A Message from the
CEO and Board Chair
Echoing the community in which we operate, the demographic profile of Casey House clients has significantly changed since 2021. The combined impacts of the housing crisis, rising cost of food, the toxic drug supply, and mental health challenges are clear; many in our community are struggling. And, we can see that the people in highest need of our hospital’s services are part of multi-structurally marginalized communities. They may not have a valid health card, a positive relationship with health care providers, or a safe place to live. And all of this impacts their health.
In this report you’ll read about how Casey House is working to meet those needs. With innovations such as our client-centred design hub, which helps us attend to care in a particular way. And our newly developed food philosophy, which identifies and prioritizes food access as a key component of health and well-being. As an integral part of life, food has an essential impact on other aspects of health. I am therefore I eat.
Working collaboratively, our incredible team of staff, peers, and volunteers looks for the most effective ways to provide care for people living with and at risk of HIV. It is impressive to witness, and we are proud to lead such a strong and committed team.
Thank you to everyone who supports Casey House as we work to connect, engage, build trust, and engage clients on their journeys to improved health and well-being.
Joanne Simons
Chief Executive Officer
Stephen Brown
Chair, Board of Directors
Casey House
By the
Numbers
114
staff members
14
private rooms
24
hour
care from nurse, physicians and allied health
129
inpatient admissions
18
days – median length of stay for an inpatient client
~32,500
visits to outpatient services
540
average number of clients accessing outpatient services each quarter
20,996
hot midday lunches served to clients
62,394
harm reduction kits and
445
naloxone kits provided to the community
622
supervised
consumption services (SCS) visits
67%
of visits to outpatient SCS were for supervised inhalation
20
overdoes reversed on-site
30
peers sharing their lived experience to support clients
3,776
hours of peer support for clients
Deepening
Partnerships
Casey House was thrilled to enhance our involvement with Blue Door Clinic by offering it a new home at Casey House after an exciting incubation at Regent Park Community Health Centre.
The Blue Door Clinic provides interim primary care for people living with HIV in the greater Toronto area, who do not have health insurance coverage or access to HIV medication. Clients may include people with refugee claims, international students, those without or pending immigration status, and people without an Ontario Health insurance plan (OHIP) or interim Federal Health (IFH).
The rotating team includes nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, case workers, peer navigators, pharmacists, and community workers, all of whom come from a greater community network of health care providers from across the city lending their services pro bono. While the Blue Door Clinic’s steering committee of multidisciplinary community members guides their strategic direction.
Now, we are proud to offer two and a half days of service per week. Additionally, Blue Door Clinic’s capacity increased as we hired additional staff, including a nurse practitioner, case manager, and an administrative client support worker. This new integration of interim health care for uninsured folks is in line with Casey House’s goal of expanding access to low-barrier care to the community. Coincidentally, prior to the public announcement of our partnership, Blue Door Clinic was nominated and eventually granted a 2023 Casey Award for leadership in social justice for the HIV/AIDS community. It is an honour for Casey House to support this grassroots community initiative, and watch it soar to new heights.
Food as
Health Care
Our team has long known that offering food entices people to engage in health care, whether it’s the hot midday meal that anchors our weekday outpatient program or having facilitated group pancake-making to encourage conversations about substance use. This year, validating that gut feeling led to the development of a food philosophy for the organization.
CONNECTION
TRUST
ENGAGEMENT
Casey House’s food philosophy says food is sustenance: it creates connection, builds trust, and facilitates engagement.
In November 2023, Casey House was serving an average of over 130 meals every day. And while food is traditionally not thought of as clinical care, a new approach to data analysis showed the intertwining of food access and nutrition with overall health and well-being, and these insights supported reframing of food access as an integral part of clinical service. This is particularly significant for supporting goals around mental health, the impacts of substance use, and physical health, as well as for developing job skills and compensating for inadequate incomes.
Involving cross-disciplinary voices in developing the food philosophy supported the insights and increased confidence from the rest of the staff team. This group translated the insights into the statement, guiding principals and programmatic recommendations. One idea is a drop-in kitchen, which would support clients without a functioning kitchen to prepare and store food at Casey House.
