Rising costs and increasing numbers of people in need of their services made 2024 a very challenging year for Belong Ottawa and Centre 105. Both Anglican Community Ministries ended up with deficits for the year.
Centre 105 expanded its service from serving breakfast and providing for other basic needs such as showers and laundry from three to four days a week in 2024 and now serves about 450 meals per week. “The demand on our services continues to grow,” said executive director Taylor Seguin. “Simply put, the demand for our services (free meals, social space, laundry, showers), is outpacing our ability to bring in adequate revenue.” Centre 105 had a 2024 deficit of just over $127,000.
Photo: Contributed
Economic pressures have reduced donations, Seguin told Crosstalk. “Although the Cornwall community is incredibly generous and supports Centre 105 financially, 2024 was a challenging year to raise funds, including via individual donors. Many of our existing donors have let us know that life has become exponentially more expensive in the past year, which is unfortunately affecting the amount that they are able to contribute to charities/non-profits…. In some cases, donors were forced to stop donating altogether, especially seniors on a fixed income. A significant portion of our donors are seniors.”
Seguin added that he and the Centre 105 team are making every effort to keep costs down. “I always assure our existing donors, as well as potential donors, that Centre 105 has always been a very “lean machine,” meaning that we have very little overhead costs,” he said of the operation which is based in the parish hall of Trinity Anglican Church. “We rely heavily on the work of our large volunteer team, which allows us to operate with a very small staff team of 3 full timers and 1 part timer. Although we do purchase some food, a large amount of our food is received through donation partnerships with local grocery stores and restaurants.”
The Rev. Canon Peter John Hobbs, director general of the Anglican Community Ministries, said that since Centre 105 opened in 2019 there has been a constant increase in the call for its services. “More and more people are going to Centre 105. And in a sense that demand has outpaced the fundraising that we’ve done,” he said.
“It’s great and amazing that that we have such incredible support from individuals and households in that area and across the Seaway,” but Hobbs added, “we need to diversify our revenue streams beyond an over-reliance on individual donations.” He was quick to gratefully acknowledge that Centre 105 has also been supported by the United Way and a number of service clubs, businesses, community and family foundations. The United Way has provided funding to Centre 105 but recently announced changes to the way it will provide funding, moving away from granting funds for operating expenses.
It is important to note that Centre 105 has been able to apply for and has received small grants of $8,000 to $10,000 from the City of Cornwall annually, but it does not receive core funding as Belong Ottawa and Cornerstone Housing for Women do from the City of Ottawa. There is some hope, however, that the municipal government might consider providing more funding. Bishop Shane Parker, Hobbs and Maria Crosby, the chair of 105’s management board and Seguin met with the mayor of Cornwall and the top municipal administrator. “It was very encouraging,” said Hobbs. “There’s nothing certain yet, but [there was] just an openness to have a conversation about a partnership agreement that hopefully would result in some funding from the City of Cornwall to Centre 105.”
Even with core funding from the City of Ottawa, 2024 was a challenging year for Belong Ottawa, which is an amalgamation of three former day programs — Centre 454, St. Luke’s Table and The Well—and still operates in all three locations in downtown Ottawa. Its operating deficit was $622,000 at the end of 2024, but using its reserve funds reduced the deficit to $102,500.
Belong Ottawa faces similar increasing demands for its services — meals, facilities for people who are homeless or precariously housed to shower and wash their clothes, help navigating government social and health systems, and important social connection and support from staff and other participants in the programs. The number of people coming through its doors and accessing food and services increased by 30 percent between 2023 and 2024, and that growth has continued into 2025. Belong Ottawa now serves about 500 people a day and has extended its hours of service.
Hobbs says the deficit was a result of a confluence of factors. That 30 percent increase in service impacted finances in a number of ways including increasing costs for food, utilities and staffing. He added that there was also an important recognition that Belong Ottawa was previously not creating budgets that accurately reflected the actual costs of the delivery of services.
Shauna-marie Young, who was hired as the new executive director of Belong Ottawa in October 2024, told Crosstalk that she and director of operations Michael Howard did a deep analysis of the finances and true cost of running Belong Ottawa. Presenting those new figures to the City of Ottawa resulted in receiving $900,000 more than in the previous year. She added that four previous contracts with the City of Ottawa have now been amalgamated into one contract, which will make it much easier to control, track and report. Young said that analysis of staff scheduling has led to changes and a more efficient system that avoids costly overlap.
The financial review also showed that a reduced apportionment grant and a drop in donations from the Today for Tomorrow fundraising campaign, which is transitioning to new initiatives, also contributed to the shortfall. Since Young’s onboarding, intentional and focused appeals, fundraising activities, contribution and grant seeking, and donor management are all high priorities for action.
“We receive generous funding from the parishes through the apportionment grant, and of course from individuals and corporations, so there’s a lot of revenue streams,” said Young. “Even though it’s been very generous, it hasn’t met the escalating costs and needs of the community ministry.” She added that Belong Ottawa will shift the focus of its appeals to the community from in-kind donations such as winter clothing to requests for financial donations, which are much more efficiently managed and benefit participants in the programs more effectively.
On that note, Young was excited to report that preparations are underway for a new flagship fundraiser for Belong Ottawa.
On Oct. 4, Belong Ottawa is encouraging parishes, community groups and all friends of Belong Ottawa to join the Ride for Refuge, an in-person bike/walk event, which will raise funds to support Belong Ottawa’s work to compassionately care for vulnerable people in our midst. For more information go to rideforrefuge.org/home
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An abiding sense of Thanksgiving