2024-2025 ANNUAL REPORT
Where Vision and Passion Meet
Partnerships and Collaborations at our Core
On June 24, 2021 Banyan’s Board of Directors approved the launch of our 5-year strategic plan. Nearing the 2025-26 finish line, Banyan brought new meaning to its tagline “The Vision to Inspire. The Passion to Care” through astounding, transformational, community connections in 2024-25.
Strategic Plan Direction
People Centered Workplace
Our Goal: Build Inspiring Places to Work and Learn
Objective: Establish relationships with academic institutions to support targeted recruitment and professional development
The Vision to Inspire
As a non-profit organization who has supported children and youth for over 45 years, Banyan understands the importance of and rewards for engaging students as a direct pathway for developing a positive resilient future between self and community.
The Passion to Care
Taking the goal to build an inspiring place to work, Banyan embarked on building a new era through innovative approaches for establishing meaningful reciprocal relationships with educational institutions and student placements.
To date, Banyan has successfully established Affiliation Agreements with Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Humber Polytechnic, Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology, Niagara College Canada, and Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.
Read “Taylor’s Story” to learn how Banyan takes the time to network and build connections with their placement students and the invaluable impact they carry forward.
Strategic Plan Direction
Partnerships and Collaboration
Our Goal: Cultivate Strong Relationships that Drive Transformational Change
Objective #1: Seek out a leadership role in a key community table
The Vision to Inspire
Banyan’s recognizes that by fostering collaboration communities are empowered, which in turn creates a bright and adaptable future.
The Passion to Care
Breaking down barriers to foster a sense of collective responsibility to address systemic problems creates relevant, inclusive and diverse perspectives. This passion is at the forefront of building and sustaining our partnerships and collaborations.
Here are just a few examples of what Banyan was able to achieve during 2024-25:
Banyan has Senior Leadership Representation
Banyan has Senior Leadership Representation on Hamilton’s Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan – Community Leadership Table and Niagara’s Building Safer Communities Action Table. These initiatives are provincially legislated for municipalities across Ontario and aim to ensure residents feel safe, have a sense of belonging and can meet their needs for education, healthcare, food, housing, income, and social and cultural expression.
Adult Protection Services Workers (APSW)
Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) invited Banyan to sit on their APSW West Region provider group. Banyan Co-Chairs the group to discuss issues, challenges, and trends relating to Developmental Service programs.
Banyan’s APSW team formed a partnership with the McMaster Best Buddies Program to facilitate friendships by pairing McMaster students with adults in the greater Hamilton community who have an intellectual disability.
Banyan’s Self-Understanding and Regulation of Emotions Program (SURE)
Read “Taylor’s Story” to learn how Banyan’s Self-Understanding and Regulation of Emotions program (SURE) began a partnership with the Eva Rothwell Center to facilitate an 8week group at their location.
Partner Assault Response (PAR)
Banyan became a member of the Hamilton Police Services Intimate Partner Violence Unit’s “High Risk Committee” which bring community partners and police together to discuss how they can work together to offer supports for the victim, accused, and children.
On May 13, 2025 Banyan hosted Probation and Parole’s Day of Domestic Violence Training and were keynote speakers at the event. Community partners, including Hamilton Police Services and Victim Services, were also present.
Banyan’s collaboration with the Domestic Violence Crown (DV) & Probation and Parole community continues to flourish. Their feedback for Banyan’s exceptional weekly court support, seamless transitions of court orders, immediate service delivery, and optimizing the court process collaborates with Hamilton Police Services’ feedback commending Banyan for reducing risk and providing seamless service delivery to a very challenging population. At the Domestic Violence Court Advisory Committee, Banyan was highlighted by the Domestic Violence Crown Attorney as well as the Probation Court Liaison Officer, as providing exceptional program support to PAR clients as well as support to the victims.
Grocer-Ease
The Coordinator Community Services represents Banyan on the Seniors at Risk in Hamilton Collaborative table which facilitates timely interventions and offers support for seniors impacted by issues such as dementia, abuse/exploitation, mental and physical health challenges, precarious housing, food insecurity and social isolation.
Going above and beyond, the coordinator’s passion for transformational change and quality improvement developed a gift-giving initiative for the vulnerable served, and in 2024-25 created a Community Pantry to help support clients across the organization with food security.
The success of these endeavours could not have been made possible without community partnerships and connections, to name a few:
- Barton Street Jail Employees
- Cadillac Fairview Limeridge
- Dixon Chiropractic
- Dundas Lions Club
- Gifts for Seniors
- Holiday Helpers
- Living Hope Church
- Queensdale Pharmacy
Objective #2: Expand upon partnerships & programs to improve transition through continuum for people of all ages with complex needs.
