SFCSC’s makes its case for a one-time funding support to South Frontenac Council

Wilma Kenny (with a file from Jeff Green) | Jul 21, 2021

Southern Frontenac Community Services has seen the use of many of its services jump dramatically during the COVID pandemic. Food bank use was up from 1517 days of food provided in 2019, to 4124 in 2020, serving 1,800 people. The Meals on Wheels program, a staple for many seniors, delivered over 14,000 meals in 2020, up from 8,000 in 2019. Volunteer hours were up by 2/3rds, and overall care support jumped as well.

All of this took place as the agency continues to deal with inadequate space for both its administrative arm and the Food Bank that it operates. Portables that sit next to the Grace Centre house a number of administrators, as well as the South Frontenac Food bank, and they are failing.

An online delegation from SFCSC (David Townsend, Executive Director, Laura Fitzgerald, the agency’s Fund Development and Communications Director, and long-time supporter Dr Duncan Sinclair) gave a presentation to South Frontenac Council last week, preparing the way for the launch of a $1.5 million fundraising campaign to put up a new wing.

The situation may also put the agency in conflict with the Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

“The condition of the existing site poses significant safety and accessibility issues for our clients who are predominantly older adults, as well as for staff and volunteers,” said an agency document that was submitted to Council last week. “Currently, SFCSC has only one (1) fully accessible entrance with a ramp and automatic door. The second entrance does not meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards. The parking lot needs to be levelled and paved to become accessible. The building has a lift that is not AODA compliant and needs to be replaced with an elevator and public space areas within the building do not have accessible doors.

David Townsend reviewed their agency’s services to the community and outlined the rationale for replacing the current deteriorating portables with a 3,200 square foot addition, to better accommodate the increase in service demands and prepare for projected future needs, in his remarks to Council.

Dr Sinclair, local resident and co-author of the document “Aging Well”, spoke of the increasing percentage of seniors in our community who are living longer. He listed three things about seniors in rural communities: 1) they want to age at home in their own communities for as long as possible; 2) helping them to do so is humane, politically popular, and substantially cheaper than the alternative of institutional care (though there will always be a need for places like Fairmount for those who do need more care); and 3) helping people to age happily and well in their own community can prevent or delay, sometimes for years, the onset of frailty and dementia. “Tonight’s request,” he summarized, “is a no-brainer.”

Councillor Alan Revill asked, if capital funding were to be arranged, what assurance could Townsend provide that SFCS would be able to get sufficient operating funding for serving the anticipated growth in their target population. Dr Sinclair answered that while the current cost of dealing with aging policy (by increasing use of seniors’ care homes) is not affordable, provision of home and community services in the seniors’ own homes is more affordable under current and anticipated economic conditions. Therefore, he is more confident of government help, with a percentage of operational costs, than he would be of their help with capital expenditures.

There were no further questions from Council.

The presentation did not include a specific “ask” and Townsend closed by saying they would come back shortly with one.

Council may have more to say when they know how much money SFCS is looking for.