Counsellor filing in a one year contract.
Throughout the time that I have spent
as the Resource Counsellor the Resource
Room has been operating as usual with
over 1400 visits from youth who are
living in the shelter, ex-residents and
community members.
12
In November of 2008 I had the unique
opportunity to participate in a three
day National Homelessness Conference
held in Toronto, along with some of my
co-workers. The conference was very
informative and I learned a lot different
strategies and best practices for working
with the homeless population across
Canada. Much of what I had learned I was
able to apply to my work with the youth in
the Resource Room.
For 2008 youth visited the resource room
for many different reasons the majority of
the time it is to look for accommodations
and work on employment related needs,
471 youth used the computers in the
resource room specifically for housing and
employment. 458 youth met individually
with myself for support for various reasons,
such as computer assistance, housing and
employment searching, resume building
and interview skills.
Over the last year I have spent a lot of
time attending community meetings,
networking with other agencies and
attending numerous training opportunities.
I have been able to build partnerships
with outside agencies in order to better
assist the youth that come to Our Place
Peel. Through these partnerships I have
had different organizations, such as
Centre of Education and Training, Job
Skills and Centre of Education and
Rights in Accommodation come into the
Resource Room and facilitate housing and
employment workshop. I have also had
the opportunity along with one of my
co-workers to conduct a presentation
about Our Place Peel to numerous
community members at a Building Healthy
Communities meeting. The presentation
was to inform others about the programs
that we offer, admission and referral
criteria and answered any questions that
people may have about the program.
In May 2009 the resource room was
very fortunate to receive three brand
new computers. A request was made
to the region for the need of three new
computers as the current ones were not
suitable for the high amount of usage
any longer. These new computers have
allowed the youth to work more efficiently
as the computers are quicker and up
to date.
Over the past six years the Resource
Room has provided service for youth in
the shelter and in the community and will
continue to do so for many more years
to come.
Jennifer Pasquale
Resource Counsellor
H.Y.P.E
Helping Youth Prepare Effectively Report
It is hard to believe that nearly sixteen
months have passed since the re-launch of
Our Place Peel’s H.Y.P.E. program; Its seems
like it was only yesterday we were at the
drawing table, networking, creating flyers,
and conducting research. Our goal was
to construct an easily accessible outreach
program with the flexibility to cater to the
diverse and constantly evolving needs of
Peels youth. Recognizing that education
and employment are secondary priorities
when you’re struggling with life on the
streets one of the programs main focuses
have been assisting youth in locating
housing, reintegrating back into the
family home, or sustaining their current
accommodations. Once stable housing has
been achieved the coordinator attempts to
redirect the youth’s focus and motivation
towards promoting self-growth whether
it be through education, volunteerism,
employment and counselling.
“The H.Y.P.E. program is very helpful! It has
helped me in various ways such as school,
and also with accessing other services like
the community food bank. Aside from that
I personally think that the H.Y.P.E. program
will continue to help other youth in need
just as it did for me. I am truly thankful for
the H.Y.P.E. program because it is a very
good program.”
shawna 21 years of age
Since our official launch in June 2008
the H.Y.P.E. program almost immediately
found a home amongst the existing
services providers in the Region of Peel.
The reception of this program within
the social service community has been
outstanding. Throughout this past year
we have collaborated with several unique
organizations that offer youth based
services. Some of the organizations
include Ontario Work’s, Peel Career
Assessment Centre, The Ministry of
Children & Youth Services, Vita Centre,
Family Services of Peel, Peel Youth Village,
Associated Youth Services in Peel and
several schools within the Peel District
School Board & the Dufferin Peel Catholic
District School Board.
In 2008/2009 Our Place Peel’s H.Y.P.E.
program served a total of 62 unique
youth, averaging 17.5 years of age. While
the Emergency Shelter continues to see
a larger number of males utilizing their
service the H.Y.P.E. program appears to be
accessed by more females which continue
to represent over 60% of the ongoing
participants. The primary services that
were provided to youth participants
over this past year were with regards to
educational support, and attaining secure
and suitable housing. Other services
provided were referrals and assistance in
accessing food banks, counseling services,
and completing volunteer hours.
