Ottawa Salus 2022-2023 Annual Report

Thanks to our donor community, Ottawa Salus was there for our clients and tenants through unprecedented times and unprecedented circumstances.

Introduction

Letter From the Board Chair and Executive Director

The Salus team went through some heavy weather this year. From the continuing pandemic to the catastrophic flood at our independent living building on Athlone Street, these were big storms to face. Thanks to our generous donors and dedicated staff, Salus made it through these challenges and has emerged stronger.

Being prepared for disaster helps an organization to respond efficiently. In 2022, Salus’ senior leadership team updated our business continuity plan and took a half-day crisis communications workshop. When the flood happened, staff were prepared and were laser-focused on the well being of the impacted tenants. They prioritized clients having access to their essential belongings while ensuring they immediately had safe and supported places to stay. Staff worked hard to stabilize clients and help them settle into their temporary homes, while continuing to provide programming in creative and innovative ways.

Our community also responded with compassion and urgency. We’re enormously grateful to our donors for supporting tenants following this unexpected emergency. We’re also deeply thankful to community partners who provided Salus with temporary office space, city officials who visited, and housing organizations who prioritized displaced Salus tenants.

During the past year, the board developed a new strategic plan, completed a governance refresh (i.e. how the board manages itself, frequency of meetings, mandates of sub committees), created a new board nominations approach and laid the foundation for Salus to grow. A strong board has become even stronger.

The new strategic plan is forward-looking, aspirational, concrete, and grounded in data and research. One of our top priorities is aging in place — ensuring Salus is offering the housing and support services that clients need today and in the future as they age.

People living with serious mental illness who have experienced chronic homelessness are at increased risk for a range of health conditions as they reach middle age. The most serious of which is premature aging. By the time these clients reach their mid-forties, they will have aged faster than most and are experiencing health problems similar to people in their sixties and seventies. We are quietly working to launch Canada’s first supportive housing community for older adults with a history of mental health challenges. This building is set to open its doors in late 2024.

Salus has a role in the evolving healthcare ecosystem, a system that includes healthcare, mental health, housing, social services and more. We are truly excited about our future. There is an important focus in Ottawa on affordable and supportive housing. The challenges facing our systems and services are multiple and they are siloed. These challenges have also created opportunities to innovate and challenge the status quo.

Salus has a bold vision of stable housing for everyone. And our goal is that by 2030 we will have built sufficient capacity to double the number of people we serve.

We believe that with our donors, staff and board of directors, we are on a great path forward.

Mark MacAulay, President and CEO
Camille Therriault-Power, Chair, Board of Directors

Continue reading letter

Mission

We create opportunities for adults with mental illness to live in the community by providing housing and support services.
Vision

The well-being and full participation in the community of adults living with mental illness.
Core Values

The well-being and full participation in the community of adults living with mental illness.

Quality

We strive for excellence in all that we do.

Respect

We create a culture of inclusion based on trust, openness and dignity for all.

Collaboration

We work with others in cooperation and partnership, always looking for better ways to serve our clients.

Integrity

We work with uncompromising fairness and honesty.

Compassion

Our common purpose to serve and support brings meaning to our work.

Mark Macaulay

President and CEO

Camille Therriault-Power

Chair, Board of Directors

Bernard Etzinger

Fiona Murray

Lindsay Taub

Tim Moran

Sarah Bertrand

Melanie Vadeboncoeur

Janet Yale

Sanjay Srivastava

Michel Boulay

Myles Kirvan

Departed from board during June 2022 AGM.

Phillipe
Lachapelle

On behalf of the entire organization, we extend our sincere gratitude to Phillipe for his service, dedication, and the positive impact he has had on our mission.

Not pictured:

Harpreet Grewal

Accomplishments

2022-2023 Accomplishments

Proud Graduates from our Transitional Rehabilitation Program

Ten Salus clients graduated in September from our Transitional Rehabilitation Program. This one-year residential program on Fisher Avenue helps persons with severe and persistent mental illness transition from being in a mental health hospital to living independently.

