Today’s a GreaT day!Through its ongoing scan of community needs, House of Friendship (HOF) staff realized there was a need for Dry Houses for men; alcohol-and drug-free homes where men graduating from addiction treatment could receive the support they need while transitioning back into the community. In 2014 Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church came forward with an offer of housing, and a donor, through The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, expressed interest in supporting innovative supportive housing. Together, we created two Dry Houses. Gary was one of the first residents. Supported by Clarence, who works in HOF’s residential services, Gary’s life has begun to have new meaning - volunteering, working, making new friends, and staying healthy. Gary and Clarence text each other inspirational quotes each morning as a reminder that today is a great day. We are now developing a third Dry House, this one for men in pre-treatment, and are collaborating with another church and other funders to develop Dry Houses for women returning from treatment.

ConTinuous innovaTion and a CommiTmenT To exCellenCeHouse of Friendship’s (HOF) Addiction Services participates in and is committed to the Comprehensive Continuous Integrated System of Care (CCISC) Quality Assurance Framework in partnership with other addiction and mental health service providers in Waterloo/Wellington. This framework recognizes that services must be integrated, competent, and capable of operating with complexity and a high degree of accessibility when providing service to people with co-occurring conditions. For example, we participate in the new coordinated access system to community mental health, addiction and crisis services, HERE 24 SEVEN.

Top: Volunteers from The Rotary Club of Kitchener sawed, hammered and nailed their way through United Way of Kitchener Waterloo & Area’s 2014 Day of Caring while renovating the courtyard at House of Friendship’s women’s addiction treatment centre.

(The staff) helped me understand and be aware of my core issues that drive me to use and how to cope with them. Awareness has been a key issue in my sobriety.

– 174 King Street North men’s residential treatment program participant

Funding for HOF’s Addiction Services residential and day treatment programs is provided by:

1.844.437.3247 (HERE247)Call anytime to access Addictions, Mental Health & Crisis Services Waterloo-Wellington-Dufferin

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Twenty-six years is a long time to be involved with anything. Retiring House of Friendship (HOF) President, Trent Bauman, never expected to be involved with HOF for so long, but he says our culture and mission have a way of captivating you. Daily, with your support, we see HOF’s vision of building, ‘a healthy community where all can belong and thrive,’ lived out in many ways as we constantly strive for excellence and look to serve the needs of our community.

This past year you marked with us 75 years of service, remembering HOF’s founders and their legacy; reflecting on our shared mission of service to our neighbours in need; and, renewing your support for this important mission. We wanted to mark HOF’s 75th year of service in the same way in which our predecessors had built their legacy of service, namely with community collaboration.

Across HOF, we worked with current partners and stakeholders and engaged new ones. This included partnering with local charities and Hockey Helps the Homeless Kitchener Waterloo (watch for HHTHKW 2015–October 30: www.hockeyhelpsthehomeless.com); reaching out to new partners in neighbourhoods surrounding HOF’s community centre programs; and, working with community partners to maintain a strong local food network, and

to review and transition residential services and expand addiction services.

Your time, talent and treasure contributed to another balanced budget and also enabled us to make bold investments in sustainability: the creation of a $75,000 capital reserve fund for the women’s addiction treatment centre—an appropriate nod to HOF’s 75th year of service; some seed money for much needed redevelopment plans for the Emergency Food Hamper program warehouse (see page 4); and, the allocation of $75,000 to the Charles Village capital reserve fund in honour of HOF’s Supportive Housing sites’ milestones in community building in 2015 (Charles Village—10 years, Cramer House—30 years, Eby Village 25 years).

Yours and Trent’s community leadership are perhaps best captured in The Awesome Wall, a mosaic tile wall created by local artist, Meg Leslie and volunteers. The wall served as the backdrop for HOF’s 2014 Waterloo Region Record Barnraiser Award photograph (above), a fitting symbol of the barn-raising spirit with which we continue to extend the hand of friendship to our neighbours in need today, and tomorrow.

