The theme of our reports this year is A year of Inspiration, Teamwork, and Growth – a statement which I feel summarizes our 2017-18 year perfectly. From our continued focus on person-centered services and collaborative partnerships to our increased growth across the organization, we have had a busy but exciting year!
Like so many years at the John Howard Society, this past year has been one filled with challenges, struggles, and ultimately many successes. We have taken the time to look within, build upon our strong foundation, and ensure that we continue to provide responsive, accessible, and sustainable programs and services to the individuals we serve. In 2017-18 we conducted a midterm review of our five-year strategic plan, which we developed in 2015. As a result of this review we reinforced many of the goals we had identified, and through our introduction of a balanced scorecard system we are able to ensure that we continue to focus on the initiatives and activities that support our overall goals.
The growth and development of our Regional Support team was an essential part of meeting many of the goals outlined in our strategic plan. During the year we worked at improving the administrative support for our programs and ultimately the individuals we serve. With the addition of new systems and staff positions throughout the year, we are confident that we have established a committed and dynamic team that is poised to continue to learn how to best support our organization and contribute to our overall success.
This past year saw expansion in our program areas, growth which was made possible by the hard work of our program teams and the outstanding reputation our (program) staff has continued to build with all of our funding partners. New programs were developed and are now underway, many of which came as a result of our strategic plan and working collaboratively in our communities and with other John Howard societies in BC and around the country.
In a year full of inspiration, teamwork, and growth, a few highlights to note include the opening of our new Vancouver Community Services Office (also known as our Fraser Street building), the refresh of our Vision, Mission, and Core Values, the hiring of new key positions in our organization, and a new management services agreement with the John Howard Society of BC. As we start into our 2018-19 year, we are looking forward to the implementation of new programming such as our Community Case Management Supervision and ACES (Acquiring Community-Based Employment Skills) programs.
I would like to thank the individuals we serve for the trust they place in our staff and our organization to work with them to achieve independence in their community. I would also like to thank our committed Board of Directors, our volunteers, our funders, and of course our dedicated and professional staff. I am so proud of the year that we have had, and extremely excited for the year ahead and the future for our organization and our communities.
Mark Miller,
Chief Executive Officer