Doing More with Less

Charities are facing a growing demand for their services, but their funding remains unchanged.

By Camila Lewandowski

Even though the café des ainés’ cook was away on vacation for two weeks, residents were still lining up at the reception desk of the Centre du vieux moulin de LaSalle (CVM) to buy low-priced frozen meals.

Over the past year, the café des ainés has recorded more than 9,000 visits, and its clientele continues to grow. Its five-dollar frozen meals are attracting more and more residents, with menus ranging from fusilli with rosée sauce to chicken pâté.

The CVM is a charitable organization specializing in improving the living conditions of LaSalle seniors, whilst allowing them to become active citizens.

“What's more difficult,” said Émilie Laplante, CVM’s social development coordinator, “is to respond to the growing needs in the community and the changing issues of poverty.”

CanadaHelps reports that a large proportion of charitable organizations in Canada are struggling to meet the demand for their services. In fact, according to the 2023 Annual Giving Report, more than 40 percent of charities have seen a steady increase in demand for their services since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Laplante explained that the CVM receives the same amount of money from funders every year, even though the organization is serving more and more seniors. As of the end of July, virtually all 60 courses and workshops were fully booked for the fall session that will start at the end of September.

“I end up with a model where I have waiting lists for all my services,” said Laplante.

The social development coordinator explains that the organization must always do more with less, as funding and subsidies are not indexed to current inflation rates. “But” she said, touching the wood of the table at the seniors’ café, “we manage to have financial stability in spite of everything.

“To have that stability, we work hard,” Laplante adds with a laugh.

She also explained that the CVM does not necessarily follow all seniors on their path to old age. In other words, the organization sometimes acts as a lever towards another health care service, such as residency in a CHSLD or access to home care.

The charity also reaches individuals neglected by the Quebec healthcare network. Indeed, many seniors in the neighborhood do not meet the criteria required to benefit from programs offered by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. As a result, the CVM prevents LaSalle seniors from falling through the cracks.

“We know that if we’re not there, things fall apart,” said Laplante. “We’re not putting on plasters,” she added, “we’re making changes that are socially transformative.”