2022-23
YEAR IN REVIEW
A message from our President and CEO
A message from our President and CEO
As I marvel at the devotion of our employees, volunteers, and supporters to ensure the most vulnerable people in our communities have been given equal opportunities to thrive over the past year, I am struck by the collaborative efforts that I believe will serve as beacons for our charitable sector going forward.
This report offers an opportunity to look at how you have made a difference to our work this year, and I hope it allows you to connect more deeply with the impact United Way East Ontario has had across our region.
There will undoubtably be more obstacles to overcome. But with your continued support, we can keep improving lives and creating opportunities for those in our communities who need us most.
With gratitude,
Michael Allen
President and Chief Executive Officer
United Way East Ontario
This is a condensed version of the letter that appears in our annual report. Read the full letter.
This online preview of our annual report is just a snapshot of what we’ve accomplished together over the past year.
See how we’re tackling the tough problems across our three focus areas:
All That Kids Can Be:
By putting more kids on track to succeed, we can help all youth in our communities reach their full potential.
From Poverty to Possibility:
By helping people achieve financial independence and stability, we can break the cycle of poverty.
Healthy People, Strong Communities:
By improving equity, connections and wellbeing for vulnerable groups, our communities can be great for everyone.
WATCH
A special video that highlights our impact and expresses our gratitude for your support!
Our investments across the region
In 2021-22, we invested in:
and initiatives
programs
agencies
As a result of these investments:
people were supported
partners
hours
Find our investment breakdown in the full report.
All That
Kids Can Be
When I first got to OrKidstra I was pretty shy. I was an introverted kid. I wasn’t really great at talking with other people. But over time, being in this welcoming setting, being able to interact with all of these amazing people has helped me to be able to be more confident about myself, and how I look and how I play.
ALL THAT KIDS CAN BE
When I first got to OrKidstra I was pretty shy. I was an introverted kid. I wasn’t really great at talking with other people. But over time, being in this welcoming setting, being able to interact with all of these amazing people has helped me to be able to be more confident about myself, and how I look and how I play.
Every child deserves a good life, and a safe place to learn and make friends—no matter where they grow up.
The Issue
For some local kids, growing up isn’t easy. Challenges can begin before a child even steps into school for the first time. Although COVID-19 doesn’t affect our lives in the same way as it once did, local kids are still dealing with the fallout from the isolation and anxiety of the last few years.
Data from the past three years shows:
or nearly half of Ottawa students reported fair or poor mental health.
Grade 7-8
students in Ottawa were just as likely to report non-medical opioid use as those in grades 9-12 (10%).
~1 in 5
Canadians aged 12 and older reported that they needed some help with their mental health, but of those, 45% felt that their needs were either unmet or only partially met.
Our response, at a glance
Keeping kids inspired, all year long
Thanks to our donors, we’re able to invest in free Summer Achievement Gap programs that keep kids engaged over the summer, so they’re ready to pick up where they left off come September. In addition to affordable summer camps, United Way invests in after-school homework clubs and recreational activities throughout the school year to help kids improve their grades, self-esteem, leadership and career skills, and relationships with both peers and adults.
Partnering to prevent
addiction
project step is a community-wide initiative, convened and led by United Way, that ensures young people and their families have access to support, treatment, education, and prevention of harms related to substance and technology use. Last year, partners with project step banded together to respond to troubling results highlighted in Ottawa Public Health’s analysis of the 2021 Ontario Drug use and Health Survey, to show what services and solutions are available to young people who are struggling.
“We can’t expect young people to be endlessly resilient when crisis after crisis affects their wellbeing. We’re fortunate that here in Ottawa, project step is leading the way in building a brighter future for youth who are struggling, and their families.”
— Trisha Islam, Director, All That Kids Can Be
Our Impact
With our supporters, United Way helped 20,471 youth and their families across our region reach their full potential in 2021-22. Together, we can help them along their path to success and achieve results, such as:
Outcomes | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Children and youth have improved mental health | 80% of children and youth have improved mental health outcomes and developed positive coping skills. | 2,261 children and youth have improved mental health outcomes and developed positive coping skills. | |
Children and youth are successful in school | 13,507 children and youth worked towards achieving academic goals outside of school. | ||
Youth housing needs are met | 82% of youth living in emergency shelters or transitional housing received supports to live independently. | 226 youth living in emergency shelters or transitional housing received supports to live independently. | |
Our Goals for the Future
In 2023 and beyond, we’ll work with our partners to ...
- Strengthen mentoring and peer support programming for vulnerable children and youth.
- Ensure parents, children, and youth receive mental health and problematic substance use counselling, information, and support.
- Develop opportunities for homework clubs in our rural communities.
- Advocate for increased affordable housing, and supports for children, youth, and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Want to learn more? Dive into the full All That Kids Can Be section of the report.