In Service,

John neufeld, Executive Director

We are most fully human, most truly ourselves, most authentically individual, when we commit to the community. It is in the mirror of our community - the street, the neighbourhood, the town, the country - that we find our best selves.

– Adrienne Clarkson, Belonging: The Paradox of Citizenship

Top Left: Representatives of House of Friendship’s program participants, services, personnel, management, and leadership in front of The Awesome Wall by the Charles Street Men’s Hostel.

FPOThe Art of Community Leadership - Collaboration Supporting Healthy Lives Addiction Services

In This Report

1. The Art of Community Leadership2. Supporting Healthy Lives3. Building Strong Families and Communities4. Feeding and Assisting Those in Need5. HOF Infographic6. Providing Shelter and Supportive Housing7. A Promise Made. A Promise Kept.8. A Shared Mission9. Financial Summary

Right: A little bit of rain didn’t stop these young Trek 4 Kids hike and bike participants.

Left: Sixty parents and children cooked up healthy fun at Chandler Mowat Community Centre’s Parent-Child Cooking Group in 2014.

Left: Oscar, busy packing an emergency food hamper.

Middle: Some of the twenty-two participants from the Girls in Leadership program at Kingsdale Community Centre volunteered during the 2014 Turkey Drive.

Your support of Trek 4 Kids hike and bike 2014 and House of Friendship’s (HOF) Summer Camp Sponsorship program sent 127 children living on low income to summer camp last year! Visit www.houseoffriendship.org and click on the Donate button to send kids to camp in 2016.

“You help me send my daughter to camp every year. I can remember when she was 7 or 8 years old and started going to camp, and now she’s going into grade 9 in September and is again looking forward to camp this summer. I just wanted to say thank you for making this possible. Seeing how much she grows and develops at camp each summer is truly heartwarming. Thanks so much!”

supporTinG Families aCross our CommuniTyIn January 2015, HOF, in partnership with Life Change Adventures and the Waterloo Region District School Board, received funding from the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation for a Better Beginnings North Waterloo initiative. This community-based project will provide supports, programs and resources to children ages 4-8 years, and their families, in five North Waterloo schools including Cedarbrae Public School near Sunnydale, with the goal of improving academic, health and social outcomes for these children long-term.

50 years oF sharinG The GiFT oF FoodAnother record-setting Food Drive of more than 25,000 food items by Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, and an equally successful Turkey Drive by the Rotary Club of

Kitchener Conestoga, helped provide 3,400 Christmas food hampers and turkeys to local families in December 2015. Hampers were packed and delivered by more than 600 volunteers, bringing food and hope to over 9,500 people.

Who you Gonna Call?House of Friendship’s (HOF) Appliance Repair program made 625 house-calls in 2014 to fix major appliances at a reduced rate or at no-cost for Waterloo Region residents living on low-income. An external review of the Appliance Repair program was completed in 2014 by the O’Halloran group. This review gave a strong endorsement of the program.

openinG up Food hampersFor the first time since the 2008/2009 recession, House of Friendship’s (HOF) Emergency Food Hamper program (EFHP) distributed less than 30,000 hampers between April 2014 and March 2015. However, the need remains above pre-recession levels; 28,444 hampers were distributed during 2014/2015. After years of operating above capacity, the EFHP warehouse is in dire need of redevelopment. It’s time to re-imagine this space to make it more welcoming, safer, and, better equipped. For details and updates about HOF’s ‘Opening Up Food Hampers’, stay tuned to HOF’s blog: http://hofemergencyfoodassistance.wordpress.com

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A young resident from the Chandler Mowat community won one of the highest youth awards in the city. His mother reflected: “I never used to be proud to live in Chandler (Mowat)… but now, seeing what the community centre has done for my son, I am so happy I live here.

I used to be shy, but I met my best friend here, I’m not afraid to be myself anymore.

