A note from our CEO & Board Chair

This past year marked Cota’s 50th Anniversary!  This was a significant milestone in our long and storied journey.  We are very proud of our many accomplishments over the years, enabled by the incredible work and contributions of our staff, partners, funders and Board of Directors.  

From very humble beginnings in 1973, we have continued to grow and diversify in order to extend our reach as we pursue our mission of supporting people with mental health and cognitive challenges to live well within their communities.  We look forward to maintaining that momentum as we move forward in inspiring positive change in the lives of the people we support and within the sectors in which we operate.

Some of our specific accomplishments in fiscal 2023-24 involved receiving our second Accredited with Exemplary Standing designation from Accreditation Canada, launching our new 2023-26 Strategic Plan and opening an new Mental Health and Justice Safe Bed program.   

Leah Dunbar, our outgoing Board Chair, had these parting sentiments to share:

“As Chair of Cota Health, reflecting on our 50th year fills me with immense gratitude and excitement for our future. I am deeply honoured to have been part of this remarkable journey and legacy of innovation and compassion. 

Achieving Accreditation with Exemplary Standing last year underscores our unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in care. The launch of our new 2023-26 Strategic Plan marks a pivotal moment, guiding us towards a future filled with promise and possibility. We are profoundly grateful for the dedication of our staff and the support of our community which have been crucial to these achievements. Together, we continue to inspire change and transform lives.”

Sincerely,

Paul Bruce (CEO) and Leah Dunbar (Board Chair)

About the people we serve

Total Number of Service Users:

People Served by Service Type:

People Served by Population:

Celebrating our 50th year

In Spring 2023, we launched a limited edition 50th anniversary logo, a graphic nod to our founding year in 1973. This special logo symbolizes our rich history and commitment to providing exceptional community care over the past five decades.

In September, we marked this milestone year with a joyous and inclusive event at Artscape Daniel's Spectrum, bringing together nearly 200 of our staff, service users, and stakeholders.

The event featured a keynote speech by Juno award-winning Kelly Lee Evans, who delivered an inspiring message on overcoming adversity, mental and physical healing, the importance of self-care, and the power of community.

We've curated a photo collection capturing the highlights of our 50th anniversary celebration. We hope you enjoy reliving the joy and camaraderie from that memorable day!

(Click any picture to view full size)

Strategic Vision 2023-2026

In June 2023, we launched our 3-year strategic plan, entitled Meeting the Moment. On behalf of our senior leadership team and board of directors, thank-you to everyone who contributed to this plan; including our service users, frontline staff, back-office staff and leadership teams.

The input collected from focus groups, interviews, engagement surveys and other channels was invaluable in shaping our organizational priorities for the next three years.

As we recover from the pandemic, we must tackle new challenges and set our sights on the future. Our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan focuses on four strategic pillars: Revitalizing our Collective Capacity, Using Data Insights to Improve Services, Collaborating to Improve Outcomes, Combatting the Housing Crisis.

As you'll see on our one-page summary, there is an introduction of an additional value statement: 

The strategic pillars, alongside our Vision, Mission, and Values, will guide our future work. Together, we'll continue to grow and make a positive impact in the lives of those we serve!

Accreditation RESULTS

We are thrilled to announce that following an extensive on-site review process in April 2024, Cota has once again been awarded the highest accreditation designation issued by Accreditation Canada – Accredited with Exemplary Standing!  

We are very proud to have met 100% of the 500 quality measures applicable to Cota, a significant achievement that truly reflects the outstanding work each of our team members performs every day.

Several strengths were highlighted during the surveyors' reviews, setting us apart as an organization dedicated to excellence. These strengths include our:

We are particularly proud of our excellent infection prevention and control measures and our innovative housing projects. The support and commitment of our Board of Directors was also noted as playing a crucial role in our success.

This milestone is a testament to quality of Cota’s services and to the ongoing dedication and hard work of our incredible staff and leadership team.  This accomplishment underscores our commitment to providing high quality client-centered care and reinforces our reputation as a leading service provider in our sector.

Strengthening Voices:
SUFAC’s Contributions & New Leadership

It was a busy year for the newly rebranded Service User and Family Advisory Committee (SUFAC)! Cota’s SUFAC participated in the preparation leading up to Cota’s Accreditation Canada onsite survey and met with surveyors to share their experiences and expertise.

