The best working experience of my life …

An older man, likely younger than he seemed, was sitting in front of the liquor store a few days ago.  Invisible or ignored by most.  He didn’t make eye contact but had a small handwritten sign with words scribbled upon it, almost unreadable, simply asking for money to buy food. 

With the sun setting on this early November evening, I wondered where he would sleep tonight, would he eat something.  Who is he?  How did his choices, luck, or misfortune bring him to this point?

I know, it’s easier than people think to experience homelessness.  With rising rent, many pay 80-100% of their income just for someplace to live.  Did he lose his job?  Did he get hurt while working?  Did he get “renovicted?”  Did he just get too old for his job?  Could he be on Ontario Works or a disability pension and just doesn’t have enough money to pay for food AND a place to live? 

His story could be any of those and is more common than any of us believe.

I see people, I try to understand their situations, learn from each of them, offer assistance, understanding, acknowledge circumstance and precariousness and how easily they could be me, advocate, challenge people’s awareness and thinking, and do what I can.  I used to think I saw all of this before, but I know that I did not.

After a lifetime of working in the “for-profit” sector, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join the “non-profit” world for what was supposed to be a limited 6-month contract.  I did not know what to expect, but discovered how lacking my knowledge was and learned more about my community in three years than I had learned in the previous thirty.   

As I became aware of issues and problems entire segments of my business and life philosophy changed.  I now try to share my lessons and revelations in the hope that through building awareness and connectivity more people will learn and respond to issues, challenges, misconceptions, and opportunities our neighbors and vulnerable individuals and charities struggle with daily. 

Surprises, lessons, and revelations:

Skills, attitude, and behavior – At first, I thought my business skills would not be transferable or of limited utility; as with many things in my re-education, I was wrong.  In an environment filled with social services specialists, addiction and mental health workers, and volunteers with decades of experience, I worried my skills would be the square peg in the round hole. 

The reality is that charities operate with barely enough funding or people.  Non-profits rely on grants, year-to-year funding, and the goodwill of donors.  Their people have virtually zero job security and many grants only cover “program spending” and not wages.  Most survive on short-term contracts with no guarantee that the funding will continue.  Making matters worse, most charities function in a world that barely notices or understands the work they do.

As a result, people and volunteers working in the charitable sector wear many hats.  In my very short time with them, I had the opportunity to use all of my skills in purchasing and procurement; coaching and motivating; customer service and problem-solving; process and logistics; advertising, marketing, and media relations; making proposals and writing reports; and training and human resources.  In addition, I learned what I knew about mental health and addiction was wrong, I learned about Gabor Mate, the effects of trauma, the benefits of mental health first aid, and more.  Where I worked, I helped build connectivity, collaboration, and knowledge sharing with more than fifty volunteer organizations with more than three hundred volunteers.  The work I did was more satisfying and impactful than anything I had ever done before.

Diplomacy – In a world where lines of authority are vague at best and organizations depend on the goodwill and patience of volunteers, many of whom are senior citizens; learning and being able to be diplomatic is a huge advantage … a skill that was somewhat lacking from my own toolbox, but one I needed to learn quickly.  Many “for-profit” organizations are hierarchical and have structured organizational charts; the “not-for-profit” world is very fluid, relying on people stepping up, innovative solutions to complex problems, and the ability to secure willing cooperation; and diplomacy and humility are the key building blocks.  People with large egos and an unwillingness to cooperate don’t survive in this world.

The immediacy of short-term contracts – I learned as a contract employee, you must make each day count, in some ways, it was similar to how I worked in retail; however, the security of working for a large corporation is a luxury, a luxury that simply does not exist in the non-profit sector. 

In the charitable sector, there is zero job security – In business, many times you are only as good as your last sale; however, in most cases, if you do a good job, you can be relatively confident you are “secure” as long as you continue to do good work. In the charitable sector, even the best people in the best programs have no security if there simply is no more money.  I have seen many brilliant, dedicated, and caring people, all of whom made huge contributions to their community have their employment ended funding ended. 

These are special people, with incredible skills and understanding who put their heart and soul into their work anyway knowing how precarious their futures are.  Some of the most inspiring people I have ever met in my life are the workers and volunteers I met during this time of life.  The vast majority work without recognition and awareness, sometimes for far more than 40 hours a week.

How unaware and wrong most people, the media, politicians, and governments are about social issues.   Before I started this contract-to-contract journey, I thought I was well-informed and knowledgeable.  It did not take long for me to realize I had no idea of the scope and the size of the social issues in our community.  Issues such as poverty and the effects of multi-generational poverty; the lack of affordable and safe housing that contributes to food insecurity; and the trauma behind mental health and addiction. 

We live in a small city of about 20,000 people.  It is a relatively wealthy community, we have pools and arenas, nice parks, and hiking trails, and people come to spend their vacations here.  We also have almost daily drug overdoses, homelessness, and human trafficking are significant issues.  More than one hundred individuals and families live on our streets every night.  There are no public washrooms, showers, or safe shelters.  Our provincial minimum wage is nowhere close to the living wage required for people to live here.  More than 15,000 students rely on breakfast and lunch programs daily.  It is cheaper to have a mortgage than it is to rent a decent apartment if you can find one, it is not unusual for single moms to be propositioned for sex from landlords who know that the demand far exceeds the supply of rental housing.  The waiting list for emergency housing is five years and as recently as 2022, people in need of housing were given tents to live in. 

