Table of Contents - HOME Society · 2018. 1. 21. · H.O.M.E.S. Annual Report 2015/2016 3 | P a g e Past President’s Report Petra Rentrop It’s hard to believe that we are winding

H.O.M.E.S. Annual Report 2015/2016

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Table of Contents

Society Board of Directors ………………..…………………………………….......................... 2

Past President’s Report….……………………………….……………….…………………………... 3

Cam’s E.D. Report …………………………………………………………………..………………….. 5

Dave’s E.D. Report …………………….………………………………………………………………… 8

Supported Family Care/Home Share Report………………………………………..… ……….. 15

Quality Improvement and Training Report…………………………..……… …………………. 18

Attachment – HOMES current phone list

Appendix – Audited Financial Report


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2015/2016 Board of Directors

Petra Rentrop Past President – Resigned February 2016

Patty Bojczuk Vice President

Ed Baartman Secretary/Treasurer

Directors:

Allan Skuce Director

Brian Gross Director – Resigned May 2016

Robert Carpenter Director

Josh Van Vugt Director

Phil Spour Director

Jeannie Martin Director

Clive Martin Director

Sharlene Hawksby Director

Finance Committee:

Ed Baartman Chairman

Allan Skuce President

Robert Carpenter Director

Co-Executive Directors

Cam Doré, MSW

Dave Lappin


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Past President’s Report Petra Rentrop

It’s hard to believe that we are winding up

another successful year. As the year has

galloped along, we have stayed true to our

mission, under the excellent leadership and

direction of our Co-Executive Directors,

Cam Dore and Dave Lappin. Staff have

committed themselves to on promoting a

Culture of Gentleness – with an emphasis

on “safe” and “loved” (even during

sometimes challenging circumstances).

The Home-share division at H.O.M.E.S. has

welcomed 10 new families that we have the privilege of supporting and building

friendships with.

It was once again a pleasure to attend the wonderful HOMES Christmas dinner which was

held at the Abbotsford Banquet Center. Another delightful opportunity to enjoy a

delicious meal and spend quality time with one another.

HOMES participated in the Include Me/Quality of Life Surveys of this year. Some of the

domains focused on were emotional, material and physical well-being, as well as personal

development, self-determination, interpersonal relations and social inclusion. HOMES

did well - the results were good/favourable.

HOMES also had their CARF Accreditation in April. They did wonderfully well – no

surprise under the impressive leadership of Cam Dore, Dave Lappin and Shelley Rath.


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How can we wrap up the year without mentioning CAMP? What an amazing time we had.

The BBQ and Elvis show are always the highlight and this year’s festivities did not

disappoint.

H.O.M.E.S. continues support of the Wood-Knot Store and sponsored the Bridge Canine

Care Training Program for another session. Wood Knot has been an excellent vehicle for

people to learn retail and woodworking skills. The Bridge Canine Care and Training

Program has prepared folks to build careers in the dog and pet care industry. Students

have completed job practicums and are now actively seeking employment. It was a

pleasure to present again at the Inclusion BC Conference, in Prince George this year. The

Bridge presentation was well received by attendees and Rush, the dog was a big hit, once

again.

Thank you to all of the staff at HOMES for your dedication, teamwork and mentorship.

From the administrative staff to the accounting department, the lawn crew, receptionists,

cleaning staff; to all of the dedicated staff providing direct services to the individuals

served by the agency. Thank you everyone for your hard work!!!

The Board of Directors continue to offer support and direction to our Executive Directors.

Collectively, we endeavor to protect the assets of the organization and minimize risks all

the while meeting our obligations in a prudent fashion. This annual report will reveal the

extent of our cooperative efforts.

It was an honor and a privilege to on the Board of Directors for the amazing H.O.M.E.

Society. Although I have resigned my position as President, I am looking forward to

collaborating with HOMES on new projects as well as the Bridge Canine Care Training

Program.

Respectfully,

Petra Rentrop


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Co-Executive Director’s Report Cam Doré

The HOME Society adopted Gentle Teaching over 20 years ago. In 2000 we hosted the

first gentle Teaching international conference in Vancouver and repeated this in 2000.

Since then we have supported conferences all over the world, including cities like Tokyo,

Osaka in Japan, Ghent Belgium, Haarlam in the Netherlands, Solund in Denmark, and in

Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, San Jaun, Toronto and a variety of

other North American cities. This year we have again supported the conference in Iceland.

