Corner Brook Status of Women Council a ‘catch-all’ for west coast needs

Every day, more and more people across Newfoundland and Labrador are finding themselves in vulnerable situations, falling through the cracks, struggling to get by. More people are homeless. They don't know when they'll get a proper meal, are in the throes of addiction or a mental health crisis. It's complex, and frontline workers know complex. We've been looking at how their roles with community organizations have been changing, the pressure's increasing. On the West Coast, the Corner Brook status of women is a catch-all for people on the margins. Paula Shepard is the executive director, and she joins me now. So, Paula, can you start by talking about that term, catch-all? What does that mean in your line of work? Whether it is addressing housing insecurity and food access to supporting mental health, addressing violence, or providing crisis responses, our organizations are at the, we are often the first and sometimes the last point of contact for individuals and families in need. That's even more evident in rural communities, especially those outside of the St. John's area, where there are fewer resources. So we become that catch-all. For example, as a women's center, while we have a very defined mandate, we are very much seen as the place to go for everything related to women and families. So you can imagine the breadth. And depth of the issues that are brought to our table as a result of that. And when you're in communities where there are few resources, people look to community organizations which are accessible, free. I And we are expected to be either the experts or be able to help people navigate what that looks like to access the systems that they need. agree. When systems fail or when there are gaps that emerge across public services, community organizations are often also called upon to fill those gaps. And that may be that they're also doing that without the funding, the staffing, or even maybe sometimes the infrastructure to do so on a sustainable measure. We've been speaking with other catch-all groups lately and hearing about staff that have really had to adapt with the changing needs to fill those gaps that you're talking about and stepping outside their normal work mandates to fill those gaps often left by perhaps underfunded areas. And I'm wondering how familiar that sounds to you and your organization. Oh, it's incredibly familiar. We're constantly having to look at how do we tweak the funding for this to meet this mandate? Or can we expand the work that we're doing in order to access this funding pot to maintain the work that we're doing? We're often trying to be really creative, but it's often simply based on the idea that we want to serve the needs of the community that we're living in. And that requires a lot of innovation and creativity and flexibility. And I understand that you've been kind of expanding your workload, that you've been working with a working group in your area. Can you tell me a bit about that? Certainly. I think our work is always expanding and changing. One of the recent examples of what that looks like is that we have started a sexual health working group. For those who don't know, the only provincial sexual health clinic. in this province is located in St. John's. In our region of the province, there are very few sexual health resources available. And so we brought together stakeholders pretty quickly. We came together in January and we started looking at the issues, started identifying what currently is here, what are the gaps, and how are we going to address it in a really succinct and compact timeframe. So you're making more work for yourself. I'm wondering about government's role here. Are they stepping in to offer more funding with this new group that you've started? What is government doing to help out? At this point, we do have some stakeholders from within health who are part of our working group. But at this point, we've not actually made a formal request for funding. We want to get all our ducks in a row, but we will be approaching them. But they've not kind of anteed up anything to begin with. Thank And that's often what we see, is that we are identifying the problem, we are providing possible solutions, and then we are actually doing all of the legwork prior to something coming on board. We rarely see the proactive response that comes from government ahead of time. you. What more would you like to see from government? I think at the base, I think most community organizations are looking to be adequately and resourced. For the work that we do, that means allowing for proper salaries, benefits, and sustainable funding. Most people in the community would not probably understand that most of us work on annualized funding. So we are waiting each and every year to see if we are going to be funded for the following year, despite the incredible work that we do. Thank And that can be really hard. It's a loss of job stability and security. You know, that's one area in which we'd like to be acknowledged. We'd also like to be seen for the key players that we actually are in the many realms of work that we do. you. Thank We need to be seen as equals and understood the role that we play, both in terms of the trust that we have garnered within the communities that we serve and in terms of the work that we do. You know, because you work with a larger system does not make you any more of an expert than the person who is working in a community-based organization. you. There are changing needs within society, it seems, and it ends up on your doorstep. And I'm wondering what that's like for your staff, how they're coping with these changes. Obviously, we have to change and adapt and, you know, ensure that we are. investing in professional development and ongoing training for all of our staff so that they feel adequately prepared to address some of the issues that are coming through our door. And that feels like it's on an ongoing basis. And when we do talk about things like funding and whatnot, then that also often comes at a price. So we are trying our best to serve the people in the best way that we can. The other side of that that's often not recognized is that many of our staff are also living with some of the same pressures as the people that we work with. So that means that our staff, our volunteers, our peer supporters are often dealing with the same issues around housing insecurity, food insecurity, mental health concern The economic pressures that many people feel, so it's a double-edged sword. Thank Not only can they empathize, I guess, with the people that they serve, but in some cases, there could potentially be living some of the struggles that are experienced by the you. people they're trying to help. Very much so. You know, you're right. That experience of living it provides for greater you. empathy. We are able to build trust. We're able to strengthen our relationships based on that common cause. But it does also come at a cost to us that we're also never really escaping those issues when we are constantly confronted with them, with the people that we're serving as well. And then we go. or we don't go home to them. This work often can take a toll. We are holding the stories of people who are incredibly vulnerable. We are comforting people in times of need. We are listening, providing support, holding their hand. And then at the end of the day, there is nowhere for us to park that. We take that home with us. We carry it. We need to find healthy ways in which to Thank Live with that and try to work to dismantle the systems that actually create those situations. And that comes with an incredible sense of responsibility and a burden. Healthy communities depend on there being healthy people. And that means on both sides of the service. you. Well, Paula Shepard, I hope that the people out there have a better appreciation for all the work that you and your staff do. Thank you so much for telling me about it. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to do so.