I feel capable now, but before I started this program I thought I couldn’t do anything and wasn’t good at anything.

I learned that it’s okay to be yourself!

I realized that when I try to do something I can do it, and get farther.

I have a very limited income. If this service was not available I wouldn’t be able to afford the repair. I wouldn’t be able to cook at home. I don’t know what I would do.

I am worried about Christmas. Even though my husband will start working at the end of September, he won’t receive any pay till Halloween and by then we will have so many bills to pay…My little girl is already afraid we will not have enough food to eat at Christmas time.

Building Strong Families & Communities Family Services Feeding & Assisting Those In Need Community Services

Right: House of Friendship Board Member, Dave Snyder (right) picking up food from the 2014 Rockway Mennonite Collegiate Christmas Food Drive.

As a result of community feedback that was gathered as part of a program review in 2014, House of Friendship’s (HOF) Courtland Shelley Community Centre program in Kitchener will shift to a focus on children and youth in 2015 while still maintaining some core adult programming.

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Supporting Healthy LivesADDICTION SERVICES

Bridges to health day Treatment519-957-5001 | 71 Ann Street, Kitchener, ON N2B 3T3 Two-week day treatment programs for adults who are concerned with their substance use, with separate sessions for women and men. Portable service provided in Cambridge, Guelph and Kitchener.

moving Forward 519-957-5001 | 71 Ann Street, Kitchener, ON N2B 3T3 Individual and group counselling for participants who are pregnant and/or parenting children under 6, and who are concerned with their substance use. Residential addiction treatment is also available to those who are pregnant.

alcontrol 519-957-5001 | 71 Ann Street, Kitchener, ON N2B 3T3 A residential treatment program for women with addictions to alcohol and/or other drugs.

174 King street north 519-885-3330 | PO Box 128, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z9 A residential treatment program for men with addictions to alcohol and/or other drugs.

addiction supportive housing intake: 519-957-5001 PO Box 1837, Station C, Kitchener, ON N2G 4R3 Addiction counselling for adults with addictions, living in supportive housing.

Feeding & Assisting Those in NeedCOMMUNITY SERVICES

appliance repairs | 519-742-8327 Assistance with repairs to major household appliances of people living on low income in Waterloo Region.

Christmas hampers | 519-742-8327 A gift of food for people in need at Christmas, coordinated through the Christmas Bureau.

emergency Food hampers | 519-742-0662 807 Guelph Street, Kitchener, ON N2H 5Z2 Emergency assistance to people living in the community who are in need of food.

Building Strong Families & CommunitiesFAMILY SERVICES

Community Centre programs We support families and individuals and facilitate community development in partnership with neighbourhood associations and regional and municipal governments in the following locations:

• Chandler mowat | 519-570-3610 222 Chandler Drive, Kitchener, ON N2E 3L7

• Courtland shelley | 519-571-7953 1064-G Courtland Avenue E., Kitchener, ON N2C 1K6

• Kingsdale | 519-748-6463 72 Wilson Avenue, Kitchener, ON N2C 1G5

• sunnydale | 519-883-0410 508-H Sunnydale Place, Waterloo, ON N2L 4T1

summer Camp sponsorship | 519-742-8327 Provides a summer camp experience for children of families experiencing low income.

Providing Shelter &

Supportive HousingRESIDENTIAL SERVICES

Charles street men’s hostel | 519-742-8327 63 Charles Street East, Kitchener, ON N2G 2P3 An emergency shelter providing room, board and support to find housing for men aged 16 years and older who are experiencing homelessness.

supportive housing | 519-742-8327 55 Charles Street East, Kitchener, ON N2G 2P3 Permanent affordable housing with support services for single adults. On-site support team engages with tenants in a recovery focused, harm-reduction approach. Access to specialized supports from partner services. Fostering community integration. Application for apartments are managed through a centralized community process.

