Charity sector struggles are enormous
If there was any doubt about the impact of the charity/non-profit sector on an entire community, consider the case of Hamilton’s Catholic Family Services.
It was recently announced and reported on by The Spec’s Grant LaFleche, among others, that CFS would be winding down its operations after 75 years of support services across a broad spectrum, from child care to support for dementia patients, from senior citizens to babies. Those aren’t just words — they represent services delivered to more than 2,300 clients in 2021-2022.
There is programming for youngsters at the St. Martin’s Manor Early Learning Centre. There is counselling for kids ages eight to 16. Also at St. Martin’s Manor, safe spaces for young mothers and pregnant teens. Telephone support for the socially isolated. Programs for people living with developmental disabilities.
If all those programs ended with CFS, the loss would be massive. Fortunately, as reflected in reporting by Spec journalist Fallon Hewitt, Hamilton still has a robust non-profit charity sector, with many players willing to step in and work to keep the programming going, along with local government and the province.
Most charities have much in common, but they are also unique in some ways. And the financial problems that eventually brought down CFS are unique to the agency. This isn’t about pointing fingers in any specific case, but rather echoing the warning that has been heard across Ontario and Canada in the last few years. Our charitable sector is in trouble.
The pandemic is part of it, but as is so often the case the issues were at play prior to COVID-19. Sustainable funding. Staff recruitment and retention challenges. Often dwindling funder support. An aging and shrinking volunteer workforce.
As with many economic and employment sectors, including the media, the federal government’s pandemic support programs were a lifeline through the worst of the last three years. But as the pandemic wanes and changes, those programs are, for the most part, ended or ending, as they should be. With those lifelines cut, the threats to the charity/non-profit sector are back in spades.
A report last year from CanadaHelps, a platform for online donations, says one in four Canadians, or 26 per cent, expect to use or are already using charitable services to meet basic needs. But one in four Canadians, or 25 per cent, expected to give less in 2022 than in the previous year.
Demand up, donations down, staffing stagnant, budgets flat — it all spells trouble for this sector, which we can see in the CFS example is a critical social and economic driver.
What can we do? Give and support charities and non-profits you trust. Learn about the sector and its challenges. Consider volunteering if you are able.
Yes, this is partly about altruism, since charities often serve the most vulnerable members of our society. But it’s not just that. The sector is vital, and if its health suffers, we all suffer. Again, using the CFS example, the agency employs 55 staff, whose futures are uncertain. We would be wise to pay attention.