Distress Centres Annual Report - 2014

Letter from Executive Director
Leadership and partnership have been the defining principles embedded in our current set of strategic pillars. As
we assess the progress made to date in preparation for the next planning cycle, it is clear that 2014 was a year
of significant accomplishment for Distress Centres. Our agency continually demonstrated that as a leadership
organization, we understood the importance of leading from all directions: ahead, beside and behind. We
enhanced our footprint in the areas of suicide prevention, intervention, postvention and mental health support
through innovation, collaboration and community engagement.
This past year, Distress Centres, working with its national, provincial and local networks, was able to merge identified
gaps in service with evidence-based research, in order to work with community partners in the development of
possible new programming that can address these needs in the future. While we are still in early stages with these
initiatives, the process undertaken validates our agency’s commitment to joining with our colleagues in the sector
to ensure that, as we build support capacity, we avoid duplication in favour of a continuum of services. Our
about-to-be-launched Trillium-funded online program, in partnership with Community Torchlight, Spectra Services,
Distress Centres Durham and Distress Centres Ontario, is just one example of how we are working with others to
build a model of integrated helpline services that can be replicated with other delivery channels and for new
population-specific mental health programs. As part of creating this demonstration model, we are also engaged
in the process of identifying best practices, defining outcome measures and developing procedures to address
and mitigate any inherent risks.
And, this is only one of our many collaborations. In 2014, Distress Centres entered into two formal partnerships,
St. Elizabeth’s and the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, in order to work together in the provision of
support to those experiencing mental health crises and traumatic-loss related grief. As well, we supported the work
of networks dedicated to newcomer emotional well-being, bereavement support, and community crisis response.
Our leadership role contributed to strengthening the emotional safety net through our pioneering dedicated line
partnerships (PARO Helpline, EMS Warm Transfer, and TTC Crisis Link) and the training and consultation provided by
our Community Outreach and Education Program.
We were delighted last year to once again be selected by Charity Intelligence Canada as a four-star charity,
one of a relatively small number chosen nationally to receive these top honours. Our inclusion in this group is a
reflection of a year where demand for service increased in all of our programs and we were able to meet them
with improved outcomes, a growing volunteer corps and enhanced community footprint. Not only has awareness
of our agency significantly spread during the past months, but we have been able to use this heightened profile to
effectively promote suicide and mental health awareness with activities such as International Suicide Prevention
Day and National Survivors of Suicide Day. We set a quality agenda and worked hard to achieve it.
It is clear that Distress Centres, in fulfilling its mission, is characterized by the people who define and staff it. We
are in the business of people, individuals connecting with individuals. The core of our agency is the staff who are
responsible for ensuring both its day-to-day functioning as well as providing the inspiration for its continuity. Special
gratitude is extended to them for their commitment, expertise and energetic leadership. We were also pleased
this year to welcome three new after-hours coordinators whose sharing of the workload has helped us maintain
quality support and supervision during the critical evening and weekend hours. The volunteers have expressed
their appreciation for the enhanced access to on-site staff. Their endorsement of this capacity building addition
is important since volunteer satisfaction and engagement are priority concerns for Distress Centres. We were
gratified that in our recent Volunteer Engagement Survey, there was such a high response rate (400) with the
majority providing positive feedback about their experiences with the agency. Thank you to our frontline service
providers who 24/7 demonstrate their emotional fortitude in being there for those in need. No natural or technical
disaster has managed to keep you from your post—there is no more tangible proof of your compassion and
support of others.
As we continue the organizational transformation of our agency to meet the needs of the future, we do so
knowing that we delivered in all of the strategic directions. Financial resource development is the one area of
focus that presents ongoing areas of concern in this highly complex and challenging fundraising environment.
Throughout the implementation of this plan, however, there is no doubt that we have benefitted greatly from the
financial assistance of our donors and our core funders, United Way and City of Toronto. Most importantly, our
success has been enabled and supported by the expertise and oversight of our talented and committed Board of
Directors. Thank you.
Karen Letofsky, C.M.
Executive Director
Distress Centres Annual Report 2014 3