•Charles village | 75 Charles St. E., Kitchener One bedroom apartments.

•Cramer house | 55 Charles St. E., Kitchener Congregate living for men. Nine private rooms.

• eby village | 50 Eby St. S., Kitchener One and two bedroom apartments.

a mile in Ben’s shoesThe voices in his head compelled ‘Ben’ to walk grueling miles in extreme weather conditions, unable to receive the care he needed to cope with his mental health needs. One of his walks took him from London to Kitchener in winter, wearing only a little clothing and his old worn dress shoes. He ended up in hospital. From there he came to the Charles Street Men’s Hostel, and was then referred to Cramer House. At first, he struggled to belong. But with stable housing and supports such as medication and food, Ben was able to develop relationships with staff and other residents. He also reconnected with his family, with who he had not been in contact for over a decade. At Cramer House, Ben has learned to walk in a new pair of shoes and with a new community. Ben is one of 902 men who stayed at the Charles Street Men’s Hostel in 2014/2015.

servinG up CommuniTyMabel and Friends is a social enterprise and partnership where tenants, supported

by staff and volunteers, come together to prepare food for cafes, meals and meetings. Mabel and Friends now caters most internal House of Friendship (HOF) meetings that require refreshments. Catering proceeds are used by tenants to support ‘extras’, such as Wi-Fi. Tenants are in the process of determining their business goals, with initial thinking including home-cooked foods with a focus on health and wellness. The enterprise is named after Mabel Steinman, who was the beloved cook at HOF’s Charles Street Men’s Hostel for twenty-six years.

Top: Volunteers, residents and staff come together to grow community at gardens throughout House of Friendship’s Supportive Housing sites - Charles Village, Cramer House and Eby Village - home to approximately 95 men and women. You can find Supportive Housing on twitter: @HOF_Housing.

a neW liFe For KiWanis houseFollowing a review of House of Friendship’s (HOF) Kiwanis House program, we made the difficult decision to close it in 2014. While Kiwanis House has provided significant help to many young men in transition, it was clear from community feedback that local youth need more specialized community-based housing and mental health and addiction supports. Recognizing this, HOF is providing the Kiwanis House property rent-free to oneROOF (an organization specializing in serving youth experiencing homelessness) to ensure that the legacy of Kiwanis House lives on and that our community continues to meet the emerging needs of local youth.

ANNUALLY, WE SERVE OVER

people in need42,000

Providing Shelter & Supportive Housing Residential Services A Promise Made. A Promise Kept.

Give on-line at www.houseoffriendship.org

TexT share to 41010 to donate $5* to House of Friendship siGn-up at www.changeit.com to easily round-up your change to help those-in-need every time you make a purchase with your Mennonite Savings and Credit Union Member Card debit card or BMO Bank of Montreal MasterCard.

There When Needed, Always.Do you want to extend your hand of friendship to those in need in perpetuity? A gift or bequest to The Friendship Fund endowment (1995) in support of House of Friendship’s community outreach will enable you to continue to build a healthy community where all can belong and thrive, and comfort and support those-in-need, always. For more information, please contact: Christiner@houseoffriendship.org 519-742-8327 x122

*empowered by

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Giving As Easy as 1-2-3

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Where supporT Comes From: Total Revenue $6,915,410

WhaT your supporT does: Total Expenses $6,898,647 (surplus: $45,343)

BY ExPENSE CATEGORY

note: Full audited financial statements, along with a more detailed Annual Report and 2015/2016 Annual Budget are available on-line at: wwwhouseoffriendship.org

