2021 Year in Review

Operation Come Home is a registered charity operating in Ottawa, Ontario

Cover photos of Tim Stock graciously provided by Edible Ottawa and Matthew Liteplo Photography.

Chair’s Letter

Operation Come Home has been fortunate to get through another pandemic year without major challenges, thanks to the many contributions of our outstanding board and the hard work of our staff. Their commitment has been essential for the community we serve. More youth than ever before visited Operation Come Home in 2021, and demand for access to programs rose significantly.

Thanks to our supporters, we were able to respond to this rising demand and expand programming for those that needed it most. The City of Ottawa contributed additional emergency funds to help us buy PPE and provide our youth with food and basic necessities. The Government of Canada helped us with additional employment funding, to support our youth in finding jobs. And partners like RE/MAX Hallmark Realty provided crucial support for our drop-in programs.

During 2021, we experienced significant milestones as well. Our organization was able to relaunch FoodWorks, our catering social enterprise, providing employment opportunities to youth seeking jobs. We also awarded our first scholarship, the Ellen Charnley Graham Scholarship, to a client who had completed high school at OCH through the John Bosco Achievement Centre.

By far the biggest change in the past year involved one of my most valued colleagues. Elspeth McKay, Operation Come Home's incredible Executive Director, chose to step down from her role after 15 years, helping choose her successor and continuing her supporting for our organization with part-time help. I am grateful for the ongoing support of my colleagues on the board, and to Elspeth for the many years she worked to get us here. Thank you all for your many contributions to this vital work.

I would also like to announce my departure from the board beginning June 1, 2022. I have been fortunate enough to be a member of the board for almost 20 years. I began as the secretary, then vice-chair and I have been the chair of this incredible board for over a decade. Needless to say I have seen OCH go from a tiny organization struggling to find its place to the incredible organization it has become. There are many new exciting initiatives on the horizon for OCH and I am so very excited to see what is to come and so grateful to Elspeth and John, the many board members and supports we have had over the years. Chris Day has agreed to step into the role of chair and I am very pleased to have his commitment and talent to see the next phase through.

Thank you,

Dana Reynolds

Chair, Board of Directors

Reshaping Operation Come Home: Elspeth McKay’s fifteen years of success

Elspeth and a volunteer at Operation Come Home's annual reality campaign in 2010.

Everyone deserves the chance to work," Elspeth says, "people with mental health challenges, with disabilities, those who are homeless. Everyone can work and everyone deserves a chance."

It's 2:00 in the afternoon, on a grey November day in Ottawa. Elspeth is providing training to the five newest staff at Operation Come Home, leading them through a discussion of the "IPS" model, an approach to employment that moves people who have experienced long-term unemployment quickly into new jobs.

These staff are the latest of those Elspeth has brought on board. During her 15 years at the helm of Operation Come Home, she has provided a similar orientation to many employment support staff in Ottawa, sharing insights, best practices, and her experience.

The session will be motivating - a new beginning for those that are eager to start work. But for Elspeth, the day represents something different. This will be the last training session Elspeth delivers as the Executive Director. As of December 31, she will pass the responsibility along to her chosen successor, taking on new challenges.

Elspeth and the Operation Come Home team in 2007, at the Murray Street house.

Elspeth McKay : 15 Years of Success

With a background in Criminology and Conflict Resolution, Elspeth started her career in social work in Ottawa during the mid-eighties. But it was a move to Los Angeles in 1992 that set her on course to join Operation Come Home. The challenges and opportunities in LA were like nothing she had seen before. LA had experienced significant upheaval and widespread rioting brought on by anger at the outcome of the Rodney King trial.

"It was really rough," she says. "The crime, the lack of public infrastructure, the state of the subways ... it was another world."

Joining her partner James, Elspeth worked in LA as a front-line outreach worker. She also became acquainted with an organization called The Village Integrated Services Agency, an innovative non-profit center that would cause Elspeth to see social work in a new way. What Elspeth experienced at the Village was a model that would inspire her. At that time, the organization was a hub - a single centre focused on the needs of clients, which provided mental health, education and social enterprise opportunities to those experiencing homelessness. Clients participating in employment programs could receive mental health support while engaged in a variety of employment experiences ranging from causal to permanent and full-time.

