Issues & Trends from the Executive Director

June 2024

This past year we have seen many changes at Community Living Victoria. CLV has a completely new management team. This new team brings a wealth of experience and passion to supporting people with intellectual disabilities, coaching teams, and embracing technology to improve efficiencies in our work which in turn enables us to spend more time with the people we support.

On August 1 2023, CLV assumed responsibility for Twin Oaks, two community homes previously operated by Victoria Community Resources Society which dissolved as a society. We were pleased to welcome 9 individuals to the CLV family along with most of their staff team. Twin Oaks has a nursing component which means that CLV now has 4 nurses on staff who not only provide the support to the individuals at Twin Oaks but are available to support all of the people CLV serves with nurse related functions such as updating health care plans and providing staff training.

The Victoria Community Living Foundation board voted to set aside funds for CLV to hire a full time Fundraiser, a first for CLV. In November 2023, Colleen Youngblutt officially became CLV’s Manager of Philanthropy. Colleen brings a wealth of experience and is working to raise CLV’s profile and boost our fundraising efforts. We are planning several fundraising events this year.

July 5th Comedy for a cause at the Vic Theatre featuring Curan Dobbs and Friends. Curan is supported through our Supported Independent living Program and was on Canada’s got Talent last year. Tickets are $25.00 and available through our website. The event is for adults 19 years and older and there will be a cash bar on site.

July 13th we are hosting the Walter P Chrysler Car club car show on the CLV grounds. Please join us to look at some great classic cars. Entry is by donation, there will be vendors, an info booth, music, and food truck on site.

We are thrilled to have Ria Mae back for our 15th Concert for Hope. Help. Home at the McPherson playhouse on November14th. Tickets will be on sale in June, so stay tuned for further details.

To learn more about upcoming events, check out our events page on our website.

Our Reach for the Sun Campaign is now live, Over the past 3 decades we have raised more than

$169,500. This year the Campaign will run until September and our goal is to raise $10,000.00 so, please consider donating and spread the word.

The Victoria Community Living Foundation is searching for new members. This foundation’s sole purpose is to raise funds and the profile of Community Living Victoria. If you are interested in learning more or becoming a member of this board, please contact Mike Jensen at mjensen@clvic.ca

Special thanks to THINK Communications for funding our matching grant program again this year. Thanks to THINK’s generosity, we were able to provide over $5000.00 to grant applicants, in four domains, Health, Quality of Life, Education and Inclusion.

Our 2021 – 2024 strategic plan has provided guidance and influenced our work for the past 3 years.

The strategic directions set in 2021 were:

• People get the support that they need and in the way they want it
• People are living in safe and affordable housing of their choice
• CLV has a stable and diverse workforce
• CLV is a leader in the provision of sustainable and innovative services

We have continued to focus on the accessibility needs in our homes and programs and have provided equipment and adaptations to meet people’s needs as they age.

We hosted a brainstorming session with various community partners including CLBC, School districts, the Advocate for Service Advocate and representatives from Island Health to promote a person-centered approach that encompass informed choice, options, easy access to adequate care and seamless transitions across systems for individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism and complex needs. The brainstorming session was the first step in identifying next steps to work collaboratively to support people with complex needs to obtain the supports and services they require.

We have re-established a connection with Makola Housing Development to submit a proposal to develop a residential building on CLV’s main site. You may recall we submitted a proposal in 2020 to build a 41-unit apartment building on the property. Unfortunately, we were not successful in obtaining the funding through BC Housing. With the current mandate for municipalities to increase affordable housing options we are expecting our next proposal will be successful. We met with the Mayor of Saanich in April who supported the project in principle and now we plan to densify the project to include potentially 60 units on the property along with CLV’s office and programming space. Work has begun with Makola to identify funding options with the goal of submitting a new proposal to BC Housing during their November funding call.

We are fortunate to have hired a number of new employees over the past few years. While we continue to hire on a regular basis, we are fortunate to have a committed stable workforce that supports individuals with dedication and passion each and every day.

Our next Strategic Planning session is scheduled for October 2024 which will help guide our work for the next 3 years.

We have been fortunate to receive a variety of grants to improve our support over the past year.

In 2023, we received a grant from the Canadian Red Cross Rapid Relief Program. The funding has been used to create a train the trainer program to enhance our orientations in our homes and programs. This has enabled staff who showed interest in professional development to participate in a training program that enables them to provide thorough and consistent orientations to new employees in our homes and programs.

We were fortunate to have received another grant from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction along with 9 other organizations across the province to continue the Youth Impact Project which will enable us to support another12 youth with pre-employment skills. The past two years have been a huge success, and we look forward to supporting another cohort this summer.

We also received a grant from Inclusion BC to conduct community engagement sessions in Victoria, and the Westshore. This grant will enable us to work collaboratively with community groups to come together as a community to work on a system of support for children with complex support needs. Work is already underway creating these engagement sessions with our community partners.

In February of this year, in collaboration with Inclusion BC, we hosted an employment network breakfast which included various service providers from the South Island along with inclusive employers. The intention of the forum was to promote inclusive hiring among employers to gain an understanding of the benefits to employers when they hire someone with an intellectual disability. In collaboration with Inclusion BC, we also launched CLV’s employer of the year video which highlights MOD Pizza in the west shore who won our Employer of the year award in 2023.

We were thrilled that the new collective agreement was ratified in 2023. Highlights of the new agreement include significant money for low wage redress for all members in addition to general wage increases, improvements to occupational health and safety, and enhancements to health and welfare benefits. Our employees work so hard every day to support the people we serve and we are grateful for the additional compensation they so deserve.

CLV completed it’s 7th accreditation survey June 5-7. While the intention of accreditation is to ensure that CLV meets all the required standards necessary to continue to receive funding from Community Living British Columbia, it is also an opportunity to showcase all of the great work that CLV does in our community. I am happy to report that out over 1,200 standards, CLV did not receive any recommendations! This is a huge accomplishment and I am so proud of everyone for all their hard work not only preparing for the survey but for the work we do every single day. Part of the exit survey includes a list of strengths of the organization, CLV’s number 1 strength is our commitment and relationships with the people we support. The surveyors heard from several individuals and families how confident people feel with our services. Words like “trust”, “acceptance”, “a place of belonging” and “safe” were mentioned by many people interviewed. This speaks to the ongoing commitment we have at CLV to the people we support to live as independently as possible and to receive services in a way that works best for them. Well done everyone! We will receive the official report from CARF in approximately 6 weeks which will be added to our website. So stay tuned to read more information about how fabulous CLV really is!

Mike Jensen
Executive Director
Community Living Victoria