Testimonials
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“Just as the barriers, challenges and struggles that any individual in our community may face are complex and multi-faceted, so too must be the assistance, help and supports that are given. The Situation Table is an embodiment of a multi-faceted and holistic approach, and it weaves together client, colleagues, and community in seeking to reach out to those needing supports. An individual can not move towards well-being in a silo, and therefore neither can our own efforts succeed in helping a person get there by working independently of one another. The Lennox & Addington Community Risk Watch Situation Table breaks down silos and encourages collaboration.”
Patrick MacLean
Manager – Social Assistance
Prince Edward, Lennox & Addington Social Services
"I am a newer member of the Community Risk Watch Situation Table, however, it has been great for forming relationships with others who serve our community; gaining a better understanding of services that are available. In turn, we are able to better serve our clients. When situations arise at the table, it always amazes me how everyone is so eager to assist!"
Emily McKenny
Quinte Detention Centre
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"Being a member of the situation table reminds me of is the fact that everyone has something to contribute. It forces you to set your ego and your own agenda aside and really start listening and seeing things from other agencies perspectives. If we don’t step outside of our silos and work together then it’s really just a big duplication of effort."
Rob Burns
Lennox & Addington Emergency Services
"We now deal with a lot of situations outside of the table because of the relationships that we have built. Knowing we are part of a much larger team is an asset to our own mental health when dealing with some of the complex situations that we face. It has been especially beneficial during this Covid crisis which has placed an additional strain on everyone’s mental health. Being able to lean on others from within the table for additional support, options, and ideas so that you don’t feel like you have to tackle the problem all on your own really is one of the key strengths of being a member of the Situation Table."
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Shelly Hagerman
KFLA Addictions & Mental Health
"Not only do we share services, but we share knowledge and experience from each other’s unique roles. I am a children’s mental health worker but often there are adults associated to the children I work with that need help themselves, so I need to connect them to other services. I have made such great connections through the table. These are connections that I never had in all the years that I have been working and I have been doing this for 41 years. To be able to reach out to another agency and know the person on the other end of the phone, gives me a real sense of connection and I think that is one of the most important strengths of this table."
Pat MacGregor – Maltby Centre
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"Sometimes people ask me, “Why does the Fire Department sit on the Situation Table?” and to be honest before I became a member, I would have probably said the same thing. Over 90% of the calls for service I deal with require us to reach out to other agencies almost immediately. The connections I have made by being a member of the table help me get the assistance we need when we need it. Honestly, there are so many situations that we work on together that do not get counted because we solve the problem before it can even make it to the table. That’s where the value is for me."
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James Feeney – Deputy Chief Loyalist Township Fire Services
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“Being a part of the situation table means connections and being part of a community that partners to help those in need. It connects people to agencies and programs that may never have been available to them if we didn’t have the situation table and the knowledge of what programs are available. The members of our situation table are always willing to listen, help and think outside the box when it comes to assisting people. As a police officer we often see people when they are down on their luck and it’s nice to know that there are agencies that can help and want to help. I can say “my friend so and so from such and such agency is wonderful and would like to speak to you” and it is often well received. People are more receptive to accepting help when it comes from a known source. Through the positive interactions with our team members there is lots of shared problem solving and many success stories.”
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Shannon Cork - Lennox & Addington OPP
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"I have lived in L&A since December 1994. I started working for The Salvation Army in Belleville and slowly built relationships with the various social services agencies there, facilitated by the existing connections that my staff there had developed over time. When I transferred to work for The Salvation Army in Napanee in 2019, I had very limited knowledge of the local social services agencies and didn’t know who to contact on behalf of any client who was in need of services we don’t provide. That’s 25 years living in this community and I still didn’t know much about our local social services agencies and their services. Thanks to The Situation Table, I now not only know the agencies that are most active in the community, but also have a specific contact at each one that I can reach out to directly to try to resolve situations before they escalate to a case for the Table.
The Situation Table is an invaluable resource for this community and its social services agencies and its value in enabling agencies to provide wraparound assistance to head off crises can’t be overstated".
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Abby Mills - Director of Community Ministries
The Salvation Army