New Hope Centre leader settling in
The Hope Centre has made great strides in addressing needs in Welland and the non-profit’s new chief executive officer is hoping to build on that momentum.
Jon Braithwaite is the new leader at the hub of counselling and programming for vulnerable people in the community, taking over from Mark Carl who left in August after 12 years to take over the head role at Habitat for Humanity Niagara.
Having spent the past 16 years with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara Falls, Braithwaite said his work with provincial and national initiatives dealing with accreditation and other support systems for children and youths should give him a leg up in his new position.
“I think a lot of that experience will provide the background necessary to make sure the Hope Centre continues to be successful,” he said in an interview Monday, four hours into his first shift with the organization on King Street.
Welland’s annual food drive will take place Saturday, an event that benefits the Hope Centre, as well as Open Arms Mission and the local Salvation Army. This is an event he is excited to see unfold.
“I’ve heard great things about it and I look forward to working with the people in the community,” said Braithwaite, a St. Catharines resident.
The centre currently shelters 60 people on a daily basis and serves 100 local residents through programming, along with the food bank that started it all four years ago. There are six agencies offering services under its roof, including the Canadian Mental Health Association, Community Addiction Services of Niagara and YWCA Niagara.
“There’s been some really great work done in this organization and I look forward to taking it to the next step,” said Braithwaite.
“Certainly, I have some ideas of some things we ca do that the community needs.”
About 400 families take advantage of the Hope Centre’s food bank on a monthly basis, a cause for concern for the new CEO.
“That seems like a really high number for a smaller community like Welland,” he said.
A lot of the people coming through for meals are under the age of 18, something he hopes to address.
“Coming from a youth-based organization, that’s something I don’t like to see.”
The provincial government scrapping its basic income pilot project, a project created to ensure that participants receive up to $16,989 per year for a single person, less 50 per cent of any earned income, will have a negative impact on poverty reduction, he feels.
“The results would’ve really been helpful across the province.”
A $3-million apartment complex planned for the Hope Centre site with 20 units is no longer on the table. Braithwaite said he needs more information before getting into details about the partnership with Niagara Region and the province being cancelled.