“The H.Y.P.E. program is a very helpful
program because it helps you reach your
goals. I’ve been working with Ian for 4 weeks
and I’ve gotten started on my community
hours for school, contacted my regional
worker, connected with my trustee and
the list continues. That is why I like the
H.Y.P.E. program.”
male, 17 years of age
The diversity that can be found amongst
the youth that participate in the H.Y.P.E.
program significantly reflect the unique
array of race, cultures, and personal beliefs
that have come to characterize the Peel
Region. While each youth involved with
the H.Y.P.E. program is unique in their own
way they all share one commonality that
cannot be argued. These are resourceful,
determined and extremely capable
young members of our community and
it has been an honor to work with them
throughout this past year.
Ian Baker
H.Y.P.E Coordinator
Our Place Peel Annual Report 2008 | 2009
13
development office report
The vital services that we provide to
facilitate change in homeless and at-risk
youth’s lives is made possible by the
people, corporations, community groups,
foundations and government agencies who
believe in our mission. In our 2008/2009
year we, as with the majority of other
organizations and corporations, have been
faced with trying financial circumstances.
Our Place Peel’s doors are still open to
homeless and disadvantaged youth in
our community thanks to the countless
amount of generous spirits. This gratitude
is amplified by the reality of the global
economic climate.
In April 2008 our H.Y.P.E. program was
launched. The majority of the means to
provide this unique outreach service to
at-risk youth in our community came from
funding provided by The Region of Peel.
The Region of Peel has made it possible
for our H.Y.P.E. Coordinator to provide
support to over 60 youth who are living
independently in the Region of Peel. This
support is assumed to have prevented
many youth from ending up either on the
streets or in the shelter system and has
encouraged independent and healthy
living. Our H.Y.P.E. Coordinator has also
had the opportunity to educate and raise
awareness of youth homelessness and
Our Place Peel’s programs to thousands of
youth via high school presentations.
Our Place Peel is fortunate to receive
funding from United Way of the Peel
Region in order to cover a portion of our
Youth Workers’ wages and benefits. Our
Youth Workers are truly the backbone of
our agency. The success of the youth who
complete our programs can be attributed
to the undying encouragement, support,
hope and counselling that our front-line
staff provide. All of our Youth Workers
are certified and have completed postsecondary education in a social service
program. On top of the funding that is
provided, United Way also organizes
“Days of Caring” where employees from
corporations come out to volunteer at our
facilities. Some of the corporations that
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have so kindly volunteered their time in
2008/2009 through official and unofficially
organized “Days of Caring” include Baxter
Healthcare, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Dupont,
and PCL Construction Management.
One corporation that has become a
dearly valued benefactor of the agency is
Canadian Tire Jump Start (formally known
as Canadian Tire Foundation for Families).
Canadian Tire Jump Start has provided
us with funding to cover a large portion
of our daily operating costs, an expense
that is typically difficult to obtain funds
for. Not only has Canadian Tire Jump Start
become a core funder of the agency their
employees’ faces can be seen at all of our
fundraising events. They were also the
Presenting Sponsor for our 2009 “Bowl
for Shelter. Support. Hope.” and they are
always ready to give gift-in-kind donations
to use as revenue generating prizes.
The second annual “Bowl for Shelter.
Support. Hope.” presented by Canadian
Tire Jump Start took place on March 1,
2009. There were a total of 28 teams who
registered for the event, a growth of 11
teams from last year. With support from
those who pledged our participants, the
participants, the gift-in-kind donors and
all of the volunteers “Bowl for Shelter.
Support. Hope. 2009” raised over $15,000!
Thank you to all corporate sponsors;
Canadian Tire Jump Start, G4S Cash
Services (Canada) Ltd., Iris Power, and
Pallett Valo LLP. We would also like to send
a special thank you to the GE employees
who came out and provided lane
supervision and to William and Shirley
Graham who sponsored a lane for our
youth to participate.