Next year it is back to Vancouver. Preparations are already underway.

The HOME Society has also supported the www.gentlerteaching.com web site for nearly

2 decades. This year in Iceland we will see the launch of a new version of the site supported

by our colleagues in Regina. COR has taken on this upgrade and we are all awaiting the

results.

One more cent contribution to the gentle Teaching community came when HOMES

formed a non-profit called the Gentle Teaching International Society to help further and

stabilize the work of Gentle Teachers and mentors across the world.

One final Gentle Teaching reminder came

when Natasha was invited to a large GT

conference in Michigan. Natasha was part

of the group of 10 individuals who shared

their HOMES story over 10 years ago. The

resulting video has been used across the

world in for gentle Teaching training. In

Michigan they train thousands of people

each year and they have all seen the video

“I’ve been down that road” which débuted

in Ghent Belgium 10 years ago. The

http://www.gentlerteaching.com/


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conference organizers asked if Natasha and her family could attend as she was such a star

in their eyes. We made another video outlining the challenges and successes that Natasha

has achieved over the last decade, there was not a dry eye in the house when the video

ended and Natasha was treated like a rock star with everyone wanting a selfie with her.

At HOMES we have supported Self Advocates

right from the start when we argued that the

last folks to leave the institution might have

some significant challenges but they deserved

to live in the community like everyone else.

This fall we are preparing for the 18th Self

Advocate leadership Retreat at the Edenvale

retreat house. Self-advocates have gathered

here for a 3 day retreat every thanksgiving

weekend and have honed their leadership

skills. This retreat was also the start of the SelfAdvocatenet.com web site which has grown

to be the largest and most significant voice on issues that affect self-advocates worldwide.

Many congratulations to Bryce and Joe for their amazing dedication over nearly 2

decades.

Over the year we dedicated time and resources to the birth of Wood-Knot a store that

specializes in wood products both donated, repurposed and custom built. Over the last 6

months Wood-Knot has begun to work in conjunction with storage warriors initially

around clothing and Value Village bins and more recently around a store front called Thee

Storage Warriors which is subleased from Wood-Knot. The latest move into store fronts

comes out of the Bridge Canine Training Program. They have opened a store to sell second

hand pet supplies. This store is managed with the help of the Canine Training graduates.


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I was the first president of HOMES back in 1994 so it has been over 2 decades with

HOMES for me and my family. I plan to retire after next year’s GT 2017 conference.

Things are not slowing down but speeding up and there still are lots of goals for HOMES

to achieve. I am very grateful for the many dedicated caregivers who bring warmth and a

caring spirit to their work. We are also very fortunate to have a growing number of

families willing to share their homes and who network and work hard to keep everyone in

the large family care network feeling loved and supported. We have had an amazing group

of managers. There has been very little turnover at

homes.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend

my thanks to the HOMES Board members. To

our long-standing members past and present;

we greatly appreciate your commitment,

guidance and support. To our newest members;

we are pleased to have you on board and look

forward to your input and leadership.

I also wish to express my thanks and appreciation

to all of the staff; caregivers, lawn crew, administrative staff and accounting. You have all

done an amazing job promoting a culture of Gentleness and building friendships and

connections with the individuals and families we serve.

Respectfully submitted,

Cam Doré


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Co-Executive Director’s Report Dave Lappin

Amazingly, another year has come and gone. We have stayed true to our mission and as

always, continue to provide solid, loving care and support for those we serve. Our desire

is to contribute to our community; maintaining old relationships and building new ones.

Diane continues to do a superb job in her role as Director of Home Shares. The Family

Care Team is thriving; they are a solid team of 3 and work incredibly hard to meet the

demands of the Supported Family Care and Home Share models we provide. HOMES has

grown this year and we have 10 new families that we have the privilege of getting to know

and build friendships with.

Gabby takes the helm behind the scenes trouble shooting and providing the

administrative supports necessary to free up Diane and Kate’s time, allowing them to

focus on building loving relationships with caregivers and those served. This

extraordinary team has done an amazing job of managing the demands of the work while

fostering close warm relationships with the people we serve….well done!!!