In the world of social work, the Village was impressive, and successful. The reason for its success was not just its programs, but crucially, its philosophy. Staff were trained to see their clients primarily as individuals with unique strengths and goals, not as people in need of help. This view seems straightforward but stands in contrast to the way many social service organizations see their clients today. Many well-intentioned organizations, and the people within them, believe their primary responsibility is to help solve problems. In this paradigm, a client who is homeless, street-involved, and burdened with an addiction issue is treated as a set of challenges that need to be solved. The social worker's role is simple. They take steps to solve the addiction, find housing, and achieve stability for their client.

A New Chapter Begins

Operation Go Home (as it was known at that time) moved into its Murray Street location just as Elspeth started in December 2007. The house was in significant need of renovations, and as the new ED Elspeth had a lot to manage.

After three years, Elspeth took a calculated risk and moved the organization to its current home at 150 Gloucester, providing a crucial link for youth downtown and securing much-needed room for expansion.

Elspeth joined by participants in Operation Come Home's 24 Hours of Homelessness event

This approach is not wrong, but it is limiting. For clients, the experience most closely resembles a bureaucratic setting. Fill out this form. Complete this intake. Register for this addiction program. It is a passive approach, one that can induce a feeling of helplessness and dependence on the system.

In a strengths-based environment, like that Elspeth experienced, the social worker begins not by looking for problems, but by asking questions: "what are your goals? Where do you want to go? What strengths do you have that will help you get there?" This open-ended approach empowers clients. It affirms their agency and puts them in control of their recovery. And tells them their choices matter.

Seeing strengths and menu-based programming in action agreed with Elspeth's longest-held, deepest convictions. The Village and other innovative organizations provided examples of non-profit organizations worth emulating. She had seen first-hand how social work could provide not just employment support, but employment opportunities, through the development of social enterprises.

With the experience in LA behind her, and with fresh ideas in mind for change, Elspeth and her partner returned to Ottawa in 1994. After arriving, she quickly became the Executive Director for Rideau Street Youth Enterprises. Following a few years at RSYE, Elspeth took on a staff role at Causeway Work Centre, in time becoming a co-Executive Director, and working at Causeway for the next eleven years.

During the fall of 2007, Elspeth was eager for new challenges. It was then that received a call from a hiring committee. Operation Go Home, the organization that was later to become Operation Come Home, was in trouble. It needed a bold new Executive Director who could set the organization back on track.

"It was near bankruptcy,” Elspeth says, remembering the early years at OCH. "We really had to fight to survive, and there were times we made it through only with the help of our board.”

At the time, the organization was headquartered in the second story of a building on Rideau, with just seven full-time staff and an annual budget of just over $460,000. And this was far from guaranteed. The organization was in financial peril, with key funders expressing doubts, and challenges meeting payroll. David Scott, a legendary Ottawa lawyer and prominent member of the board, helped pay the bills.

Through Elspeth's leadership, the organization weathered its budget troubles, and began to rebuild itself according to a long-term vision. When she started in 2007, OCH offered a youth drop-in, educational help, and the Reunite program. But Elspeth saw the potential for growth.

Elspeth had seen the difference that education and employment could make for youth experiencing homelessness. Housing was only the starting point in ensuring youth avoided becoming homeless adults. The organization needed to do more to ensure that youth would move on from the experience of homelessness.

Elspeth and OCH: By the Numbers

15 years as Executive Director

$17.7 million raised for youth programming

7 social enterprises created

235 youth employed 95 staff trained

45 programs created

4,500+ youth served

Over the years Elspeth created and grew many social enterprises to take advantage of local opportunities and provide employment to youth. BeadWorks, pictured here, started in 201 I and taught youth how to create and market bespoke jewelry.

To deliver on this vision, Elspeth began to build Operation Come Home's programs and services, inspiring new funders to come on board, adding services, and changing the organization's overall focus. She moved quickly to create new programming and respond to changing opportunities in Ottawa. Over the years, Operation Come Home employed youth in diverse businesses, including a bottle recycling service (Bottle Works), a catering business (FoodWorks), a retail store (rePurpose), an organic farm (Farm Works), and a jewelry business (BeadWorks).

Each of these organizations employed youth experiencing homelessness, helping build their resumes. Today, alumni of Elspeth's social enterprises can be found working in public and private-sector careers across our city. Some of the social enterprises OCH created have since closed, as the conditions in the City changed. Others, notably Bottle Works and FoodWorks, are flourishing, together employing more than thirty youth each year.

Today, Operation Come Home has expanded beyond drop-in support and the reunite program to offer a range of services that help youth. While at 150 Gloucester, youth can receive hot meals, basic necessities, counselling for mental health and addictions challenges, help to complete high-school, and assistance finding employment. The organization's footprint has grown as well - over her years as Executive Director, Elspeth tripled the size of the team, growing from seven staff in 2007 to 25 today.