It is important to thank and recognize
the compassionate and generous
character of community members who
value the work that Our Place Peel does
in the Region of Peel. Many community
groups, individuals, and corporations
contact me on a regular basis to find out
what they can do to directly/indirectly
help homeless and at-risk youth. Many
times people volunteer their time,
donate goods that can be used in our
programs/given directly to the youth or
donate money. The generosity is always
intensified around the winter Holidays.
On December 25, 2008 we were able to
give beautiful gifts to all of our residents
to help brighten up their holiday spirit.
We thank all of our volunteers, event
attendees, gift-in-kind donors and
monetary donors. Your bigheartedness is
overwhelming.
Another form of giving that occurs
from our community members is third
party events. Last year, Christ Church in
Brampton held an event called, Festive
Songs and Stories. The event was well
attended and proceeds went directly to
our programs. Another third party event
that took place was put on by Liberty
Junction Theatre Company (LJTC). LJTC
is a children’s theatre school, which
produces plays. Our Place Peel was the
recipient of the concession stand profits
for two of their productions. Being
a recipient of a third party event is a
wonderful way to raise awareness about
youth homelessness and the programs
we provide. It is also an opportunity for
individuals/groups/corporations to have
a great time while making a difference in
their own community.
dramatically changes life circumstances
and opportunities for so many young
people all while the positive effects
ripple into your own community. Please
continue to believe and support Our
Place Peel and tell a friend why you do.
Thank you.
Andrea Cochrane
Manager, Resource Development
Our Place Peel has a very dedicated,
very skilled volunteer Board of Directors.
They construct Our Place Peel’s policies,
procedures and budget to operate as
efficiently, effectively and as fiscally
responsible as possible. We are proud
to announce that 80% of our 2008/2009
board members participated in our Family
Giving program and have made personal
monetary donations to the agency as well
as volunteer hours upon hours of their
time. We are also very proud to announce
that last year, 93% of our full-time staff
participated in the Family Giving program.
Thank you to everyone who believes in
Our Place Peel and the work that we do
in the community. I truly believe that our
efforts and our success with youth is felt
full-circle in the Region. Your donations
and energy have not been spent in vein
but rather put towards a cause that
Our Place Peel Annual Report 2008 | 2009
15
thank you
On behalf of the youth, staff and board of
directors we would like to thank you for
your generosity. Your support is important,
needed and very much appreciated.
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A&P
Adriane Nice
Alfred Jenkins
Alice Fazooli’s
Alice Popovich
Allan A. Martin Senior Public School
Allison Baker
Alphora Research Inc.
Amanda Greaves
Andrea Cochrane
Andrea Phillips
Andrea Pyman
Andrew Swanson
Andy Boehm
Angela de Brito
Anglican Church Women
Ann Clancy
Anna Waskow
Applewood United Church
Aroma Khokha
Atef H. Elgindi
Barbara Wiseman
Bell Canada Employee Giving Program
Beverley A. Mathew
Beverly Godson
Boston Pizza
Bruce Cochrane
Canada Helps
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities
Canyon Creek Chophouse
Carol McCurdy
Catalina Canola
Cawthra Park United Church
Chawla Family
Charlotte Marino
Chris Moore
Chris Susel
Christ Church Anglican
Christ Church United – Clarkson
Christy M. Upshall
Church of Saint Luke
Church Of The Holy Spirit
Claudett Bailey
Community Foundation of Mississauga
Cooksville United Church
Cora Gonzales
Courtney Gies
Craig Rideout
Daniela Stalteri
Dawn Grimmer
Denyse Krizmanich
Diane Gardisch
Donna M. Howell
Doug Turner
Douglas H Farr
E2 Energy INC
EcoSource
Edward King
Elisa Reid
Elisabeth Simpson
Ellen Morita
Equitable Trust
Erin Jamieson
Ernest Ackun
Federated Insurance
Frances Laming-Vancer
Francisco Alves
G. E Commercial Distribution Finance
G.E. Capital Canada
G4S Cash Services (Canada)
Glenforest Secondary School
Gordon Baker
Grace Kopacz
Greg Lethbridge
Hanif Ladha
Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School
Helen Agard
Helen Pavan
Hitachi Canada Ltd.