68% Wages & Benefits

16%Building & Occupancy

7%Program & Food

4% Office & Other

4%Reserve Allocations

1% Vehicle/Transportation

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35% Province of Ontario

33% Region of Waterloo

19% Direct Donations

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5% Participant Fees

5% United Way

3% Municipal Government, Other Income & Federal Government

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BY SERVICE AREA

35%Residential Services

28%Addiction Services

12% Admin

11%Community Services

9%Family Services

5%Fundraising/PR

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For 12 magical days each December, over 700 volunteers support House of Friendship’s Christmas Hamper program and The Rotary Club of Kitchener Conestoga’s Turkey Drive (www.turkeydrive.ca). They share the gift of food with thousands of people

in need during the Holidays. Led by 12 community Do Gooders, people from across our community share the good - volunteer, help, donate and raise awareness of charities and causes during #12daysforgood. Anyone can be a Do Gooder. Mark your calendars for the 2015 #12daysforgood, December 10-21, and get ready to do more good!

To learn more about volunteering with HOF,

please contact us at 519-742-8327 or volunteering@houseoffriendship.org.

The Buhr Legacy of Friendship recipient is selected annually by House of Friendship’s (HOF) Board of Directors in recognition of those who espouse the values of HOF

and who have made significant contributions to both HOF and our community. The 2014 Buhr Legacy of Friendship was given posthumously to Ilda Bauman, who worked at HOF 1939 - 1949 as a co-worker of Joseph Cramer, the founding Director. She made hundreds of home and hospital visits, distributing books and thousands of pieces of literature, and helping with numerous worship services, as well as cooking meals for clients. Ilda died in 1974, leaving a legacy of compassion that continues to serve and inspire today.

Top: Trent Bauman, retiring House of Friendship (HOF) President, centre, with family members, and with HOF Board and Leadership Team members, receiving the Outstanding Leadership Award at the Volunteer Action Centre’s 2015 Volunteer Impact Awards (http://www.volunteerkw.ca)

Above: (L-R) House of Friendship (HOF) Stewardship Officer, Shelley Holmes, Martin Buhr, ‘Joe’, and Sharon Reimer and Mary Lynn Dedels, and Ken Bauman, the nieces and nephew of the late Ilda Bauman, receiving The Buhr Legacy of Friendship on her behalf in recognition of her significant contributions as a founding HOF staff member, and as a representative of all of the unsung heroes who have contributed to HOF’s mission since 1939.

A Shared Mission: Making A Life By What We Give Financial Summary, 2014/2015: Good Stewardship

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Mary Friesen | PresidentKeith Cressman | Treasurer, Finance Committee ChairSharon Feldmann | Addiction Services Committee ChairLester Kehl | Spiritual Resource CommitteeBrian Knight | Residential Services Program Committee ChairDennis Martin | Community Services Program Committee ChairElizabeth Payne | Public Relations Committee ChairElna Robertson | Family Services Program Committee Chair Dave Snyder | Property Services Committee Chair Grace Sudden | Personnel Committee Chair

Volunteer Board of Directors2015/2016

Getting To Know House of Friendship

House of Friendship is a charitable social service agency founded in 1939.

We serve people living on low-income and/or in-need:

• Supporting Healthy Lives • Building Strong Families And Strong Communities • Feeding And Assisting Those In Need• Providing Shelter And Supportive Housing

Printed by:

Designed by:

arkay {design • print

100% post-consumer fibre. Certified EcoLogo and Processed Chlorine Free. FSC Recycled and manufactured using biogas energy.

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administration: 51 Charles Street Eastmailing: PO Box 1837, Station C, Kitchener, ON N2G 4R3 phone: 519-742-8327 • FAX: 519-742-8868email: admin@houseoffriendship.org www.houseoffriendship.org

Charitable # 10749 3892 RR0001

We want to see a mighty flood of justice, a torrent of doing good.

Our Core Values. Our Common Ground.Inspired by Christian faith, we continue to be shaped by the following values:

Compassion: We extend the hand of friendshipinclusion: We believe everyone has a seat at the tableJustice: We value a society where all have a voicedignity: We honour the self-respect of each personhope: We always see hope, even in times of trouble

Quilt motif - ‘Pieces of Friendship’ quilt designed by Trudie Hughes