Shelley remains in her role as Human

Resources and Quality Improvement

Manager. As always, she has done a

remarkable job managing a variety of HR

issues and is always available to answer the

many questions that come up on a daily

basis. Like the rest of our Administrative

Team; she has done an incredible job of

connecting with the folks we serve and

under her leadership the Administrative

staff have displayed an extraordinary ability of promoting the culture of Gentleness we

endeavor to achieve.


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This year saw some changes in the office with some staff stepping down, others returning

after an extended leave and new employees joining our team. We were sad to have Heidi

Munoz step down as Activities Coordinator. Heidi has done a stellar job organising

HOMES Activities and special events. We are fortunate to still have her here on Fridays

for Cooking Club and can all enjoy the wonderful meals she and the cooking club prepare.

Thank you Heidi!!!

Heidi’s departure saw the return of Ashley Vaide who has resumed her role as our

Activities Coordinator. Ashley has a warmth and enthusiasm that is unmatched and we

are blessed to have her back at the office. She brings her usual high energy to the Activities

Program and we are looking forward with enthusiasm to participating in the many fun

activities she has planned; giving us an opportunity to further connect with the folks we

serve.

The Accounting Team continues to keep things running smoothly. Anura, Margy and

Jennifer - your tireless teamwork, reliability and efforts to connect with the folks we serve

– is much appreciated.

Chrisanna Sampson was welcomed to the office family last year; having replaced dear

Joan Fink. She is now the first face people encounter at HOMES. She had some big shoes

to fill but says “she could never fill Joan’s shoes” and chooses to walk in her footsteps.

Chrisanna has quickly made the role her own and her warmth and sense of humor have

gone a long way towards helping people feel welcome, safe and loved.


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Dr. Darren Thompson joined us last year after the retirement of Dr. Legaspi. Excelling at

the furtherance of Dr. Legaspi’s legacy in providing much needed guidance and support

while delivering exceptional medical care and psychiatric support. He embraces the

philosophy of Gentle Teaching as he builds trusting relationships. He is a marvellous

addition to our team and very popular with our folks!!!

Karen Bojczuk has done an exemplary job in her role as

Coordinator of Culture and Mentorship. Karen has taught

us all lessons about the importance of being “present” and

we are privileged to have her on our team. Karen, your

dedication, hard work and ability to focus on “safe” and

“loved” even in sometimes challenging situations is much

appreciated! With Karen as a mentor, our amazing front

line have come to display impressive leadership. We are

grateful for your dedication, skill and your mentorship

displayed with caregivers and those we serve. We are

appreciative of your efforts and hard work; your love and

support.

Many thanks to the following: Alex Marenkov and Lana Penny……Swensson Home

Jacqui Pesek and Greg Clemons…………Eleanor Home

Caren Davies and Deanna Ritchie……Bradner Home

Loni Miller and Lyndsey McKenzie ……………………………………58th Home

Najwa Souki……………………………………..…Sheila’s home

Harman Bhatti………………………………………Frasers’ home

Cindy Greentree…………………………………………...Gracie’s home

Darcy Miles, Paul Thompson and Lori James are doing a great job with the lawn crew.

Thank you for your leadership, mentorship and support. Your dedication and hard work;

from your everyday tasks to setting up for training or doing moves – is much

appreciated!!!

Cam, or “Dad” as he is lovingly referred to by many of our folks, is and has been a

repository of information and tireless support. From providing technological support,

dealing with property issues and leases to taking care of the community garden and

donated furniture; he is always willing to give his time. He provides us with incredible

support; all the while displaying his remarkable gift for being present and making people

feel truly important. Thank you Cam!!!


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I will provide a brief overview of some recent highlights of the year, having covered much

of the year in previous reports.

HOMES participated in the Include Me/Quality of Life Surveys in January of this year. This was similar to the Quality of Life project we were involved in 6 years ago. The domains focused on were emotional well-being, material well-being, physical well-being, personal development, self-determination, interpersonal relations and social inclusion. The results were good/favorable.

We had our CARF Accreditation in April. Thank you to Shelley for all your hard

work and preparations. We did well.

We are now 9 months into 9 changes in leadership positions over the last several months. Our folks are thriving and there is a new energy with respect to supports. Things are going well.

I met with Canadian GT Colleagues in November of last year to finalize and train

in Level 1 & 2 of the newly created Canadian curriculum. This being the first

coordinated training material within the International GT Community.

The hope is to assure consistent standards of training across Canada and then

internationally; tailor the training to their specific needs and implement

something similar.