Home Depot of Canada Inc.
Ian Baker
Iris Power LP
J.P. Bickell Foundation
Jacqueline Crawford
James Colgan
Jamie King
Jane Anderson-Renton
Janice J. Lepiten
Jennifer Nemes
Jennifer Pasquale
Jonathan Oldman
Joseph & Dorothy Brown
Joseph Mbuyi
Josie Araujo
Jule Mycan
Julie Solomon
Justin Maat
Karlie McKenna
Kasseler Food Products Inc.
Kathleen Freeman
Keg Restaurants Ltd.
Kevin Barley
Kirk Clark
Knights of Columbus JFK Council
Knights of Columbus Our Lady of Peace
Knights of Columbus St Christopher’s Council
Knights of Columbus St. Patrick’s Council
Knights of Columbus, Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Konrad Kopacz
KPMG
Kurtis Graham
Landmark Tuesday Morning Stitchers
Laura-Lea K. Upshall
Laurie Williamson Pontiac Buick Ltd.
Li Yan
Lorene Albers
Malvern Investments
Marie Toyota
Marilyn Dalzell
May Nwokedi
McKesson Logistics Solutions
Mike O’Rourke
Mississauga Waterfront Festival
Mona Gudjurgis
Morris I. Ingram
Mount Vesuvio’s Ristorante
Murray Laidlaw
Nancy Erb Kee
Nick Gathalian
One Design Boatcovers
Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Assoc.
Ontario Gama Sigma Master chapter
Ontario Trillium Foundation
OPG Employees’ and Pensioners’
Pallet Valo LLP
Pamela Yudcovitch
Patricia Cochrane
Patricia R Keffer
Patsy Ann Baker-Dean
Paula de Brito
Paula Paterson
Playdium
Pricewaterhouse Coopers Foundation
R.C.E.C. St John of the Cross Parish
Randy Cowan
Region of Peel
Risen Christ Lutheran Church
Roberta Awde
Rotary Club of Mississauga
RYLA District 70
Sandra MacDonald
Sanjay Gomes
Seevaratnam Yoharajah
Shana Thomas
Sharon Walker
Sheldon Osmond
Shelley Toyota
Sherri Johnson
Sherrie L. Ross
Shirley Graham
Sikhcess
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
St. Francis Xavier Secondary School
St. Hilary’s Anglican Church
St. John the Baptist Church
St. Marguerite d’Youville S.S.
St. Mary’s Catholic Women’s League
St. Peter’s Erindale
Stella Young
Streetsville United Church Women
Stuart Zaltz
Susan Baird
Our Place Peel Annual Report 2008 | 2009
17
18
thank you - continued
contact information
Susan Lloyd
Susan Tierney
Sutton Group - Summit Realty Inc.
Tanya M. Godson
Ted Goodwin
Telus Communications Co.
The Lions Club of Mississauga Credit Valley
Tiffany Moniz-Groen
Tim Purvis
Timothy Tham
Trade Secrets
Turner Fenton Secondary School
United Way of Greater Toronto
United Way of Peel Region
Vickie Micallef
Victim Services of Peel
Wal-Mart, Store 3130
Wendie Gibbons
Wendy Davis
William Ashley Ltd.
William Chung
William Graham
Wilma Upshall
Xandra Busche
XL Insurance Company Limited
Yinka Obisesan
Zonta Club of Mississauga
Main Office and Emergency Youth Shelter
Our Place Peel
3579 Dixie Road
Mississauga, ON L4Y 2B3
T 905.238.1383
F 905.238.6916
[email protected]
Our Place 1 Residential Centre
T 905.454.1048
F 905.454.1698
Resource Room
T 905.238.7578
F 905.238.3474
HYPE Program
T 647.234.1383
Charitable Registration Number
119074136RR0001
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ourplacepeel.org
our place peel
To make a donation or to volunteer, please call 905.238.1383
We are greatful for your support!
ourplacepeel.org