Additionally, few of us have experienced or can appreciate how difficult it is for new Canadians and indigenous communities to gain a foothold in a society that claims to be inclusive and multi-cultural but in reality, can’t even see the systematic barriers and discrimination that exist.

Our social “safety” net is a myth – People who help deal with poverty, food insecurity, domestic violence, and addiction issues; make a huge impact with few people in the “mainstream” knowing about what they do or who they are.  The media talks about the front-line healthcare workers, and they deserve all the praise and support we can give them, but there is another network of organizations and volunteers that deserve praise as well.   Many work in whatever space they can find, groups of three or four dedicated people in some cases; these people try to fill the gaps between what social assistance programs can do and what the needs are in reality.

The solutions are often counterintuitive – Many people do not realize or believe that a “Guaranteed Personal Income”, like the CERB, would likely save the government’s money.  Police departments making large-scale drug arrests actually make the drug problem worse by forcing people who are addicted to seek out more dangerous supplies.  Most feel addiction is a criminal problem when in fact it is a health problem and the solution is a multi-step process involving safe supply and injection sites, wrap-around care to deal with the trauma vulnerable people experience, and a community-based recovery program.  Many voters are attracted to politicians who are “tough on crime,” or who want to solve our drug problems by “locking up drug users,” – they could not be more wrong.

If people looked past their first reactions to an issue and actually looked at the facts and effects, we could solve many of the social issues we have and likely do it for less money than it is costing now. 

The importance of a living wage – Many people in our communities who are using food banks, need affordable housing are working.  No amount of budgeting can help vulnerable people break out of the poverty cycle when 80% or more of their income goes to simply finding a place to live.  As a businessperson, I am embarrassed by how many of my associates in the past worked for minimum wage. We need to realize that people can’t afford to live here and do something about it.

The importance of stable multi-year funding – As a business, few could imagine not knowing in January if you could afford to keep your staff in April?  Charities operate under this uncertainty every year making staff recruitment and retention very challenging.

Administration costs do not imply waste – There is a general fallacy among the media and the general public that somehow incurring administration costs limits the impact and effectiveness of a charity.  This fallacy belies any kind of knowledge of the issues and solutions, obviously, there are good administration costs and there are bad administration costs; however, the ignorance of blanket statements undermines donor confidence and the effectiveness and abilities of charities to help alleviate our social issues.

The danger of simple obvious solutions for complex problems – All leaders have opinions on social issues; however, opinions based on actual facts are what is needed.  Many people believe that donations to food banks will solve the food insecurity issues that plague virtually every community.  This belief has fostered an incredible infrastructure to support food banks; however, few people make the connection to one of the most powerful underlying causes which is the lack of affordable and safe housing.  We need to continue to treat the symptoms of poverty; however, we need to examine the root problem and work on ways to solve the issues at the source. 

Silos and false kingdoms – Just like the “for-profit” sector, some communities suffer because of resistance to change, evolving solutions, egos, and an unwillingness by some to cooperate and collaborate.  One of my primary objectives was to build more connectivity between organizations and people, many of them were willing, but some were resentful or wary of doing things differently, all communities face this challenge and must work hard to overcome this reluctance.  

Despite all the obstacles, how many inspiring and creative people there are – If more people only knew how dedicated and hard-working all of the volunteers and charities are, we might be able to solve more of the root causes affecting our communities much faster and more effectively.  If I could wave a magic wand and make politicians, donors, the media, and corporate supporters see the energy and passion, and get them to listen to these remarkable people and their solutions for our issues; I know many of our issues could be solved now.

I have mostly returned to the “business world” however my experiences have left me fundamentally changed.  I see the impact that individuals and small, medium, and large businesses can make to help provide assistance to our vulnerable people, many of whom may actually work for or with us.  If an opportunity presented itself to return, I would not hesitate to return to a role helping our community.  I have volunteered and joined the United Way Board of Directors in hopes of influencing and affecting change however I can.  For those of you reading this, consider some of these things today,

• If you are a business owner, try to pay a living wage and have full-time people.
• Take a Mental Health First Aid Course, these two-day programs are as important as regular first aid courses as one in four people this year will experience some form of mental health experience this year.
• Support your local charities with a payroll deduction plan, even small regular donations can make a large difference.
• Question politicians who believe mental health and addictions are criminal issues and learn about issues and the misconceptions we all have.
• Get involved in the social issues that face your community by donating time and/or services with things like food drives, supporting community gardens, meal programs, financial literacy programs, etc.
• Realize you can make a big difference in your community.

Hopefully, the man at the liquor store got enough money for something to eat, more than the few coins I had at the time.  There are many more like him that need our assistance and understanding.

We do what we can with what we have in the time that we have.  It is never enough and will likely never be enough, but we all have to try.

Good luck and thank you,

Paul