Did you miss our AGM? If so, you missed great cake, great people, and our annual re-cap. Here are the quick notes:
Bruce House is in a sound financial position, with a healthy reserve fund, though we did have a slight deficit in 2021-2022. Funding remained a challenge, as less than half our revenue is from sustained funding.
Fundraising and one-time grants are very time-intensive and labour-intensive, and can be unpredictable from year to year. Bruce House is very fortunate to have such a generous and supportive community who take on the considerable work of producing fundraising events such as The National Capital Pride Run and Drag & Balls, we simply would not have the staff to do these large fundraisers. Like all charities we are concerned that inflation, a questionable economy, and other factors are contributing to a decrease in donations every year. We continue to advocate to more sustained, long-term funding and systemic change to address this.
Demands on our services continue to increase, in particular the need for food supports, costs not covered by ODSP, and special one-time needs. Bruce House has benefitted from emergency pandemic funding, however this funding in no longer available and the rampant inflation is only increasing the needs of our clients.
Bruce House has endorsed and shared the Glasgow Manifesto, demanding action and care for older adults living with HIV. We joined the Alliance to End Homelessness’ Vote Housing Campaign. We shared the messages from HIVfunding.ca, calling for increased federal funding for HIV. Bruce House is a member of the Ottawa Food Bank’s Food Insecurity Working Group, seeking to reduce food insecurity in Ottawa, addressing the systemic issues perpetuating cycled of poverty and hunger.
For more details have a look at our Annual Report, and thank you for supporting vulnerable people living with HIV.
