As Catholic Family Services of Hamilton winds down, other organizations ‘poised and ready’ to save programming

A trio of Hamilton organizations is interested in taking on some of the programs left behind with the impending closure of Catholic Family Services (CFS).

The non-profit organization, which has operated in the city for nearly 75 years, serves thousands of people in the community. It offers programs for everyone from babies to seniors, ranging from child care to support for those with dementia.

The loss is great, whether it's seniors or folks who are facing addiction," said St. Matthew's House executive director Renee Wetselaar. Whenever we lose a service, there is a hole and it takes a while to fill."

CFS executive director Fivel Flavour confirmed to The Spectator that the organization will be closing its doors as it faces immense financial and operational challenges," but noted that programs run by the agency are not going away.

A memo circulated Jan. 30 said funders are committed to keeping CFS programs running in Hamilton and will select new agencies to serve CFS's clients with a high quality of care."

Officials from both the City of Hamilton as well as a number of provincial ministries have told The Spectator they're working to ensure the full range" of programs and services delivered by CFS stay in the city.

What that transition looks like remains unclear. The agency is expected to wind down all of its operations as of April 30.

As of Wednesday, neither the city nor the province could provide any further details about what programming local organizations may take over and when that information will be made public.

Programming spans entire lifetime

The full slate of programming provided by CFS begins at infant care and extends into senior-focused initiatives.

Programming for youngsters includes child care at the St. Martin's Manor Early Learning Centre. There is also counselling for youth ages eight to 16.

Programming for seniors includes support for those living with dementia, telephone support for socially isolated seniors as well as their gatekeeper program, which assists seniors living in a state of severe self-neglect, otherwise known as Diogenes syndrome.

The organization also offers services for those living with developmental disabilities.

Their young parent programming includes the residence at St. Martin's Manor, which provides a safe space for pregnant - and parenting - young women under the age of 21. While there, they can access education, child care, substance abuse programs and more.

They also offer a number of counselling programs, including those that focus on family violence, financial wellness and dispute resolution as well as their Partner Assault Response Program, which assists those who are facing charges related to domestic violence.

The organization served 2,323 clients in their last fiscal year of 2021-2022, according to their most recent annual report.

Other non-profits poised and ready' to take on programming

While the future of those initiatives remains unclear, leaders of three other community organizations told The Spectator they'd be interested in taking on some of that programming.

Wetselaar said their organization has worked very closely" with CFS for many years, pointing to the gatekeeper program.

Wetselaar said while they don't want to step on any toes" of other agencies, they may try to pick up" that program and fold it into their eviction prevention initiative.

We'd be interested to know what other partners are considering," said Wetselaar. If there is an opportunity ... we'd be interested in that."

Good Shepherd Centre chief operating officer Katherine Kalinowski said their agency is also interested in where the opportunities are to make sure the programs stay in our community."

Kalinowski said there is some overlap and synergies" between programming offered by the Good Shepherd and CFS.

We are poised and ready to do whatever we can," Kalinowski said.

YWCA Hamilton CEO Medora Uppal said she has extended an offer to the province" for their organization to support service transition where appropriate." However, there have been no official conversations on what role they could play, she added.

While all three organizations are still waiting on what programming transfers may look like, Kalinowski urged the importance of a seamless transition" to ensure clients don't fall through the gaps."

However, that will take a lot of work, resources and time, noted Uppal, describing that process as an additional pressure" for non-profits.

Let's do this together and let's do this with the clients in mind," said Wetselaar. People are too vulnerable and at-risk."

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