When Canadians struggle with the uneven impact of economic and social disruption, they turn to the community services sector for support. From child care, mental health, housing, and youth programs, to employment and training, culturally relevant support, and newcomer settlement services, the organizations that we collectively represent across Canada respond to urgent community needs every day.

Today, as Canadians face rising inflation, impacts from an escalating US-Canada trade war, and growing economic uncertainty, our sector is prepared to mobilize once again. We are looking to the newly appointed federal government to partner with us — to recognize the critical role of Canada’s community services sector and invest in its stability and growth.

As the volunteer Board Chairs of federated non-profits, we see first-hand the foundational and impactful work of the community services sector. We are the Board Chairs of some of the largest service delivery organizations in Canada – BGC Canada, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Canadian Mental Health Association, National Association of Friendship Centres, United Way Centraide-Canada, YMCA Canada and YWCA Canada. We are all grass-roots organizations, embedded in rural, remote, urban, northern and Indigenous communities, providing services collectively through 315 member organizations that serve 8 million people annually — the equivalent of 1 in 5 people in Canada.

The charitable and non-profit sector is one of Canada’s unsung economic engines. The sector employs 2.4 million people and contributes 8.9% ($192 billion) to Canada’s GDP. The community services subsector employs over 600,000 people, 80% of whom are women. In addition, 47% of staff are newcomers, and 35% are Indigenous or racialized individuals.

Our organizations are driven by impact, guided by strong accountability mechanisms, and equipped with decades of experience assessing and responding to community needs.

Nothing highlighted the critical role of the community services sector more clearly than the significant, abrupt disruption to our social and economic systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our sector pivoted quickly to deliver housing services, food programs, emergency child care, employment programs, and more in response to community needs. Government also quickly realized the capacity and capability within the sector to inform policy and mobilize resources.

Importantly, the need for services has not dropped, and now the pressure is rising again as demand for services across the sector continues to surpass pre-pandemic levels. Recent data shows that 19% of families with children at home and 11% of households without children expect to need charitable services in the next six months. It is anticipated that this figure will only increase considering the US-Canada trade war.

Good governance is a critical success factor. Community service sector organizations are guided by volunteer Boards of Directors – community members who live and work in the places we serve. These volunteers provide strategic expertise, professional experience, and a deep commitment to accountability, transparency, and impact. Across Canada governance boards, mission driven teams, and community partners come together to build trusting partnerships and collaborate with the private sector and all levels of government. We have proven that, with the right partnerships and investments we can move quickly, scale impact, and help communities recover and thrive.

To continue this good work, and be ready for the next crisis, we are calling on the Government of Canada to invest in the community services sector. This is not just the right thing to do — it’s a strategic investment in Canada’s economic and social infrastructure. It can stimulate the economy and ensure vital support is available to those hardest hit. This hand up helps them unlock brighter futures.

A government response that is solely event-driven introduces uncertainty in the operations of community service organizations, often requiring them to prioritize and sunset impactful programs — creating a gap in community response. Short-term unreliable funding dilutes the impact of our organizations and makes it challenging for them to innovate, respond, and build long-term resiliency to ensure everyone realizes their potential. Inflation, trade wars, climate disasters, and other emerging crises will continue to test Canada’s social safety net. Community services are not “nice to haves” – they are vital infrastructure embedded in the fabric of our communities. What we need is a thriving sector that is stable and ready to respond to the next challenge.

As Board leaders in Canada, we see this need first-hand in the charities we support. While community members donating their time or money can make a difference, these are systemic challenges that require policy-level solutions. To address these challenges, we encourage the federal government to remember what is possible when you partner meaningfully with the community service sector. By committing to sustainable, predictable levels of funding, the government can solidify the ability of our organizations to continue to meet rising needs and build a stronger, more resilient Canada for everyone.

• Michelle Banik, National Board Chair, BGC Canada
• Breanne Oliver, National Board Chair, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada
• Ross Manning, National Board Chair, Canadian Mental Health Association
• Kelly Benning, President, National Association of Friendship Centres
• Jason Hatcher, National Board Chair, United Way Centraide Canada
• Laurie Skinner, National Board Chair, YMCA Canada
• Denise Christopherson, National Board Chair, YWCA Canada

Originally published in the Globe & Mail December 11, 2020

By W. Matthew Chater, Owen Charters, Dan Clement, Peter Dinsdale, and Maya Roy

One thing is true of our organizations: We exist because communities need us.

More than eight million Canadians rely on us every year. And when times are especially tough, like now, even more turn to us, Canada’s essential network of community services. We offer spaces where children safely learn and play while their parents work, a hot meal and a place to rest for the night, a first job or resources during periods of unemployment, the support people need to break through barriers and so much more. We are the heart of Canadian communities, helping those living in vulnerable situations, and right now we are struggling.

As front-line charities and non-profits, we provide programs and services critical to Canada’s social safety net. Across all provinces and territories, people turn to us as trusted community service providers to cope, connect and recover – and they need us now more than ever.

Federal pandemic relief programs, including the Emergency Community Support Fund and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, enabled us to provide emergency child care, food programs, virtual services, shelters for people experiencing homelessness and women fleeing domestic violence, mental-health check-ins, personal protective equipment, critical care packages and more. But despite these measures, we continue to be negatively affected by rising costs and diminishing revenues. Canadians are generous, but the economic effects of COVID-19 are affecting many of our supporters, with 37 per cent reporting a reduction in their charitable contributions. As a result, our capacity to serve communities in the future is uncertain.

This is why we are turning to the Government of Canada to implement a Community Services COVID-19 Relief Fund immediately to protect the essential community services Canadians depend on, encourage future philanthropic giving and help us build back better. It is the only way the services that support millions of people in need will survive the pandemic. A program like the new, temporary Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund, which helps charities experiencing financial hardship to continue to serve veterans, would go a long way for service charities and non-profits in all sectors.

With the second wave of COVID-19 upon us, our communities are in crisis, especially those that were struggling before the pandemic. Job loss, isolation, stress and other factors have resulted in unprecedented challenges affecting the health and well-being of the people we serve.

Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities have been hit hardest. Women, especially those who are newcomers, are on the front lines providing essential care and services. Women are also taking on the lion’s share of responsibilities at home and are strained as a result, while child care remains unaffordable and in short supply, compounding the “she-cession.”

We are seeing a spike in requests for support, but are struggling to keep afloat. Funding sources are significantly limited or have dried up. Costs have increased while revenues have decreased dramatically because of cancelled in-person programming and fundraising events. Tens of thousands of employees have been laid off. And we’ve experienced permanent closings of long-standing services, with many more at risk, leaving communities without much-needed resources.

We have adapted, but we are stretched thin – and when we struggle, Canadians struggle.

National service charities and non-profits are on the ground in thousands of communities across Canada, with infrastructure, physical locations and a direct line to respond to the needs of Canadians. Governments rely on us to implement or facilitate social COVID-19 response and recovery programs. What will society lose if we are unable to operate?

Without urgent financial support from the government to help us survive the next 12 to 18 months and make it to the other side of the pandemic, a gap in essential services will be created that will be difficult and far more costly to replace.

Support from the federal government is not just an investment in us. It is an investment in emergency response today, recovery tomorrow and the future resiliency of communities.

Put simply, an investment in national service charities is an investment in Canada.

W. Matthew Chater is the national president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. Owen Charters is the president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. Dan Clement is the president and CEO of United Way Centraide Canada. Peter Dinsdale is the president and CEO of YMCA Canada. Maya Roy is the CEO of YWCA Canada.