From Poverty to Possibility
We take on youth who may be experiencing homelessness, or youth who just don’t have experience at another job. We take them on, and we get them used to regular work hours, scheduling, having lunch breaks. A lot of youth just aren’t used to that.
From Poverty to Possibility
We take on youth who may be experiencing homelessness, or youth who just don’t have experience at another job. We take them on, and we get them used to regular work hours, scheduling, having lunch breaks. A lot of youth just aren’t used to that.
FROM POVERTY TO POSSIBILITY
We take on youth who may be experiencing homelessness, or youth who just don’t have experience at another job. We take them on, and we get them used to regular work hours, scheduling, having lunch breaks. A lot of youth just aren’t used to that.
Everyone deserves a job, a purpose, and a sense of belonging.
The Issue
Across our region, there are major barriers to inclusion and success in the workforce. Stigma and bias around age, background, race, and gender keep talented people from getting in the door. In rural communities, unreliable internet and lack of public transportation make access to services even harder.
Data from the past three years shows:
of racialized populations are unemployed in Canada, compared to 7.3% of non-racialized people.
of working age adults with disabilities are employed compared to 80% of those without disabilities.
1 in 5
single mothers live in low-income situations in Ontario, and almost half (44%) of single mothers with young children are living below the poverty line.
Our response, at a glance
Bringing the right people to the table
In 2021, Indigenous and non-Indigenous employers, post-secondary institutions, and others formed the Indigenous Employment Leadership Advisory Table (IELAT) to listen, learn, and address labour market barriers facing Indigenous youth. In March 2023, the Unionized Building and Construction Trades Council hosted a tour of four of their Trades Training Centres in Ottawa for IELAT representatives, introducing members to the trades and highlighting career opportunities for Indigenous youth.
Sharing resources, learning together
Our partners at Centre de services à l’emploi de Prescott-Russell (CSEPR) provide workshops to local employers and businesses, covering a variety of topics from leadership to skills development. During a recent visit to CSEPR, our Hire Immigrants Ottawa (HIO) team saw an opportunity to share their French-language Inclusion and Belonging Toolkit as an employer resource to complement these workshops.
“HIO’s toolkit helps employers foster a sense of belonging among their employees. This isn’t just a value add for workplaces, this can be crucial for the wellbeing of many newcomers who rely on building networks through their colleagues at work, but faced social isolation during the pandemic.”
— Henry Akanko, Director, Hire Immigrants Ottawa
Our Impact
With our supporters, United Way helped 8,044 people move from poverty to possibility in 2021-22. Together, we can help them reach financial independence and achieve results, such as:
Outcomes | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Newcomers are engaged in the labour market | 59% of newcomers found employment. | 840 newcomers found employment. | |
People with disabilities are engaged in the labour market | 94% of job seekers with disabilities found employment. | 2,518 job seekers with disabilities found employment. | |
People in financial crisis receive supports | 2,485 people in financial crisis received financial services and supports. | ||
Our Goals for the Future
In 2023 and beyond, we’ll work with our partners to ...
- Support employment programs for Indigenous and under-represented youth, people with disabilities, and newcomers.
- Research and bring the right people together to better understand barriers to employment and create culturally safer workplaces.
- Build community wealth by investing in social enterprises and supporting buy/shop local practices.
- Reduce the impact of poverty through financial literacy programs, food security, transportation (especially in rural communities), basic needs, and utilities relief.
Want to learn more? Dive into the full From Poverty to Possibility section of the report.
Healthy people, strong communities
It’s not selfish to put yourself first sometimes because if you don’t look after yourself, you won’t be able to look after your loved one.
Health people, strong communities
It’s not selfish to put yourself first sometimes because if you don’t look after yourself, you won’t be able to look after your loved one.
Everyone deserves the chance to be heard, included, and supported.
The Issue
Our networks continue to raise concerns about the high rates of stress families feel, senior isolation and caregiver burnout, increased crisis situations like violence in homes, as well as the digital divide and technology disparities.
Data from the past three years shows:
more people in Ontario accessed food banks in the first 6 months of 2022, compared to the year before. 1 in 3 were first-time visitors.
of Ottawa’s Black community who tried to access mental health services felt prejudice or negative attitudes from their service providers.
Nearly
3 in 10
older adults reported living alone, and more than 1 in 3 reported feelings of loneliness due to the pandemic.
Our response, at a glance
Creating a safer future for women
As a member of End Violence Against Women (EVA) Renfrew County, United Way East Ontario took part in a provincial inquest that aimed to understand the conditions and challenges unique to rural communities that contribute to intimate partner violence and femicide. We’ve identified six issues within the recommendations that we are working to resolve.
