Recently, I read your Opinion, titled "Housing seniors too important for charity." (Burnaby NOW, Our View, April 2). I felt compelled to respond to some of your statements within, regarding non-profit organizations which are inaccurate and misleading, and therefore need to be corrected. Perhaps your editorial staff has been working on one industry (journalism) for too long, and they need to get a broader range of work experience, particularly in the community social services sector in order to truly understand how non-profit organizations really "work" in this province.
1) "The United Way ... is ending $1.6 million in funding for seniors, which will impact countless groups in the region. You can't really blame the United Way. They rely on charity, and when people don't donate enough, they have less money to hand over to local groups."
It is true that The United Way relies on charity. However, this large organization is run by a number of administrators, who sometimes make decisions that do not always make a lot of sense, particularly to those of us who have worked "on the ground." For the uninitiated, the United Way routinely sends representatives into other organizations, both large and small, public and private, in an effort to fundraise for its many programs.
Several years ago, I was employed in a small non-profit organization (25 employees or less). The United Way sent representatives to our workplace, to ask my co-workers and I for money, by way of a twice-monthly payroll deduction. Less than six months later, the United Way eliminated $150,000 in funding for our non-profit with little notice, after 25 years of providing funding for our programs. The reason given was that the United Way was now going to concentrate on providing funding for services to seniors and youth. (Our non-profit organization had been providing services to people with disabilities, which included many seniors and youth.) As a result of this decision, five people were laid off, including myself. The surviving employees were then expected to provide the same level of service to the public, in a smaller department, with a greatly reduced operating budget.
2) "While we are hoping the provincial government or B.C. Housing will step in to fund this (Seniors Services Society housing) program, we question why local groups are in a position like this in the first place. ... there are benefits to having local non-profits deliver services ... but when they start taking on serious social work, that`s not something that should rely on the whim of charity."
It is true that the government, at all levels, is off-loading more community social services work onto non-profits. However, the assumption that is being made here is that the government only employs so-called professionals, but that non-profit organizations rely too heavily on well-meaning people, who do not have any relevant training or education. This statement is only inaccurate, but very often the reverse is sometimes true. For example, there are many clerical employees who have been working in provincial government ministries for years (e.g. Ministry of Children and Family Development; and Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation), who only had Grade 12 educations and minimal administrative support experience, in order to qualify for their jobs.
Even though these government workers are working directly with the public, and making decisions that will impact the lives of others, they do not necessarily need to have any post-secondary education, in social work or any other field. While the same can be said for some non-profit organizations, over the last couple of years, the standard has been raised considerably. I have not met an executive director in a local non-profit organization, in the past 15 years, that does not have at least a bachelor's or master's degree. Also, as a person who has worked for many non-profit organizations, in an administrative support capacity, I would now be considered just qualified enough for many of these positions. (I have a bachelor's degree from UBC, plus many diplomas and certificates, which are too numerous to list here.) The fact of the matter is that not everyone who works in non-profit organizations is a social worker (which requires a bachelor of social work, and registry with the Social Workers of B.C.); but many of us who have provided direct services to the public, have completed post-secondary educations in college and university (social services worker, child and youth care, etc.), and thus consider ourselves to be educated and career professionals.
3) "Housing vulnerable seniors is something that should be a government priority ... leaving them out in the cold is simply unacceptable."
The government, at all levels, should be providing services to all vulnerable members of our society, not just to seniors. Taxpayers give the government a lot of hard-earned money every year, in order to provide these services to ourselves, our family members, and our neighbours; yet our current politicians aren`t fulfilling their side of the bargain. Christy Clark wanted to be the Queen of B.C., and now she is. Despite what Christy says, if she spent our money more wisely, then she could afford to act a little less like Marie Antoinette, and a little more like Mother Teresa.
With great power also comes great responsibility.
Adele Cameron, Burnaby