With the organization in good health, and a strengths-based philosophy incorporated as a fundamental part of Operation Come Home's DNA, Elspeth chose 2021 as the year she would step down. Moving out of the Executive Director role, she has taken on a new part-time advisory position, one that will allow her to pursue other opportunities in Ottawa.

There is no doubt more in store for Operation Come Home's formidable leader, and many in Ottawa will be watching to see what Elspeth does in the years to come. Her impact at Operation Come Home has been incredible. Over fifteen years, Elspeth created an organization that is stronger, more focused, and more impactful than ever before.

To learn more about the Social Enterprises Elspeth created, please visit operationcomehome.ca/social-enterprises

Housing

Finding Homes: Our Housing Team in 2021

(Photo caption) Operation Come Home staff help load the van, ensuring another youth can quickly move into a new apartment.

The most common support sought by youth in our drop-in centre is housing. On any given day, 80-90% of the youth we meet will seek help with housing-related challenges they have.

Like many agencies in Ottawa, staff at Operation Come Home follow the "Housing First" philosophy. This approach ensures housing is provided to youth as rapidly as possibly, without preconditions.

The core principles of Housing First include:

• No preconditions: youth can access housing without needing to fulfill other requirements

• Client choice: clients have the ability to choose where they live

• Recovery orientation: housing is provided to support recovery

• Individualized supports: services are offered alongside housing support

• Community integration: youth can become part of the Ottawa social fabric, and participate in community activities

Thank you City of Ottawa and Ontario

Operation Come Home's housing team is supported through funding provided by the City of Ottawa and the Province of Ontario

In 2021, we helped 202 youth with housing-related challenges, finding new apartments for 41 youth. A further 30 youth found other places to stay through Operation Come Home's Reunite program.

Throughout the year, demand for all Operation Come Home supports grew, including requests from youth looking for help finding a home.

This spike in demand has been attributed to several factors. Though it is hard to isolate any single cause, the ongoing economic challenges of the pandemic had placed added stress on families. Many youth in lockdown experienced unsafe situations at home and chose to leave. Others lost their housing or were told to leave their foster homes.

When helping youth with their housing needs, our staff explore options with them, to determine if there are ways to divert them from the social system. Through the Reunite Program, staff will ask if the young person has friends or family who can provide a safe, stable home. Some youth are able to secure housing, others need to complete the intake process to find a new apartment here in Ottawa.

Youth seeking housing

Each year, more than 450 youth seek support with their housing. Some are concerned about potential eviction, others are experiencing homelessness and looking for a place to live.

While they are looking for housing, youth experiencing homelessness may be living in a variety of locations:

Living in shelters (61%)

Living with other family / friends (13%)

Living on the street (7%)

Transitional Housing (12%)

Couch surfing (7%)

14% of people experiencing homelessness in Ottawa in 2021 said that their housing loss had been caused by COVID-19

Source: City of Ottawa's 2021 Point in Time Counts

*"Transitional housing" refers to short-term accommodations in shared homes or single apartments, typically limited to periods lasting 6-12 months.

For more information on Operation Come Home's housing programs, please visit operationcomehome.ca/housing

Employment

Photo Caption: The employment space at Operation Come Home. Each year, more than 100 youth will work on resumes, cover letters, certifications and other credentials that will help them find their first job.

The journey to employment for youth experiencing homelessness

Youth experiencing homelessness deserve an equal chance to secure employment, and all can participate in paid work regardless of their housing status.

For many, the path to employment is difficult. The majority of youth that received help during 2021 had little in the way of employment history. Some were completing high-school. Others had challenges with their mental health. All our youth faced social stigma due to poverty and homelessness.

In 2021, Operation Come Home was able to offer three different streams for youth seeking employment support. CareerWorks, supported by RBC, helps youth with immediate needs and can step in to provide crucial supports for resumes, applications, interviews, or other employment challenges.

Thanks to funding from the Federal Government, Operation Come Home was also able to offer formal, structured employment programming. Youth with mental health challenges or disabilities could join JobsFirst, an individualized program that offers financial support and job placement services. Those who were facing other barriers to employment could join a group-based program called Youth Employment Works

Making an Impact

Operation Come Home's employment programming is supported by the Government of Canada and RBC.

Michael, a member of the Youth Employment Works team, leads a session on resume building at Operation Come Home.