Continued focus on the Gentle Teaching Community with a weeklong Symposium

in June that was held at the HOMES office and at Cascade Church. With a focus

on our central purpose, capacity building and mentorship; the keynote speakers

were Michael Vincent; retired Director of Training for MORC and Simone Schipper

from the Netherlands. We also had four very well received presentations from our

Quick Response resources which include a Psychiatrist, two Counselors and our

Hospital Patient Care Coordinator. They spoke of how; through Gentle Teaching


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and quick and fluid response, HOMES has been successful supporting folks

traditionally seen as extremely challenging. This event was well attended Karen

Bojczuk was certified as a Mentor

with GTI. Karen Bojczuk attended

the Culture of Gentleness

Conference held at the Kellogg

Centre in Lansing Michigan in

August.

Both Cam and Karen Bojczuk

attended the GTI 2016 Conference in

Akureryi, Iceland earlier this month.

Project Impact sponsored by the

United Way and is designed to assist

non-profit agencies in designing

evaluative tools that better measure

the actual impact of our programs.

Worked with Shelley, Kate and

Karen to obtain some data on the

effects of Gentle Teaching. Twenty-

four of the folks we serve were

involved in this process.

Our Community Partnerships and contributions continue and expanded this year.

We have a new Partnership with “Thee Storage Guys” who have taken over part of

the space at Wood Knot.

We continue to provide Pro-bono moving services to the various agencies

supporting women in crisis whether through fleeing violent relationships, the

criminal justice system or addiction treatment; Elizabeth Fry Society, Christine

Lamb Women’s Transition Society, Women’s resource Centre of the Fraser Valley

and Domestic Violence Unit of the Abbotsford Police Department.

We are looking at a possible partnership with IMPACT to start a residential

treatment program for young adults with substance use and misuse issues.

IMPACT has the counselling and treatment expertise and we have the residential

experience.


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After 20 years of teaching NVCIP we have moved to using the MANDT system which is a good fit with our Gentle Teaching Philosophy. MANDT has a focus on the value of relationships and meeting basic human needs. We have three certified trainers, being myself, Karen Bojczuk and Leah Brown.

5 individuals attended the Inclusion

BC Conference in Prince George and

had the option of attending several

interesting workshops from

Supporting Families in Transition

through a Culture of Gentleness to

the Bridge Canine Care Training

Program Presentation.

HOMES continues to sponsor the Bridge Canine Care Training Program. This program trains individuals in all aspects of dog care; preparing them to enter the job market. The program is doing well and students started practicums in June. They have been working on obtaining an Employment Canada Grant and have future plans to apply for funding from CLBC.

HOMES continues to sponsor the Farm 2 Foodbank program; obtaining donations of extra farm produce from local farmers and getting it to the Food bank. We continue our partnership with Value Village with Clothing Bins. We had our first of two community movie days at Silver City on June 8th. As usual it was an enjoyable event and was well attended.

We had our annual summer camp August 15th

to the 19th at Mountain View Summer Camp

and Retreat Centre in Hope. We enjoyed many

recreational opportunities; swimming, hiking,

horseback riding, tubing, waterskiing, wakeboarding and of course as always – a

fantastic Elvis show!!

We planted a memorial tree at Eleanor for Michael Dickenson who passed away

last year. The event was well attended by his family and friends.


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This year saw the return of some individuals who had been connected with HOMES

in the past: Giam Quach, Aysha Abraham and Calvin Pete. We are happy to have

them back at HOMES as well as the 7 other families we have the privilege of

building relationships with.

Many thanks to the HOMES Board members for their dedication, leadership and

support. This year saw the resignation of our President, Petra Rentrop, who left to

work on the Bridge Canine Care Training Project. We also lost Brian Gross as a

Board member but HOMES is happy to continue our long standing relationship

and collaboration with both Petra and Brian through the Bridge Canine Care

Training Project and IMPACT.

We also gained some new Board Members – Phil Spour, Jeannie Martin, Clive

Martin and Sharlene Hawksby. We look forward to your input and support.

Respectfully Submitted, Dave Lappin


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Director of Family Care/Home Share Diane Henry

2015-16 gone, time flies when you are having fun! We have had a great year, things have been very stable.

CARF was here in April, and I am very excited to say that The Home Share Department

did not receive any recommendations. Thanks Shelley for leading us.

