Three Hamilton agencies pick up seniors programs left behind in Catholic Family Services closure

A trio of Hamilton organizations have joined forces to fill a gap in senior services left behind in the recent closure of Catholic Family Services (CFS).

Good Shepherd Centre announced Wednesday that they, along with St. Matthew's House and the Alzheimer Society of Hamilton and Halton, have taken on all of the existing clients served through the now-shuttered agency's senior programs.

Earlier this year, CFS announced it would be winding down operations in the city after nearly 75 years due to immense financial and operational challenges" - however, the programs run by the agency were not going away.

The non-profit organization served thousands of people in the community, offering programs and services for everyone from babies to seniors, ranging from child care to support for those with dementia.

It remains unclear what is happening to the other programming offered by the agency. Leaders from a handful of organizations previously told The Spectator they were interested in taking on some of the services.

Good Shepherd Centre chief operating officer Katherine Kalinowski told The Spectator on Wednesday each of the agencies has taken on different pieces of the programming based on their capacity and strengths."

Kalinowski said services for those living with dementia have landed with the Alzheimer Society, St. Matthew's House will take on support for marginalized seniors and Good Shepherd will provide intensive case management for those considered at-risk.

Around three dozen senior clients were moved over from CFS to the other agencies amid the transition, she added.

It has been fairly seamless," said Kalinowski. Our intention is to offer the same breadth of services as well as maintain and build on what was already there."

Alongside that transition, the three agencies have also launched a new collaborative approach known as Seniors at Risk in Hamilton (SaRiH).

The new strategy, which hinges on a centralized referral and triage process, will help direct vulnerable seniors in Hamilton to the service provider that can best support them. The program will support the senior populations previously served by CFS.

Kalinowski said with the new strategy, the agencies are hopeful folks in need of support will get the services they need more quickly" and end up in the right place that best meets their needs in a really efficient manner."

Kalinowski said the partnership will also allow the agencies to better share resources to improve their service delivery, whether through cross-training staff or sharing expertise.

She noted that seniors in the program will be paired with a dedicated support worker, who can tap into knowledge" from each of the partner agencies when the need arises to maximize the impact for the individuals."

Kalinowski described the transition of seniors from CFS as well as the creation of the new collaboration as a real win" for the community, noting that the process happened over a very short period of time."

We think this will be really effective," she added. And it's really exciting."

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com