Simon House Recovery Centre
March 21, 2005
By Nicole Zummach
CALGARY, AB // Most of us have tried to kick a bad habit at one time
or another. It's never easy, but with a bit of willpower and support
from those around us, we can usually succeed. But when bad habits become
addictions, it's a different story. Willpower often vanishes, and sometimes
the support network does too. That's where an organization like the
Simon House Recovery Centre comes in. Since 1983, more than 1,800
men have walked through their doors looking for help. "Simon House is
about offering long-term recovery options to men suffering from addictions,"
explains president and CEO Mark Brunton.
Their mission might sound simple enough, but there is nothing easy about
excelling in the field of addiction services. Most recovery programs
have a one-year sobriety success rate of well below 50%, and usually
closer to 20 or 30%. Simon House's success rate of 58% in 2004 is just
one of the reasons it received the Donner Canadian Foundation's Award
for Nonprofit Excellence in the Delivery Of Social Services last
year, as well as the Donner Award for Prevention and Treatment of
Substance Abuse. CharityVillage spoke with Brunton about the impact
of receiving the Donner awards and what makes Simon House different
from other substance abuse programs.
CharityVillage: What impact has winning these awards had on your
organization?
Mark Brunton: It's had a tremendous impact. It has helped us
access additional funding, added credibility to our organization, and
I think it has increased the profile of the addictions sector in the
community and its role in the not-for-profit sector.
CV: Prevention and treatment of substance abuse is a very challenging
area within the social services sector. What makes you stand apart from
other similar organizations?
MB: Definitely one thing would be the long-term nature of our
program. The initial phase is seven to eight weeks, and that's very
long relative to other programs that are offered. After that, we offer
transitional housing and supported living arrangements with counselling
support. That's fairly unique also. It really gives our clients something
to look forward to after treatment. In 2004, we had a 58% success rate
based on the one-year sobriety benchmark. This is significantly above
industry average, and a key component of that is the long-term treatment
itself, but also giving the clients hope that they don't have to immediately
be concerned with a whole host of issues upon completion of treatment.
We will continue to work with them for years, if necessary. So, unlike
many other addiction centres, we measure long-term in terms of years
instead of weeks.
CV: What would you say is the key to your success as an organization?
MB: Many of our staff have been through an addiction process,
and also have a combination of formal education. That gives us a strategic
advantage in some ways. The long-term nature of our program also helps
our strong performance. Plus, there's a whole lot of heart. Volunteers
play a key a role and we would not be able to function without them.
They assist us with fundraising, as well as peer support. The hours
put in by our volunteers are at least equal to, if not more than what
is delivered by staff, so it's very critical. And the majority of our
volunteers are alumni, people who are grateful for the process and want
to be involved in adding value for others.
CV: What did you learn from the Donner evaluation about your performance as an organization?
MB: We were happy to see that, when compared to our peers, we are doing a good job. We certainly know that there is room for improvement and that mindset is what really helps us drive small and large process improvements that happen all the time here at Simon House. We are always searching for better ways to do what we do. Right now, we are upgrading our telephone system. We hope to get some efficiencies from that, in the neighbourhood of about .1 or .2 full-time equivalency. So, it's going to be quite a revolutionary thing for us. Last year, we digitized our entire program, all textbooks and materials. That increased the amount of material we could cover and gave us more time for one-on-one with the residents.
CV: What advice would you give to other organizations working
to achieve excellence in their own programs?
MB: I think an environmental scan is always important, to see how other people are running their programs. Also, paying attention to employees and clients at every level, and constant, nonstop improvement of policies and processes. A one-percent improvement this week - and every week - has a phenomenal effect over time. That has been our experience. You don't always need big hitters; you need to always be looking for small and large ways to improve, until you are leading the pack in terms of effectiveness.
For more information about Simon House Recovery Centre, visit: www.simonhouse.com.
To learn more about the Donner Awards, visit: www.fraserinstitute.ca/donner/index.asp.