Client and Community Partner Community Appreciation Event

In September, we hosted our first in-person client and community partner appreciation event since before the pandemic. To celebrate being back together in-person, we had an outdoor carnival party with carnival games, popcorn, cotton candy, a musical performance by Dreamers' Song and Dance, as well as delicious ice-cream from Merry Dairy!

Recreation: Activities Galore and a Heartfelt Farewell

Our incredibly dedicated team includes two recreologists. They help clients and tenants work towards their goals by creating a recreational program that responds to client and tenant needs.

“

We’re also deeply thankful to community partners who provided Salus with temporary office space, city officials who visited, and housing organizations who prioritized displaced Salus tenants.”

”

— Mark MacAulay, President and CEO, Ottawa Salus

Client stories

Marina’s Story

Client stories

Marina is sharing her story in her own words.

In 2014, I was homeless and lived on the street for three months. I stopped eating and rapidly lost 40 lbs. My kidneys began to fail and I didn’t even have the energy to walk anymore. I had given up hope. One day, I laid down on the park bench that I often slept on and I closed my eyes.

I thought that was going to be my last day.

I was in a hospital bed when I woke up. I spent the following two months in community housing, then on the street again, then back in the hospital where I was finally stabilized with the right medication.

Another patient at the hospital told me about Ottawa Salus and how incredible they were. I talked to my doctor and she agreed it would be a good fit to help me get back on my feet. I was referred to Salus’ Transitional Rehabilitation Housing Program on Fisher Avenue for one year.

Case managers and community developers taught me basic life skills. Things like money management, cooking lessons, how to clean and keep up with daily life. I began to feel that sense of community again. And I even went back to school that year to obtain a diploma in public policy and program evaluation.

She always had the skills, she just didn’t have the confidence. And that’s what I helped her work on. In the last six months that I spent as Marina’s case manager, I was there as her cheerleader. She no longer needed me, she was accomplishing her goals entirely on her own. That’s when we both knew it was time for her to walk on her own again. I’m so proud of how far she has come. To see her this accomplished in life is incredible.

It’s been an absolute honour for me to have been given the opportunity to walk beside Marina.

- Rosa, Case Manager, Salus

I finally have a good support system and a fulfilling life again, thanks to the care and support I received from Salus over an eight-year period.

For the past three years, I’ve had a full-time job in the government and I live in an apartment with two roommates who have become great friends to me. One of my roommates is like a sister. We travel all over together and have so much fun.

I can confidently say that the Transitional Rehabilitation Housing Program and Salus staff saved my life.

Claire's Story

HOUSING

Flood at our Residences and Offices on Athlone

The Flood

In 2023 Ottawa experienced its coldest February 4 in 100 years. The wind chill was -40°C at 7 a.m. according to Environment Canada; the coldest February 4 since 1923.

During bitter cold temperatures, a sprinkler pipe froze and burst on the fourth floor at Salus’ five story independent living apartment building on Athlone Avenue at Scott, where our head office was also located.

The fire department arrived within minutes and turned off the water valves. However, from arrival to shutting off the valves, approximately 20,000 litres of water spread throughout four building floors. The elevator was smoking and had to be shut down.

The building was flooded and was uninhabitable. The elevator was broken, the stairwells sustained significant damage. Nobody could live or work at Athlone.

The fire department advised the evacuation of all tenants.

Salus’ Preparedness

Being prepared for disaster helps an organization to respond. In 2022 Salus' management team updated their business continuity plan (BCP). In the event of a disaster, a BCP helps an organization restore critical business functions and continue delivering services.

Immediate Response

Tenants packed enough clothing for a few weeks. With no elevator, the fire department assisted many residents down the stairs. By 9 p.m. the same day, we relocated tenants to two hotels, with a few tenants choosing to stay with family.

Tenant Housing

In early- to mid-February, the integrated program team worked with clients to match them to available accommodations within Salus housing as well as with other housing providers. The team placed a lot of weight on the needs and preferences expressed by tenants to identify the best option for each client.

Staff Workspace and Wellness

The building on Athlone was both a tenant residence, and the office and meeting space for 40 Ottawa Salus staff. With the office space on Athlone also flooded, staff worked from home or in other Salus buildings.