More than just a paycheck

Employment provides youth with a steady income that can help address their immediate challenges. But the benefits go far beyond finances. In securing work, our youth build their self-confidence, and feelings of independence. They join a social community of people who will rely on them. And they benefit from the regular structure that employment often provides.

For some youth, the change can be significant. To help them stay on track to achieve their goals, our employment team follow-up with youth after they are employed, lending moral support and assistance if needed.

Building Their Resume

While registered in our employment programs, youth participants join facilitated sessions to boost their employment credentials. Depending on their goals, they can complete onsite training in SmartServe, Safe Food Handling, Hazardous Waste Management, Workplace Safety, CPR, First Aid, and other certifications they may need to find a job.

By the Numbers: 2021 Employment Support in Action

102 youth participated in employment programs

70 youth secured jobs after completing Operation Come Home Programs

9 youth returned to school

Social Enterprises

9 youth were employed in FoodWorks

13 youth were employed in BottleWorks

Are you an employer looking to find new employees? Contact us at employment@operationcomehome.ca

Education

The John Bosco Achievement Centre at Operation Come Home.

Completing High School While Experiencing Homelessness

Aaccording to research conducted by Stephen Gaetz for the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, the drop-out rate for youth experiencing homelessness is 65%*. In contrast, the rate for all youth in Canada is much lower, at 8.5%. Youth who experience homelessness are far more likely to leave school early, and the majority lack high-school diplomas.

This puts these youth at a significant disadvantage. Without high school, they risk being shut out of employment opportunities and becoming trapped in lifelong cycles of poverty .

To address this risk, Operation Come Home, alongside the Ottawa Catholic School Board and Y ouTurn, provide educational programming suited to the needs of youth. Those attending class at the John Bosco Achievement Centre can complete courses at their own pace. They can earn credits through traditional learning activities, as well as co-operative employment opportunities. And while in class, they can access wrap-around supports to help them stay on track: food, basic necessities, and counseling services for mental health needs.

(Photo caption) Bethany, our teacher in the John Bosco Achievement Centre, affiliated with Lester B. Pearson High School.

Operation Come Home's education program, the John Bosco Achievement Centre, is possible thanks to our ongoing partnership with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. YouTurn is a key partner in this initiative, providing support to youth clients involved in the justice system.

Completing School During COVID-19

For youth enrolled in our education programs, the past year has presented its own special challenges. The John Bosco Achievement Centre has adapted to the pandemic by requiring the use of masks, and the installation of plexiglass at every desk. Field trips have been sparse, and students have had to complete COVID testing. But the team have persevered.

In the year ahead, Bethany and the students are looking forward to resuming field trips, and expanding co-operative learning opportunities for youth.

Offering a Scholarship for the First Time

Thanks to support from generous Operation Come Home donors, we were able to offer one of our JBAC graduates a scholarship for the first time.

The Ellen Charnley Graham Scholarship was awarded to a youth who completed high school and went on to attend Algonquin College

Our Education Statistics:

81 youth were enrolled in the education program, during 2020/21 and 2021/22

5 youth completed high school

45 credits were earned before June 2021

Operation Come Home is one of several community agencies that, alongside the region's school boards, participate in project step, an initiative led by United Way that works to prevent harms from substance use. Through this work, youth in our education programs can access substance use support and counselling if they need it.

To sign up for our education programs, youth can visit in person at 150 Gloucester Street, Ottawa, or email info@operationcomehome.ca

FoodWorks re-opening: Stronger than Ever

After taking a brief hiatus during 2020 due to the pandemic, FoodWorks officially re-opened in the spring of 2021. Along with the re-opening, the organization had announced some big news: the hiring of a new Executive Chef, Tim Stock.

Tim is well-known in the Ottawa culinary community, having worked at many prominent local restaurants. Trained as a Red Seal chef, Tim is not only able to make incredible food, but crucially, has been trained to teach others.

This is vital for FoodW orks. The organization exists for one purpose - to provide training and skills to the youth that work there.

The culinary field is often portrayed as a challenging place to work. Television programs like Kitchen Nightmares and MasterChef portray an occupation that is full of conflict and acrimony. Tim's approach with the youth is the exact opposite, and since coming on board he has cultivated a warm, supportive environment for youth to learn new skills.

Tim Stock, the new Executive Chef of FoodWorks, joins the organization after having worked as Executive Chef at Thyme and Again, and at many local restaurants, including Beckta and Play Food and Wine.

In 2021, FoodWorks received tremendous support from United Way East Ontario, and from the staff and leadership at Knifewear, a growing company with stores in Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton, specializing in rare and premium Japanese knives.

