50 Years Strong 2019-2020 Annual Report

50 Years Strong
Fiscal Year 2019-20 marked Renascent’s 50th year of service, with our actual birthday falling on the last day of our fiscal year, March 31st. We opened our doors as a not-for-profit community organization in 1970, with a Board of Directors and staff committed to stepping up to meet the great need for addiction treatment in the community.

Fifty years later, we can look back to see the impact that Renascent has had in the lives of so many families battling addiction over the decades. Renascent has served over 50,000 people over this time, grown from seven to ninety treatment beds, and has developed and launched specialized programs for men, women, families, and children. Renascent has been a trailblazer in developing and offering food addiction programs, achieving and maintaining quality accreditation as a community provider, and establishing a dynamic Access Centre that manages about 25,000 calls with the public every year.

Throughout this journey, although Renascent has grown and changed, the organization has stayed focused on its mission of ensuring that quality addiction treatment is always available to those who need it, and that cost is never the barrier.

The Way Forward
Key highlights of our fiscal year 2019-20 include the development of our senior leadership team, with internal candidate Michael Lochran taking on the role of Program Director as Dennis James retired, and Dr. Mark Weiss joining our medical team to work alongside Dr. Vera Tarman. External partnerships and health system planning was another key area of focus. This included an ongoing partnership with CAMH to create care pathways, and new partnerships with the Midwest Toronto Ontario Health Team and the East Toronto Health Partners Ontario Health Team, as we work actively to build the new health system in Ontario.

Most importantly, last year we served over a thousand people in treatment programs at Renascent, and answered the calls for thousands more, providing support and system navigation.

And when the pandemic hit, creating great chaos and disruption across our lives and system, our team at Renascent stayed strong and committed, and found ways to innovate and continue to deliver our essential services, safely.

We cannot thank the amazing Renascent staff team enough. They navigated these waters and responded with new program models that kept residential treatment open and created new virtual treatment models that had never been considered before. And to all of our donors, funders, and volunteers who have continued to support our mission to provide treatment to those suffering from addiction: thank you for being there at this most difficult time.

We are facing unprecedented mental health and substance use hardships. We know that drinking and drug use is on the rise. But we are planning now, how we can rise to the occasion again, as we have done before, to bring innovation, resilience, and commitment to our mission.

To continue to grow, creatively and emotionally, in our quest to serve those who need us, will indeed be a great challenge, but we believe it is one that we can meet with confidence as we assess the team’s results over the last six months.

Thank you all for your support in making Renascent’s 50 Years so strong, and we hope you’ll continue on our journey with us as we take on the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Laura Bhoi

Chief Executive Officer, Renascent Fellowship and Renascent Foundation

Sue Jaffe

President and Chair, Renascent Fellowship Board and Renascent Foundation Board