Creative program suggestions such as this dovetail with the ways our hospital frames the importance of food as care, which we already do in several ways:
Collecting and using intersectional client data on access to food and nutrition
Engaging clients, staff, peers, and volunteers to articulate our food philosophy
Generating and implementing practical ideas for food-related health care programming
Formalizing a food philosophy has already encouraged incorporating its four tenants into program planning and prioritizing food access as a key component of health and well-being. At Casey House, food is health care.
When looked at in aggregate, clients who are in urgent or high need of support in regard to food and nutrition also have the least resilience and stability in mental health, physical health. Also correlated are: job skills, income and impacts of substance use.
Meet Michael
Michael is one of Casey House’s fantastic volunteers. An internationally trained nurse, he started volunteering in January 2024. He supports the outpatient lunch program, provides friendly visits to inpatient clients every week, and helps out at fundraising events.
This winter, Michael was instrumental in supporting an inpatient client by helping them cook traditional meals from their shared culture and country of origin. The client had rejected meals provided by Casey House chefs, so the care team was desperate for another option. Michael generously offered to share his time and cooking skills. He did the shopping, brought special ingredients from home, and took the time to prepare meals alongside the client that could be eaten throughout the week. Because of Michael the client had access to familiar, comforting, and culturally affirming food, and was able to focus on their health journey. This approach truly embodies Casey House’s philosophy of meeting clients where they are at.
Michael enjoys the uniqueness of the people and the environment at Casey House and describes it as being full of love and cooperation amongst everyone. He chose to volunteer here because he finds joy in supporting others with compassionate care. It’s been a learning experience all around for him.
Michael loves taking care of people and is currently completing studies as a personal support worker to achieve his goal of practicing nursing in Canada. In his spare time, Michael likes to cook, read, listen to music, and share his skills with others. When asked about his advice for others, Michael says, “the most important is to enjoy your life- to be happy, it’s all that matters.” Casey House is grateful for his contributions to our community.
Expanding access
to smudging
Following a recommendation from our Indigenous Advisory Group, Casey House added smudging kits containing traditional tools, sacred medicines and instructions this winter. Supplies and instructions for smudging are available throughout the hospital for anyone who wants to use them, with regular replenishment to ensure their ongoing availability.
Each kit includes scenario-based considerations for staff-led, or client-led, smudging, with a QR code to an instructional video. Although smudging has been encouraged for some time, it is new to have a supply of sacred medicines and equipment packaged and ready in multiple spaces.
Collaboration with Casey House’s Indigenous Advisory group was pivotal at all stages of this project: from their teachings about the personal and cultural importance of smudging, creating the medicine bundles, recommendations of implementation, and both in-person and recorded instructional demonstrations. This additional provision complements our Indigenous sacred hand drum, which is also accessible on-site.
This organization-wide launch is one part of our ongoing work to build relationships and improve the holistic care and experience of Indigenous staff, clients, and community members.
We continue to educate staff on this sacred practice and other trainings around Indigenous inclusion to keep improving our capacity to serve Indigenous clients.
Client-centred
design hub
With informed, client-driven care as one of our core values, Casey House strives to include client voice in all that we do. Our innovative client-centred design hub helps the hospital continuously refine programming and services so they meet the needs of the people we serve.
Client informed Design
This model includes project specific responsive engagement, offering multiple feedback mechanisms for clients, and population-specific client advisory groups. This year, we formed two new client advisory groups for Blue Door Clinic and for people who use drugs, bringing the number of advisory groups to four. One of the outputs of the Blue Door advisory group will be developing recommendations for how the clinic can improve a client’s transition from Blue Door to permanent primary care. As a recently formed group, the African, Caribbean, and Black advisory is working on their terms of reference and developing priorities for the group.
The learnings from these inputs are employed in multiple ways for a variety of projects. This year, one of the ways we made use of client input was when redeveloping our refined new peer program, which supports clients through shared lived experience while also building the capacity of the peers themselves.
Client-centred design keeps clients’ views and experience at the nexus of care provision. It is also helping Casey House redefine and measure success as a hospital.
Peer program
growth
Casey House launched a new peer program in January, reimagining what it means to integrate peers as part of an interdisciplinary care team. Building on the concept of having individuals who are trained to support clients by sharing their lived experience (people who can relate to clients’ experience in one or more dimension of their life), the revamped program is designed to have multiple outcomes.