Ready to respond to crises and disruptions
The Derecho storm in May 2022 resulted in extensive property damage and power outages throughout our region, leaving thousands of people vulnerable and isolated for over a week. We worked with our community partners to help ensure people had access to food and basic needs.
“United Way and our partners always work closely to make sure support arrives quickly—through food deliveries, wellness checks, and mental health supports—helping people through emergencies while contributing to the long-term health of our communities.”
— Cameron Ketchum, Director Community Initiatives, Mental Health, Crisis, and Seniors
Our Impact
With our supporters, United Way helped 93,764 people across our region to improve equity, wellbeing, and connections in 2021-22. Together, we can build stronger communities, and achieve results, such as:
Outcomes | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Seniors have improved wellbeing and are less isolated | 85% of seniors reported decreased isolation. | 2,580 seniors reported decreased isolation. | |
Adults have access to mental health and addiction supports | 91% of clients saw an improvement to their mental health. | 23,777 clients had access to mental health and addiction supports. | |
Individuals have access to healthy foods and physical activity | 95% of children ate healthier, increased their physical activity, and/or moved towards a healthy weight. | 6,359 children and youth participated in physical activity and/or healthy food access/nutrition programs. | |
Our Goals for the Future
In 2023 and beyond, we’ll work with our partners to…
- Bolster programming and activities for seniors and caregivers.
- Support in-person, online, and telephone-based counselling, particularly for underserved populations, such as Indigenous peoples, Black and racialized communities, 2SLGBTQ+, and rural residents.
- Increase access to community-based mental health, substance use disorder, and crisis counselling, including gender-based and intimate partner violence supports.
- Grow community sector capacity by supporting volunteer programs.
Want to learn more? Dive into the full Healthy People, Strong Communities section of the report.
Our COVID-19 Response
Did you know that United Way East Ontario led the national movement of United Ways in responding to the social pressures of the pandemic?
Together, United Ways powered 3,400 projects across the country that helped isolated seniors, supported people struggling with their mental health, and reached those who had difficulty meeting their basic needs.
What's new
Community Builder Awards: A celebration and new website
In October 2022, we hosted our Community Builder Celebration, our first in-person event since the start of the pandemic. We were thrilled to showcase 2022’s Community Builder Award recipients and recognize three Community Builders of the Year: Prescott-Russell Food Access Collaborative, Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition, and the Eastern Ontario Caregiver Strategy Working Group.
During the event, we also launched our new community builder website that will be the new home for our award recipients and their inspiring stories.
Introducing virtual tours
United Way reimagined many of the in-person activities we offered after the pandemic began. What were once “Seeing is Believing” tours where we would take supporters on a day trip to a local partner—where they could experience, up close, their donations at work—became a series of “virtual tours.” These videos feature partners across our region who are making an impact in the lives of newcomers, kids, seniors, and youth experiencing homelessness.
Exploring the power of using your voice
In November 2022, Women United’s Disruptive Dialogue event went hybrid: allowing supporters to participate online from the comfort of their own homes and in-person viewing parties hosted by their workplaces.
Our panel—hosted by United Way’s Melissa Somers—included Sawsan Al-Refaei from the City of Ottawa, Erin Leigh from Counselling and Family Services Ottawa, and Anna MacDonald of the Survivor and Advocacy Support Initiative.
Common Ground Ottawa mayoral candidates debate
In October 2022, United Way East Ontario, Ottawa Board of Trade, Ottawa and District Labour Council, in partnership with Carleton University, hosted the Common Ground Ottawa mayoral candidates debate. Our organizations put the most pressing social issues on the candidates’ agenda ahead of the municipal election on October 24.
At the event, mayoral candidates Catherine McKenney and Mark Sutcliffe debated topics at the intersection of social justice, labour, and economic development, including affordable housing, landmark infrastructure, community trust and resilience.
Convoy occupation and our engagement with the Auditor General
Over the summer of 2022, we submitted feedback to the City of Ottawa Office of the Auditor General about the impact the convoy occupation had on social and community services during the crisis phase and in the months that followed. The City consulted us for additional details through the fall, and we were pleased to see our recommendation to better involve the community services sector in emergency responses included in the final report.
100% Local Impact
At United Way, we’re committed to 100% local impact. That means every dollar we invest stays in the community where it was raised—where it’s needed most and will have the greatest impact. Our annual report, which includes our financial statements, is our way of showing you, our donors and supporters, that we’ve kept that promise.
A look back as we push forward
While the COVID-19 pandemic no longer feels like an urgent crisis, there is no denying the incredible challenges that still exist because of it. Chronic issues that people in our communities have always faced, like poverty and mental health, are still much worse than before 2020.
It is in these moments, however, that we have taken the lead to create the positive social change United Way East Ontario always aspires to, and we couldn’t have done it without your support.
Last Updated: June 2023
