By Michelle Bergin – Executive Director, CFSSC

Michelle Bergin, current executive director at Catholic Family Services of Simcoe County reflects on the progress made in the past year and talks about what they have been working on in 2017.

CFSSC’s Growth Agenda Continues

2016 was another growth year for CFSSC. Five years ago, CFSSC had a staff group of 13. Today we have 21 core staff members, and a dozen more on contract.

In July 2016, CFSSC became Simcoe County’s new provider for the Partner Assault Response (PAR) Program through the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Victims and Vulnerable Persons Division. As a result, we now work more comprehensively with families experiencing domestic violence, with many PAR clients also accessing our Walk-in or ICF Counselling.

In 2017, our focus is the development of a new strategic plan and preparing for re-accreditation. We are also looking for ways to expand our free walk-in counselling clinics to keep up with the demand, explore how to provide more services in Muskoka and seek new partnerships with other regional service providers.

While we continue to prioritize service accessibility, working to accommodate location, program fees and/ or appointment times, we are also looking to create the capacity to support our growing newcomer populations, as well as our local Francophone and Indigenous communities.

Finally, even as we welcome new Board President Laurie Vandenhurk, I extend my profound appreciation of outgoing President Maureen Shave’s commitment, compassion, and leadership, which contributed to our organization’s current strength, and set up CFSSC for future success.

View CFSSC’s 2016 Annual Report here

Providing Help, Offering Hope & Changing Lives

Catholic Family Services of Simcoe County is a non-profit organization. Your donations make it possible for us to provide professional counselling services to those in Simcoe County who cannot afford to pay. Please consider helping us by donating today.