Intended client outcomes include helping create an excellent experience at our hospital and reducing barriers to accessing care and to reaching health goals. At the same time, peers gain skills and compensated work experience that supports their personal and professional growth. Peer work also supports community members who are not yet registered at Casey House to access services when they need care. The hospital benefits from having peers who can foster trust amongst communities that are just beginning to access care here.
3,776
HOURS
30
PEERS
18
LANGUAGES
Over the course of the fiscal year, peers spent 3,776 hours supporting clients. Support can be accompanying clients to appointments, augmenting client care plans to reach health goals, or collaborating with clinicians to lead facilitated groups and workshops. Examples of experiences peers share with an aspect of our clients’ lives include living with HIV, experience with mental health challenges or challenges with ongoing substance use, a particular cultural identity, or a mutually spoken language. The current cohort of 30 peers speak 18 languages, the most common being Spanish.
Peers offer personalized support and help bridge the gap between clinical expertise and lived experiences. Our goal is to build a hospital-based peer program model with processes and best practices that can be shared with other hospitals in the future.
Proud to be part of
Canadian queer history
“Hope has a sound”, says a character in Nick Green’s Casey & Diana. This thoughtful and moving play is centred around the lead-up to Princess Diana’s 1991 visit. It recreates the Casey House of that era and brings to life the ethos of our compassionate care, the gift and responsibility of caring for someone at end-of-life, and the heartbreak of an early death.
Directed by Andrew Kushnir, the play’s first production sparked a meaningful partnership with The Stratford Festival, an organization that strived for authenticity of representation in their artistic expression of facing stigma and the importance of providing dying with dignity. Among the many activations of that partnership, including a thoughtful reflection space with Casey House memorial quilts, the Festival donated $5 to Casey House Foundation from every ticket sold.
A few months later, the Stratford production returned to the stage with a run at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre in January. While the play ran only for a few weeks, anyone can still listen to the podcast Soulpepper commissioned, With Dignity: The Story of Casey House. The four-episode podcast series is a companion piece to the play with oral narratives of Casey House’s earliest days. Featured guests include June Callwood’s granddaughter Bree Fitzgerald, founding volunteer Linda Rapson, past board chair Guy Bethell and recently retired 35-year nurse Jim Donovan, among others.
The love continues as the play is being produced in more cities across the country, spreading this beautiful story of our piece of Canadian queer history.
Stitch in time
Since the beginning, memorial quilts have been created to commemorate every Casey House client who passes away within a twelve-month period. Each one is lovingly designed and sewn by a dedicated and revolving group of Casey House volunteers who lend their time and expertise to create these beautiful tributes.
1988
2007
2008
2009
2014
Quilts have long been part of the AIDS movement. The tradition started with the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt first displayed in 1987 in Washington D.C. as a form of activism and a way for friends and loved ones to memorialize those they had lost. Casey House’s 1988 quilt was an original panel in the NAMES Project Quilt and is included in the digital archive of the Canadian AIDS Memorial Quilt.
At Casey House, HIV stigma sometimes prevents people from consenting to have their name included, this was particularly true in the 1980s and 1990s, and individuals may be represented by initials, stand-in first names, or blank squares.
Our quilts tell the story of HIV through the list of names on each quilt: early years have more names than there are weeks, 1989’s has 64, while later quilts have fewer names, reflecting advances in HIV treatment. This shift is encouraging and part of what led to Casey House’s transition from helping people die with dignity to helping people living with and at risk of HIV achieve their health and wellness goals.
Two new memorial quilts were unveiled this year, honouring those who passed away in 2009 and 2014, bringing Casey House’s collection to 26 quilts. It is a pleasure to see the creativity and thoughtfulness of each design.
Casey House’s memorial quilts are a significant marker of our history. The individual recognition may be the only tribute to a client, testament that they are part of the fabric of Casey House.
Meet Arthur
Arthur has been volunteering for three decades, since 1990. Hailing from Vancouver, he began his journey at Casey House after a recommendation from a former roommate’s mother, Marjorie Dunning – a Casey House volunteer herself. After his first shift, he was committed. Arthur spent several days a week volunteering, and moved from administrative, special events, and fundraising teams, before eventually settling with the quilting committee.
Quilting volunteers contribute countless hours and an incredible amount of craftsmanship to each of our handmade quilts. To Arthur, quilting is more than just needlework, it replicates the interwoven and nuanced relationships that occurred in the community during this time of crisis. For Arthur, commemorating former clients as valued community members at Casey House is simultaneously beautiful, devastating, and comforting.