The Vision to Inspire
Banyan’s Engagement Day brought together 28 community partners and service providers to better understand the needs of the community and how to partner and strengthen ongoing work being done within the sector. During discussion local child welfare agencies identified the desperate need to provide a stable, responsive, and supportive home environment for Hamilton’s youth in crisis.
The Passion to Care
Taking this feedback to heart, Banyan embarked upon and successfully became the first licensed Staff Model Home program under the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services in the Province of Ontario. Learn more. Banyan’s 2-bed Transitional Out of Home Program not only effectively utilizes space at The Manor located on Mohawk Road in Hamilton, but it provides the following evidence informed services as core elements of the program:
- Short- and long-term housing and support as required
- Comprehensive Case Management
- Collaboration with other service providers to ensure the youth receive integrated services
- Goal Planning
- Counselling services for youth
- Reintegration support
- Independent living training- Life skills training in a ‘home’ environment
- Increasing access to education
- Recreational programs
- Community activities
Strategic Plan Direction
Financial Health
Our Goal: Maintain Exceptional Stewardship and Pursue Funding Diversification
Objective: Create policies and procedures to align with the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act.
The Vision to Inspire
As a publicly funded organization, Banyan must comply with the Province’s Broader Public Sector Accountability Act 2010 (BPSAA) in the areas of compensation, expenses, perquisites, business documents and procurement. At Banyan, complying with this directive and updating Banyan’s financial policies and procedures to align with the BPSAA was simply not enough.
The Passion to Care
From the Board of Directors to the frontline workers, Banyan provided educational trainings across the organization to ensure understanding of and compliance with the BPSAA. By extension, Banyan publishes their BPSAA financial accountability online.
Banyan’s New Website
In 2024-25 Banyan launched its new website. The design is fresh and current with today’s online digital capabilities and user-friendly navigation. With the redesign came a dedicated page for Banyan’s accountability to the BPSAA. We encourage our online audience to visit our new website.
Objectives #1: Continuously scan for grant opportunities and submit at least two grant applications annually.
Objectives #2: Create & implement sustainability plans for Grocer Ease and Self-Understanding and Regulating Emotions (SURE) programs.
The Vision to Inspire
The social, political, and financial environment is ever-evolving in today’s world. Upholding Banyan’s values for Advocacy and Social Justice, the Board of Directors proactively identified the means to diversify funding to sustain programs for at-risk populations served.
The Passion to Care
Uniting people around the cause, Banyan set a course for attracting community funders to maintain current program growth while opening new opportunities and synergies. The success of our 2024-25 efforts went beyond our wildest imagination.
Funding Awarded by United Way Halton & Hamilton (UWHH)
With the generous support of UWHH, Banyan is able to allocate funds to support Food Security with seniors who are struggling until they can be connected to other community supports. This helps to elevate budget pressures and allow for more clients to be supported off the Grocer-Ease Program waitlist. Additionally, the United Way provided clinical support for our Violence Against Women (VAW) Program.
Adult Protection Services Workers (APSW)
Banyan was successful in obtaining Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) funds to develop a skills program focusing on areas of learning necessary for clients to move out on their own. The funding is used to develop and implement a program to teach life skills such as laundry, budgeting/paying bills, cleaning, grocery shopping and safety considerations.
Read more about how this funding helps individuals (and families) navigate Developmental Services.
Grocer-Ease
After identifying the despairing need and researching viable solutions, Banyan’s Coordinator Community Services began to assist clients with their Ontario Works application to Special Support Services to have their incontinence products financially covered and for those medically requiring an air conditioner unit in their apartment/home. This partnership has become very beneficial for the clients we support.
Self-Understanding and Regulation of Emotions program (SURE)
Banyan’s SURE program began in 2019 as a grass-roots emotional regulation program with the help of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Over the years Banyan has been able to demonstrate the program’s consistent evidence informed efficacy. In 2024-25 Banyan was awarded base funding for the SURE program by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
SURE partnered with Child Welfare to run groups using Children Services Resiliency funding. The program facilitates 3 group sessions with 6 children in each group to transfer this skill to children with identified cognitive issues. Not stopping there, Banyan reached out to the Developmental Sector to see if, with modifications, the program could support youth and young adults having difficulty with emotional regulation and coping strategies. This Fee-for-Service, Youth Skill Based Program, is going very well with Child Welfare and developmental service’s partnership.
Partner Assault Response Program
Banyan’s PAR program is funded by the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG). Since launching the PAR program in April 2024, between 10-15 referrals are received each week. Concern was expressed to MAG regarding waitlists, creating further risk to the Hamilton community, which the city council declared was facing an intimate partner and domestic violence epidemic. As a result of the advocacy, Banyan was successful in securing one-time, in-year emergency funding to reduce current waitlists, prevent further waitlist growth, and help alleviate service delivery challenges for the remainder of 2024-25.