FoodWorks' new chef was featured in the February edition of Edible Ottawa Magazine. To read it, you can visit edibleottawa.ediblecommunities.com

Starting Fresh During a Pandemic Year

Over the course of 2021, FoodWorks fulfilled 138 catering orders and made 321 direct sales to customers, ensuring that the organization could continue to operate and employ youth

The largest FoodWorks catered event was a wedding with more than 200 guests, while the smallest was an exclusive dining experience for two that was offered as a prize during Operation Come Home's Breakfast On The Rideau event.

Between May and December, nine youth were employed at FoodWorks. As part of a 3-month program each youth learned culinary skills. In addition, they acquired related skills in the catering business, such as customer service, logistics, safe food handling, administration, and marketing.

In addition to catering, FoodWorks adapted to the pandemic by offering prepared meals for individual customers. Starting small, this offering grew over time, and now represents 10% of FoodWorks' total revenues.

Getting a Start in a New Field

Since it opened in 2016, FoodWorks has provided employment and on the job experience to more than 60 youth, many of whom start work with no prior job experience at all.

Tim is focused on the learning he provides. As he says, "I want to give them basic cooking skills they can use if they want to pursue a career in the culinary arts. It teaches them how to be organized, multitask, plan a menu, talk to clients. Since I've been here, I've had youth move through the program and all have moved into a cooking job. One reached out to me to say 'thank you for giving me the skills.'

For more information on FoodWorks, or to place an order, you can visit foodworksottawa.ca

Celebrating 50 Years of Supporting Local Youth

Our Breakfast On The Rideau Virtual Event attracted participants from across the Country, including a surprise video appearance by Prime Minister Trudeau.

For the 2021 Breakfast On The Rideau, Operation Come Home staff, alongside the team at FoodWorks, prepared a breakfast event like none we have created before. Instead of a catered event in the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park, the team brought breakfast to our guests through home delivery.

Despite the virtual nature of the celebration, the event was a significant success. Well-wishes from across the country, including journalists, celebrities, and public figures sent in video messages to congratulate OCH on 50 years. Guests saw a live video broadcast of Operation Come Home and learned how we had fared since the onset of the pandemic. And more than $30,000 was raised to support youth in our programs.

The Operation Come Home team is tremendously grateful to RE/MAX Hallmark Realty for their support of our event, as well as sponsors Welch LLP, Kongsberg, Knifewear, and many other organizations and individuals that came together to make our event a success.

Operation Come Home was founded in 1971 by Reverend Norman Johnston, who wanted to help runaway youth return home.

Ken Mclachlan, CEO of RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Group, kicks off our 2021 Breakfast on the Rideau Event. The organization's philanthropic arm, Hallmark Giving, was the leading partner and supporter ensuring our 50th Anniversary was a success

Coming Together Virtually

Making breakfast for 200 guests can be challenging, even more so when they are spread out across the region. But the FoodW orks team, with a little help from Operation Come Home staff, was able to make it happen.

Over the course of an afternoon, volunteers delivered breakfasts to households across the city. Employee groups joined from boardrooms, and some guests chose to entertain in their own homes.

In all, the breakfast was a great success, raising much-needed funding for Operation Come Home's drop-in programs. This support proved to be crucial as demand for drop-in services - such as food, basic necessities, and clothing - increased during the Omicron wave of the pandemic.

A Story Shared Virtually

One of our former clients had a wonderful story to share with our guests. Here's what Troy had sent:

"I wanted to write something for OCH, but words cannot explain how much they helped me. After so long I finally moved back home to be with my family but without all the experience I had gained from all OCH's help I wouldn't be where I am today: an Ironworker, married with 2 great children!"

- Troy, and family

Though the 2021 Breakfast was a virtual event, past years' events were held at Lansdowne. We are looking forward to a return to our in-person event in 2022.

To join us for an in-person Breakfast On The Rideau in the coming year, visit ochbreakfast2022.eventbrite.com

Our Community

In 2021, our community of 8,571 followers on social media helped us share our story. Overall, our social media posts were seen 530,000 times by 92,000 people. Operation Come Home is active across five platforms: Twitter, Face book, lnstagram, YouTube and Linkedln.

Thank you to all our key partners, sponsors, and friends for your support during 2021

Operation Come Home 2021 Board of Directors

Statement of Financial Position

Statement of Operations

Thank you for supporting the word of Operation Come Home.

Operation Come home is a registered charity operating in Ottawa, Ontario.