[homeles_ot-l] Nelson House - 1) Update on AGM & 2) job posting for Executive Director (closes Aug 17th)

Tue Aug 7 01:42:03 EDT 2012

Hi folks,

Please circulate the attached job posting for the Nelson House Executive Director position as widely as you can. The closing date is August 17th and applications should go to: nelsonhouseEDsearch at gmail.com.

If you are interested in supporting Nelson House's board of directors in any way,you can contact them at: BOD at nelsonhouse.on.ca . In my update, you will see several areas in which they will be looking for community assistance. This is also the place to send them applause and encouragement as they try to get through the tasks they have ahead of them. They are doing what they do on behalf of the women and children who need refuge but are acting on behalf of us, the broader community. It would be a good thing if the community gave them a pat on the back. 

The update below is my interpretation of what transpired at the meeting and so may not align perfectly with the minutes of the meeting or other people's observations. I hope it's an accurate reflection on the afternoon's events. 

Linda.

NH update - August 6, 2012 

The Nelson House AGM took place on Friday afternoon at Carlington CHC. There was a good turnout even in the face of the heat and that it was a holiday weekend. The interim board that was appointed in June has been working diligently to pull things back from the cliff upon which the House’s affairs were perched as recently as June 14th. This has happened with assistance from MCSS and staff but the community needs to know that these women on the board put in literally hundreds of hours of volunteer time starting as virtual neophytes, familiarizing themselves with the House operations, attending countless meetings and producing the material required to face the membership at an AGM. Although I’m sure it seemed like a lifetime to them, it was only seven weeks after they took office that this AGM took place. 
Because the last AGM was in November 2010, the members received and approved two sets of audited financial statements along with explanations of some of the figures from the auditor. What will please and surprise many of you is that the organization, contrary to information you may have received from ‘elsewhere’, is on a solid financial footing as of year-end on March 31st, 2012. In fact, they had an annual deficit of approximately $25K in 2010; a surplus of about $26K in 2011 and a surplus of around $48K in 2012 – note that the 2012 amount includes an under-expenditure in various MCSS-funded areas of roughly $14K which may have to be returned to the Ministry which could reduce the 2012 surplus figure to about $34K. On revenues of approximately $907K, it would be my opinion that a surplus of at least $34K does not indicate financial ruin. 
Another figure that I know has been of concern to people was the allegation that 95% of the House’s revenue was going to cover staff costs. Adding all staff-related items, including salaries, benefits, training and travel, together and increasing that by $40K to reflect the period where there was no ED gets me a figure of 75% of all revenue and 88% of the MCSS contribution. This is not out of line with other shelters or other labour-intensive operations in the community and reflects their 24/7 operations. I don’t know where the 95% figure came from but it does not reflect reality as demonstrated by the financial statements. 
{This was not part of the AGM since the current year's financials don't get presented to the membership until next year. However, I have had several people asking me how Nelson House is doing now financially. I was at a board meeting last week and saw the draft quarterly statements for April-June 2012. Since they were drafts, I won't mention any numbers but I can tell you that they raised no concerns for me. There will be a number of extraordinary expenses as a result of recent events, most of which took place within that quarter. I did clarify at the AGM that all the expenses of the external consultants contracted by the previous board have been submitted and paid and that there are no other significant carry-over expenses.} 
Another piece of good news is the election of a permanent board of directors to manage the House. You would have received the call for nominations and will be glad to hear that the community responded. They had more nominees than places on the board and the nominating committee met with candidates and then prepared a slate to present to the AGM. This is the process set out in the bylaws which do not provide for nominations from the floor. The resulting board is a good mix of skills and experience which includes five members of the interim board who will ensure some continuity. These members will serve for varying terms to create a rotation so that not everyone comes up for election in three years. 
The last part of the meeting was an accounting of what the interim board has done and where things sit as of this week followed by a lively question and answer session. In addition, MCSS staff gave some information from their perspective about the situation both past and present as well as their commitment to work with the board in the future. 
In response to the very serious risk assessment done earlier this year, the board is required to prepare a risk mitigation plan for MCSS’s approval. Continued funding of the shelter will depend on an acceptable plan and its implementation to MCSS’s satisfaction. They have started work on it and will have it ready for Ministry approval by mid-August. It will include goals as well as quarter-by-quarter timelines and they are considering if it would be possible/appropriate to release all or part of it to the community. Based on the risk assessment, the board has identified several areas of concern and mapped out how they plan to approach each one. 
In the area of governance, they are looking to develop continuity and ensure the necessary skills are on the board or available to it. Board turnover has been an issue in the past and was exacerbated by the lack of an executive director. They are looking at ways that people can assist the board such as with finance and fundraising committees. This will be a way to bring in outside help but also to develop future board members. If you are interested in helping out in any way, short or long term, please contact the board at: BOD at nelsonhouse.on.ca – they will be glad to hear from you. 
They are looking at rebuilding relationships in the community both within the VAW sector and with other social service agencies at a board and a staff level. These outside partnerships are essential so that they can provide the best service to the residents and supports for the staff. They have posted the job description for an ED and are hoping to have the position filled and the House open again in early fall. 
In the medium term, they will be doing some strategic planning in the next quarter. To ensure quality of service, they will be developing evaluation processes both operationally and for management purposes. The Health and Safety Committee will be regenerated to improve and oversee safety issues in the House. Their intent is to have a more responsive set-up so that issues are dealt with in a timely manner. They are going to establish a mentoring and monitoring committee made up of ED’s from other VAW agencies to provide support and oversight. This commitment was received enthusiastically by the two ED’s that were present and, having spoken to other sector members, I know will be taken up by others. One of the great mysteries for a lot of people has been why the previous board did not reach out to the community for help when it was clear that things were not going well. 
For the next AGM, they will be reviewing their policies and the bylaws for two purposes. The first is to revise any that need amending to reflect the new orientation of the board and the House. The second is to make sure that all is in compliance with the requirements of the new Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act which have to be met by October 17, 2014. There are new financial reporting requirements as well as governance issues that may have to be dealt with. 
One of the issues raised by the members was the question of ongoing communication and involvement of the community in Nelson House. This has certainly been a concern of a lot of people who have spoken to me. As one person put it, the best protection against arriving in this situation again is to have a vibrant and involved community backing the board and staff as they go about providing the services to women and children in need. Lots of us have heard the rumours and stories that are out in the community whether about finances, the previous board, the staff or the residents. The best way to respond is to ensure that the truth, whatever that might be, is easily and openly accessible. Members have asked that the board minutes be posted on the website as well as meeting times and locations so that members can follow what is happening. They also asked to have access to the risk mitigation plan or some version of it to be able to follow the resurrection of
 the House and to be able to offer supports as needed to put it in place. 
A lot of work has been done and clearly there remains a lot to be done. With a new, committed board, a new executive director and an involved community, it should be possible to maintain the services of Nelson House for the benefit of the women and children that need it.
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