Men Are Part of the Solution (MAPS) hosted its annual general meeting on Oct. 31, discussing the year’s accomplishments as well as 2016’s financial audit.
This year’s MAPS board of directors is made up of Oswald Sawh, Kristin Smook (Thompson Crisis Centre), treasurer Kim Hickes (YWCA), Penny Brenton, Dr. Nuwan Fonseka (Addictions Foundation of Manitoba), Heather Bonner (Ma-Mow-We-Tak Friendship Centre) and therapist Michele Nichol. The board said goodbye to longtime member Angelina Perry.
Sawh spoke to the continuing success of Phoenix House, a transitional housing facility for homeless men recovering from alcoholism and other addictions, under the oversight of MAPS.
Sawh estimated the home’s success rate to be 50 per cent, though returning clients are accepted. Along with facilities like the Thompson Homeless Shelter, damp housing facilities, and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba detox programs, Sawh believed that Phoenix House was part of a comprehensive recovery stream for men seeking to kick their addictions and get off of the streets.
“If a man wants to really try and address their issues,” said Sawh, “I personally believe the facilities are there for them.”
Nichol noted that the MAPS Phoenix House transitional program currently houses seven people, the minimum number of individuals required for the program to break even. She also noted that an eighth individual was currently awaiting approval, and that the home would be increasing its outreach activities in order to expand the program. The home also hosted the practicum of two students of social work from the University of Manitoba this past year.
While there is currently no waitlist for Phoenix House, there continues to be a five-month waitlist for the MAPS Healthy Relationships program, still a considerable reduction from the two-year wait in previous years.
From the beginning of April 2015 until the end of March 2016, MAPS took in 45 new participants with 29 carry-overs, and 47 have completed phase one of the program.
MAPS will also be opening a men’s forum program for participants that have graduated from the Healthy Relationships phase one program, to facilitate a discourse about the role of men and fathers, addictions, or domestic violence in a supportive environment. “MAPS is of the position that having an individual take 12 sessions as outlined in our program will most likely not change an individual’s behaviour,” declared Sawh.
The men’s forum program will begin early 2017.
MAPS also hopes to extend a condensed version of the Healthy Relationships program to residents of outlying communities, who would utilize Phoenix House while in Thompson attending the program.
Hickes presented an unqualified financial report, with revenues reduced from $415,534 at the end of fiscal 2015 to $332,738, with a small deficit of $159 for 2016.
One of the annual board positions of member-at-large remains open and the board will continue to seek an engaged representative from an interested community organization to fill this seat.
