The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 30, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Many long-time agencies hurt by United Way cuts Continued from page 2 Congratulations Good Night Good Morning on your 10 Year Anniversary. We wish you continued success. Available at 100 Bronte Road, Unit #3, Oakville 905-847-1512 South of Lakeshore Road www.goodnightgoodmorning.ca Voted Best Lingerie Store for the last 10 years Start Shopping! Online Auction April 21 - May 8 Appleby's Online Auction is o pen to the public. Bid on hundreds of spectacular items: travel, jewelry, art, spa packages, cuisine, home decor and more! ble sector," said Hardeen. "It was to ensure that we could say with absolute certainty, your dollars are impacting the community in these ways," said Hardeen, adding, "It's a level of stewardship that's expected among donors." "Our community spoke. It wants rigorous stewardship of donor dollars," said Barton. Hardeen said the outcome measurement tool is not a punitive measure, but one that was applied without exception and one that did lead to some reductions in program funding. The news is not all bad, however, according to UWO CEO Barbara Burton, who said it led to eight new programs receiving funding and funding increases to 10 other programs. UWO officials say the door is open to local agencies that want to discuss the funding outcomes. Hardeen said the new process will also allow for course corrections and agencies that may have lost funding this year, could recoup it next year. Hardeen said each program funded was dealt with individually, with some agencies receiving money for numerous programs. Barton said some agencies lost funding for one program, but gained it for a new program. For example, at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, executive director Elaine Connell confirmed a loss of $37,000 in UWO support. The agency received $239,289 in UWO funding including $11,352 for a new Go Girls! Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds program. Other agencies experiencing losses, however, such as the Oakville Parent-Child Centre, Community Living Oakville, Grace House Group Home, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Halton Chapter and Halton Family Services did not receive financial support for new programs. Nancy Brown, of Halton Family Services, who has worked in the local social service field for more than 30 years, is critical of the cutbacks. "There is a gap between what agencies can provide as this community grows so rapidly and what we need to provide, so something needs to be done," said Brown, hopeful the recent mayor's roundtable may lead to some answers. Halton Family Services received $350,062 in UWO monies this year -- $16,709 for its credit counselling program and $333,353 for its individual, couple and family counselling program. The agency lost $25,000 in its individual, couple and family counselling program. It lost "These cuts are crippling to agencies that have not received increases for the last two years, and the demand for service is growing rapidly in our community." Nancy Brown, Halton Family Services $7,000 in its credit counselling program. Brown is more concerned with the $25,000 loss for the couple and family counselling program. In 2006, the UWO stressed that donations should be earmarked specifically for the Community Impact Fund, which would go directly back into the community. Other United Ways were also establishing such specific funds to better denote direct community investment. Brown noted that securing funding for new programs, when losing greater amounts of funding for established programs, isn't necessarily moving forward. "Community Living Oakville was one of the agencies that did receive a funding reduction this year from the United Way. Most not-for-profit agencies face funding issues and are always struggling with the increasing cost of providing quality service. When any of our funding sources is decreased, it is disappointing and puts additional pressure on us to offset this decrease in funding with the least amount of impact on the people who rely on the services we provide," said Andy Rotsma, executive director of Community Living Oakville (CLO), which has provided more than 50 years of support to people w i t h a developmental disability. CLO received $28,093 from the United Way for its residential services program for 2008. David Klarer, who heads up Grace House, a group home that's operated in Oakville for more than three decades, said he wouldn't like to see the public upset with the United Way to the point where donations are affected. At the same time, he said he has to admit disappointment. Grace House provides supportive housing for adults with mental or social disabilities to help them achieve independent living. As a result of the funding cut, the group home has had to raise rents for its residents, who often receive disability, make cutbacks in front-line staffing, forego carpet cleaning and must be wiser about shopping, said Klarer. Grace House lost $5,000 in UWO support this year -- a 12 per cent decrease in the funding it received from the UWO last year while it had been seeking a boost in funding. In total it received $26,583. Klarer said to a business person a percentage point may not represent much, but to people on the front line, it's huge. Linda Hunt, executive director of the MS Society, Halton Chapter said her agency lost 30 per cent of its funding this year and will lose all of its UWO funding in 2009. It received $8,610 for its Client Services program for 2008. The MS Society, Halton helps MS patients maintain a degree of independence and control over their lifestyle through patientservices programs and education. "Our client services program funding was cut. It provides direct support for people living with MS and their families in Oakville," said Hunt, adding the agency wasn't given prior warning it would be "de-funded." The MS Society, which also receives funding from other Halton United Ways, had its funding reduced only by the UWO, said Hunt. Brown, in a letter filed to the editor, noted, "funding was lost by almost all Oakville United Way agencies this year. This year's campaign was the second in a row not to reach goal ­ something almost unheard of in the history of UW of Oakville. A new process was put into place without input from the agencies that required an "outcome measures model" from each agency in order to receive funding. I know of no agency whose plan was deemed acceptable. Funding was cut from five per cent to almost 20 per cent to all but one agency I talked with on the basis of an "unacceptable model,"" said Brown. "These cuts are crippling to agencies that have not received increases for the last two years, and the demand for service is growing rapidly in our community," said Brown. Further, Brown noted that United Ways require research that shows the need for services and CDH provided that. "The community priorities had some merit, but cutting funding to agencies like the MS Society, and Acclaim Health for their hospice program cannot be justified," said Brown. "The current relationship with the agencies is the worst I have ever seen. Our social service network cannot be eroded if the community is to thrive. I hope concerned members of the community will press for positive changes,"