On that note, I want to take the opportunity to thank Gabby & Kate for their unflagging

dedication and support for our daily activities that shows on a daily basis. Thank you ladies!


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Home Share continues to grow. We now support 72 folks and a couple more on the horizon. We saw the return of some individuals who had been connected with HOMES in the past: Giam Quach, Aysha Abraham and Calvin Pete. We are happy to have them back at HOMES as well as the 7 other new families we have the privilege of building relationships with. I would like to welcome all the new folks we support and all the new Home Share providers.

We also had exciting things happen:

We have introduced a “Smart Recovery” group that meets every Monday from 3pm to 4pm. We contracted a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor and it seems to be a hit! Folks like the fact that this program is focused on them and they have a chance to be heard.

We are continuing to find solutions for persons we serve that suffer with addictions. There is nothing in our Community that can support our

population.


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We are currently planning to start a support group for the contractors that share their home with folks that suffer with addiction.

We have a small Regional group that meets every couple of months to keep us all updated with changes in our own region.

I also attend a community based group “Focus on Disability” every second

month. Guest speakers discuss different topics to better support people with disabilities.

I want to thank Cam and Dave for their great leadership and support over all these years.

Diane Henry,

Home Share/Family Care Director


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Human Resources/Quality Improvement Report Shelley Rath

Once again, this has been a very busy year for H.O.M.E.S. Back in April, we welcomed

two CARF Surveyors to review all of our services. We had a total of five recommendations

(less than half from 2013’ survey) and they were as follows:

To provide annual competency based training for Incident Reports and

Medications. (in process of completing the draft training sheets)

Unannounced tests of all emergency procedures should consistently be conducted

at least annually on each shift at each location and include complete actual or

simulated physical evacuation drills. (Discussed and verified at team

meetings)

It is recommended that the written ethical codes of conduct be expanded to

include, in the area of service delivery, personal fundraising. (Completed)

Performance Evaluations for all personnel directly employed by HOMES should

consistently be performed annually. (Ongoing)

H.O.M.E.S sets performance targets for business functions and all its programs;

however, it has not addressed data integrity related to the data collection system

for those targets. The organization is urged to demonstrate how its data

collection system addresses reliability, validity, completeness and accuracy. (To

be included in this year’s Performance Improvement Report)

A few of the surveyor’s comments were:

The organization’s core values are honored and reflected across all of its

relationships, supports and services.

Innovation, initiative, and creativity are central features of H.O.M.E.S’ healthy

and vibrant culture.

By all accounts, both of the surveyors were very impressed with H.O.M.E.S. Next CARF

survey is in 2019 Thanks to everyone for their ongoing commitment to the accreditation

process!

We are now headed into the final year of our Strategic Plan! It’s amazing how fast time

has gone since its inception. We have met 90 % of the goals we set and we have eliminated

a few goals that were no longer feasible. Because the “PATH” format was such a huge

success with our Strategic Plan, we will be using the same process for our new plan. Stay

tuned!!

We were happy to be involved in Project Impact this past year. Project Impact is

sponsored through the United Way Lower Mainland (UWLM). The purpose of Project

Impact is to develop capacity to prove and improve impact in the non-profit sector. We


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felt that this was a great opportunity to evaluate the ‘Impacts of Gentle Teaching’ in a

more formal manner than we have been traditionally able to.

Project Impact was spread out over a seven month period with our final report in early

spring 2016. Kate Downs, Karen Bojczuk and Dave Lappin participated in the project.

Our top 3 Themes/Findings are directly linked to the Philosophy of Gentle teaching:

The Power of Longevity “They don’t give up”

“When you’re sad, they hold you to your heart &

never let go.

“I've learned that someone will always care

about me”

Increased Trust with Self and

Others “I feel safe telling the truth now”

“I was afraid to meet new people; now I look

forward to meeting lots of people”

Increased Self Worth “I love who I am”

“People want to be around me”

“People trust me now”

100% of people interviewed said that Gentle Teaching has had a positive impact on their

life.

You can see a presentation of this report on our website.

Have a happy and healthy year everyone!

Shelley Rath

HR/Quality Improvement Manager

Documents

Table of Contents - HOME Society · 2018. 1. 21. · H.O.M.E.S. Annual Report 2015/2016 3 | P a g e Past President’s Report Petra Rentrop It’s hard to believe that we are winding