After many years of service, the SUFAC bid a fond farewell to Elizabeth Rice, a founding member of Cota’s SUFAC.  Elizabeth has served Cota and been a strong advocate for service users for many years and was the co-chair of SUFAC since its inception in 2018.

In her place, the SUFAC voted in a new co-chair, Helen Skikiewicz. Helen is a founding member of SUFAC, and has made significant contributions to Cota over the years both as a member of SUFAC as well as an active participant on several project teams and focus groups. 

The group also welcomed two new members after a membership drive over the summer.  The SUFAC has been providing input and feedback on a number of quality improvement measures across Cota.

Perhaps the most visible are the newly installed feedback posters that can now be found in each Cota site.  This installation is a direct result of recommendations from the SUFAC. 

Inclusion, diversity, equity & Accessibility Update

Cota’s commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) continues to grow ever stronger.  This past year, as a result of stakeholder engagement feeding into the development of our 2023-26 Strategic Plan, Cota adopted an new value statement pertaining to Equity.

Throughout this past year, our IDEA Committee published engaging monthly articles on our intranet. Committee members eagerly volunteered to contribute well-researched articles for the monthly series titled “(Month) Insights & Awareness.”

These articles aimed to recognize various themes, awareness days/weeks, and cultural holidays. They featured intriguing web article links, local event information related to these occasions, as well as artwork. This multimedia approach significantly boosted internal engagement in IDEA related topics among Cota staff.

In early 2023, we also updated our documentation software to inclusively capture a broader range of gender identities and terminology among our service users. All policies and procedures were also revised to include gender-neutral language.

Additionally, we provide Land Acknowledgments in many meetings to honor Indigenous peoples, their traditional ties to the land on which Cota now operates and to reinforce our commitment to reconciliation.

We have also initiated the creation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Roadmap for Cota, which will be released in fiscal 2024-25.

New Safe Beds Program

We are excited to announce that our new Mental Health & Justice Safe Bed program officially opened in December, 2023!

After an extensive search, Cota secured a suitable space for our new Safe Beds Program in the winter of 2022. The site, located in East York, is now home to an important service offering short-term accommodation and dedicated 24/7 on-site support to unhoused adults living with mental health challenges and co-occurring justice system involvement.

Once the site was secured, renovations commenced to transform it from a former restaurant into a dedicated space for the service. The revamped space includes five (5) self-contained rooms with ensuite bathrooms, laundry facilities, a communal kitchen, a private counselling office, and an inviting common space.

Despite encountering various obstacles in the early stages of the renovations, the dedicated team behind this project worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life and on December 14, 2023 they welcomed their first service user to the site! 

Reflecting on this significant milestone, Lynda Myung, the program manager, shared her enthusiasm:

“The new team was all smiles and full of curiosity and eager anticipation to open our new Safe Bed Program. It’s a beautifully designed space that is still very much a bare canvas that inspires hope and endless possibilities.  I’m honoured and thrilled to be embarking on a journey with an amazing group of people that I’m so proud to call Cota’s Safe Bed team”

We are looking forward to hosting an Open House in the Summer of 2024!

Changes to Satellite Office Sites

This fiscal year, we made the strategic decision to close our 700 Lawrence Ave. West office in North York. Our North York operations continue to thrive thanks to the generous in-kind contributions from North York General Hospital and Humber River Hospital. These partnerships have allowed us to maintain continuity of our services at the Champagne Centre on Finch and the 200 Church site in York. We would like to extend our thanks to these institutions for their invaluable support!

Additionally, we have closed our 754 Queen East office. Our East Toronto services are now consolidated and operating out of our head office at 550 Queen Street East.

We are also actively exploring possible space-sharing arrangements in Scarborough. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to innovate and improve our service delivery.

These changes are part of our ongoing efforts to contain costs and allocate revenue to critical areas of need, while maintaining and/or improving service quality.

our Funders & Formal Collaborations

Ontario Health Teams

Partnerships/Collaborations

• CMHA Toronto

• Fred Victor

• Habitat Services

• Humber River Hospital   

• Mainstay Housing

• Michael Garron Hospital

• North York General Hospital

• Parkdale Community Health Centre

• Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities

• Second Harvest

• St. Joseph’s Health Centre

• The Neighbourhood Group

• Toronto Community Housing Corporation

• Unity Health

• VHA Home HealthCare

• Vita Community Living Services

• West Park Healthcare Centre