Donations in Response to the Flood

The media coverage and other philanthropic efforts resulted in donations. We were overwhelmed by the response from the community in support of flood relief for our Athlone tenants.

Donor Recognition

Grateful for the Tannis Family

Eli Tannis and his family members have long been Salus supporters. The Karen’s Place building on Clementine Avenue was funded in part by the Tannis family, who hold the award-winning building close to their hearts. Karen's Place was named in memory of their loved one, Karen Nesrallah, who passed away in 2010 due to mental illness.

Not only does the family donate, personally deliver and help package food for tenants at Karen's Place four times a year, but in December 2022, they went above and beyond to bring smiles to tenants across Salus-owned housing! Each tenant received a festive food box filled with non-perishable items to help them feel the warmth of the giving season.

We are forever grateful to this truly special family who continue to support Salus and our community all year long. Their kindness and generosity is changing lives every single day.

Collage of Tannis family christmas drive

Did You Know?

From the Latin word meaning “health and wellness”, Salus was developed from the founders' concern that far too many vulnerable people with severe mental illnesses were being discharged from hospitals without adequate supports.

By the Numbers

Data as of March 31, 2023

Staff Recruitment and Diversity

38.9%

of applicants this fiscal year were Black, Indigenous or persons of colour
57.2%

of applicants this fiscal year were women
3.1%

of applicants are non-binary or a gender other than female or male
14.8%

of applicants were newcomers to Canada
41

hires this fiscal year: 17 internal and 24 external
12

hires were Black, Indigenous or persons of colour
Staff turnover rate is 17.4%. 20 of our 115 staff departed Salus’ during the year.

Salus’ staff turnover rate is 17.4%, compared to a 26% average at organizations across the Ontario Health Team East region.

Clients

852

Clients served
48,410

Times Salus has contact with clients

27,031

Face-to-face
14,594

Phone
5,421

Email or text
803

Video
561

Other

(e.g. completing paperwork or tasks on clients’ behalf, and making outreach attempts, including sending written letters to them)

Housing

179 units

Salus-owned housing: 14 buildings and 3 condos.
(This excludes the 40 units unavailable during flood repairs.)
188

Tenants housed at March 31, 2023:
3 years

Average wait time to access permanent housing at Salus
644

Housing applications received

Picture of 4 members of the maintenance crew

Left to right: James, Sophie, Rick and Renato (missing are Hao and Gerry).

Maintenance Story

Our maintenance team goes above and beyond for tenants and staff

Salus’ 14 facilities and 3 condo units are maintained by six maintenance staff, two cleaners and contractors. Beyond being skilled and knowledgeable about building codes and construction, we hire maintenance staff and cleaners dedicated to working with adults with severe and persistent mental illness.

They are core members of our team to keep Salus running smoothly. Planned maintenance includes everything from fire alarm testing to keep everyone safe, to routine inspections and adjustments such as filter changes.

The maintenance team also responds to requests. In 2022-23, Salus’ maintenance staff responded to 1,236 maintenance requests from tenants and staff. These requests are anything from leaky faucets and broken windows, to clogged toilets, and door and lock repairs.

In addition to making the repairs, members of the maintenance team may work with tenants to teach them skills such as how to plunge a toilet, how to work and set the thermostat within the unit and how to turn breakers back on when necessary. This builds tenants’ skills and confidence to live more independently.

The Salus maintenance team plays a crucial role in early identification of tenants who are struggling with their health, often reflected in behavioral changes and in the maintenance of units. They are often the first in line in seeing how a tenant is doing. Maintenance also plays a role in implementing accessible and inclusive housing accommodations, with the installation of grab bars or removal of barrier obstacles within a living environment.

Left to right: James, Sophie, Rick and Renato (missing are Hao and Gerry).

Some maintenance issues can’t wait until the next business day. The maintenance team offers a 24/7 service and responds to after-hours property emergency calls at Salus and also at four Youth Services Bureau buildings.

Thank you to our maintenance staff for being invaluable members of our team!

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