P.O. Box 544 HALIBURTON COUNTY Minden, ON K0M 2K0 Places for People Eighth Annual General Meeting November 2, 2015 Presidents Report The rhythm that Places for People seems to have established over the eight years of its existence is of alternating growth and consolidation years; within this context, 2015 was a consolidation year. We tucked and tidied some of our management protocols, saw two members leave the board (Adele Espina & Fred Phipps, both of whom were founding members) and added three new ones (John Rodgers, Shirley Moore, Nancy Therrien). Highland Yard ($17,000), following a successful Christmas 2014 Campaign ($6500), Bowlathon ($3576), and Hootenany ($1500), sent us handily over our fund-raising goal set September 1 st, 2013 of $75,000, which allowed us to announce that we were ready to acquire a fourth property. We have continued to increase the productivity of our financial management while enhancing that of other Not-for-Profit community organizations, by a series of borrowing arrangements, this year adding Haliburton County Farmers Market and Four C s to the list. We saw three families graduate from tenancy into home ownership, giving us a 5-for-5 record since our inception. We also dealt definitively with a tenant who had sustained difficulty making rent payments a priority, with a successful outcome. As we progressed toward organizing and documenting our property and tenant management protocols and our fund-raising strategy so that they could be carried out reliably and as efficiently as possible by a variety of people, we realized we were nearing the limits of our capacity. We considered that we may need to begin to hire people to do some of the work that is now carried out by volunteers if we are to expand further. We engaged facilitators from COIN (Community Opportunity and Innovation Network, Peterborough) to lead us through a facilitated exploration of whether and how to modify our model. Several options to develop a social enterprise that could fund paid personnel were explored, but in the end none chosen. At base, it appeared that no board member wanted to hire out their chosen tasks. We concluded that with increased efficiency and extending the reach of directors by engaging community members in the day-to-day tasks of running the corporation, we could stretch the current model to cover one more property acquisition. Haliburton County Non-Profit Places for People Corporation
We determined that we should prioritize that new property being in Highlands East, since it is the only township in which we do not currently have property. This would require strengthening our organizational presence in that municipality. A presentation to Highlands East Council in September was well received and followed up by discussion with their Housing and Grants Committee. We are currently assessing identified properties and clarifying our focus. As always, the apparently simple task of acquiring property is complicated by ongoing consideration of the real and perceived role of affordable rental housing in the social and political life of our community. Modesty aside, the sustained rate of growth of Places for People is a remarkable achievement. The following chart shows asset growth since our inception: One of our motivating beliefs in initiating P4P was that if people were able to count on good quality, affordable housing for as long as it was wanted or needed, combined with personalized support that embodied an expectation that people would use this stability to make desired changes in their lives, the outcomes would be impressive. And so they have been. Only in a few instances have we not been paid rent in the month in which it was owed. Our property has been treated respectfully by all our tenants. As mentioned above, 100% of the tenants Haliburton County Non-Profit Places for People Corporation
who have graduated from tenancy with us have achieved their goal of home ownership. Their Trust Funds have been accessed to allow participation in further education and training, to repair vehicles and thereby safeguard employment, to support personal independence and social integration, as well as to address potentially disastrous cash flow crises. The number of people on whom we directly impact by providing housing has also increased exponentially over the years, as shown in the following chart: Our capacity to fund-raise has also grown smoother and more efficient over the years. We have always asked for donations, which initially was almost exclusively from individuals, but has over the years grown to include some corporate contribution. The United Church of Canada has given us a grant since 2012 that covers most of our very modest organizational expenses (post office box, website, Directors & Officers insurance), and other funds go directly into capital expenses, utilities, and social support. Corporations seem to find it easier to support fund-raising activities (especially the Highland Yard run) rather than affordable housing per se. Our community both individuals and organizations - - have been consistently generous with giving what they can, as well as supporting our fund-raising events. We have developed a somewhat predictable menu of fund-raising events, each of which tries to engage a different segment of our population. Our goal in community-based fund-raising is that participants will consider they got their money s worth from the experience of the event, and the fact that it raised money for P4P is a bonus. We run a Bowlathon in February, a Hootenany in the spring, and the Highland Yard run on the August long weekend, in addition to selling raffle tickets at community events where the primary intent is to raise awareness about housing issues and P4P as a local entity. Haliburton County Non-Profit Places for People Corporation
Strong community partners are crucial, and to date they have been primarily based in Minden: the Fast Lane hosts our Bowlathon, the Dominion Hotel organizes and hosts the Hootenany (as well as dinner theatre events in the early and recent days), and downtown Minden has cleared Main Street for the Highland Yard until 2015, when we found a less intrusive route that fully utilized the RiverCone property. The Highland Yard gives us access to avid runners and seasonal residents, many of whom have a strong sentimental connection to the run s 40+ years history. Places for People continues to operate as a very successful model, both of having positive tenant outcomes, as well as consistently creating new affordable rental housing without government capital input. (Nevertheless, we appreciate the on-going engagement of HCDC in each of our properties, and their tacit willingness to backstop our debts with local lenders, should they all need to have them repaid at the same time.) We also appreciate the Rent Supplement Programs that are partially funded by Haliburton County making affordable housing a possibility. We think the scale of the model is appropriate to small rural communities, which not many models are. We know that the need for housing of the sort we provide is much larger than we can meet, but we hope that we model convincingly that a small group of dedicated people can, indeed, make a difference in the housing reality of their community, that what we have done here, others can also do here or elsewhere. We invite people to learn from our experience. Finally, it is with overflowing gratitude that Places for People thanks all those involved, especially our dedicated volunteers, in growing affordable housing in Haliburton County, one home at a time. Sincerely, Max Ward, President of the Board of Directors for Places for People Haliburton County Non-Profit Places for People Corporation