We thank Arthur for his immense dedication to Casey House. He has generously woven himself into the fabric of our history.
Throughout the years, Arthur has seen Casey House evolve from a scrappy hospice, fundraising with garage sales, drag shows, and T-shirts sold on the street, into a larger organization that provides expanded care services. With that, Arthur’s world views have changed as well; meeting and hearing stories from people of different backgrounds has inspired him to be even more open-minded and kind to all.
With a long stream of quilts in the catalogue, Arthur confesses that the 1991 blue quilt holds a special place in his heart as it was his first project in the role. Additionally, he is fond of the 2006 dove quilt which was the first that he designed and pieced himself. Other favourites include the 2007 landscape quilt which features June Callwood’s little red Mazda Miata, and the gorgeous 2008 waterlily pond quilt.
We thank Arthur for his immense dedication to Casey House. He has generously woven himself into the fabric of our history.
Art With Heart –
celebrating longevity
In October 2023, Art With Heart celebrated three decades of art and compassion with our 30th auction of contemporary Canadian art.
The auction returned to The Carlu and raised over $1 million. The incredible collection included work from some of the artists who have contributed to Art With Heart most frequently, including: Stephen Andrews, Douglas Coupland, Kim Dorland, April Hickox, and James Lahey.
Art With Heart is one of the country’s most celebrated and beloved charity auctions. It is a launchpad for emerging artists; an incubator for compassion; a destination for philanthropy; and a wellspring for advancements in health care.
Art is powerful.
It has remained the heartbeat of Casey House’s fundraising program, providing a constant and reliable source of funding for programs and services that transform lives. Through the collective generosity of artists, galleries, art buyers, and Patrons’ Circle members over $15 million has been raised since 1994, allowing Casey House to evolve and innovate to meet the changing needs of our clients.
This year, proceeds from Art With Heart will enhance inpatient and outpatient care, support knowledge translation, and advocacy efforts. Proof that art is powerful.
Additional
Accomplishments
New
facilitated groups
Diversified out outpatient programs based on community needs and client feedback. These include specialty groups like Vintage+ senior support group, trans discussion group, and women’s skill building, as well as programs that feature cooking skills nutrition, education, and food access.
Piloting
MRAT
Celebrated
Named
Ed Kucharski named Chief Medical Officers to watch in Healthcare issue of InsightsCare magazine
Indigenous Advisory Group recommendations
Initiated
the foundational work to bring vending machines supply harm reduction supplies to Casey House
Engaged
Celebrated 35th
Partnered
Partnered with LCBO once again for a month-long collaboration in their Pride Month Love Pairs with Everything campaign, soliciting donations across the province.
Developed
Invited
ODSP staff onsite to work directly with clients, particularly important for people who do not have access to a computer and cellphone to make use of online services.
Delivered
3
Harm reduction worker delivered three education sessions including overdose prevention for residents of neighbouring Toronto Community Housing
Welcomed
Go Green
Opened
celebrated
5
Cheer for Peers!
Launched
Casey House Foundation with the help of a power-house committee launched a brand-new event, David’s Disco, which raised over $330,000 in its first year
Celebrate Milestones
Held a strawberry-themed Hearts of Service event to celebrate staff and volunteer milestones. 2009 memorial quilt was unveiled, and concurrently celebrated both 35 years of service and the retirement of nurse Jim Donovan.
“I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of love, care and attention I received. It is refreshing to be in a space that is inspiring and uplifting.
To the Chefs/Cooks, Social Workers, Therapist, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Secretaries or Front Desk Mediators, Ancillary Staff, Security Guards, Nurses, Doctors and Manager. Continue to do a great job creating an oasis for the rejuvenation and sustenance of community members.
May you continue to thrive as an entity, touching many more lives.”
A Casey House client
Financial Highlights
Hospital spending of grants from Casey House Foundation
Hospital operating expenses
Basic operating costs are funded by
Generous Donations
Transform lives and
health care through
compassion and social justice
We rely on the generous donations of our supporters to enhance our health care programs and capital projects.
Support
Casey House today
416-962-7600 | 119 Isabella Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 1P2
Charitable Registration No. 10687 8374 RR0001
Casey House acknowledges that the land we are built upon is the ancestral territory of the Indigenous People of Turtle Island.