Strategic Plan 2023-2026

Safer Haven

Foreword
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Year Plan

Foreword

Sandgate was established in 1992 to protect women and children in crisis fleeing from violence and abuse in their homes.

The following year, violence against women was included as a human rights violation by the United Nations at its International Conference on Human Rights in Vienna. After years of feminist activism led by survivors, Canada launched a national strategy to combat gender-based (GBV) violence in 2017.

Despite these notable advances, according to recent statistics, a woman or girl is killed every other day and a woman is killed by her intimate partner once a week. In addition, approximately six in 10 Indigenous women have experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. There are now more shelters and resources than ever before and yet the GBV epidemic continues unabated. While much attention has been placed on “Post-Covid-19 recovery”, there has been very little emphasis on addressing the shadow pandemic of GBV which exploded during the early stages of the COVID-19 response.
To be sure, the last few years have been extremely challenging. Our crisis lines have experienced a striking jump in calls and in the intensity and severity of situations experienced by callers. Our staff members were called to go above and beyond and despite the strain, we maintained our services and continued to provide compassionate care and support to survivors.
In our consultations, we heard about the valuable role Sandgate plays in women’s lives. Clients expressed heartfelt gratitude for Sandgate’s programs and the incredible individuals who advocate for and support them day in and day out.
While emergency shelter is the cornerstone of what we do, we know that more is needed to holistically and systemically address the issue of GBV and eradicate the root causes and systemic conditions that fuel violence. The consultations also revealed a need to expand and strengthen our programming, evolve and innovate.
We are thrilled to unveil the four strategic priorities that will guide our work from 2023 to 2026:
Our Strategic Priorities

Invest

Invest in fund development and increase resources to serve survivors of gender-based violence

Reinforce

Reinforce Sandgate’s internal structure and systems

 

Enhance

Enhance Sandgate’s programs and service offerings

Explore

Explore, invest and collaborate to expand access to transitional housing

Michelle Smith
Executive Director
Gale Carey
Chair, Board of Directors

At a Glance

Sandgate has transformed significantly to become a leader in the community as a feminist, anti-violence organization

Sandgate Women’s Shelter opened on June 1, 1992 as a 10-bed emergency shelter with a 24-hour crisis line. The shelter was named after Ellen Sands and Westgate Lodge, the original building where the shelter was first located. Ellen Sands was murdered by her estranged husband on January 31, 1992. Before her murder, two other women were also killed in the span of 18 months in Georgina, a town of 10,000 people in York Region.

 

A group of concerned citizens formed the Committee Against Domestic Abuse and, with the support of the Georgina Community Resource Centre, mobilized to open Sandgate Women’s Shelter.

 

Since its beginnings in 1992, born out of women’s action and activism, Sandgate has transformed significantly to become a leader in the community as a feminist, anti-violence organization. Sandgate has also seen significant growth since 1992 with the tripling of emergency beds from 10 to 30, the addition of a second shelter location in Richmond Hill, the addition of transitional housing apartments and the expansion of Sandgate’s programming.

Sandgate employs the following strategies:

  • Provide safe shelter and transitional housing;

  • Provide advocacy and supportive self-directed systems navigation and transitional support services; and

  • Break cycles of violence through the delivery of prevention-based programming and systems advocacy.

Our Theory of Change

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Our Planning Process

In March 2022, the Sandgate Strategic Planning Committee initiated a planning process to renew the foundational statements, determine our long-term direction and identify strategic priorities to guide the organization over the next 5 years.

An environmental scan and S.W.O.T (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis process was conducted from April through June 2022. This process included:

  • Online surveys;

  • Interviews and focus groups with individuals and key stakeholders inside and outside of Sandgate;

  • A review of internal documents and a selection of recent literature; and

  • External research conducted by the consultants.

In September 2022, Sandgate’s Board of Directors and Staff participated in a strategic planning session to:

1. Confirm refreshed foundational statements; and

2. Develop strategic priorities to guide the organization over the next 3 years.

The draft strategic plan was created in September and approved in October 2022. Over the fall, we developed an Implementation Plan to guide us in driving our mission and achieving our strategic priorities.

Reinvigorated with Purpose

When we undertook this planning process, we were eager to gather feedback on our vision, mission and values. We wanted to infuse further clarity and accountability into our work. We are delighted to present our refreshed foundational statements:

Vision

Women, their children and youth in York Region live free of violence and oppression.

Mission

Sandgate is an innovative, feminist, anti-violence organization in York Region that provides women, their children and youth with emergency shelter, transitional housing, counselling, resources, education, community programming and advocacy to break cycles of violence and transform their lives.

Values

Our Strategic Priorities

2023-2026

As Sandgate moves to actualize its vision, we have developed the following strategic priorities to guide us along the way.

Invest

To succeed, Sandgate will need to invest in fund development, awareness-raising, advocacy, marketing and communications initiatives, upgrade and enhance facilities (shelter, transitional housing and administrative building). Sandgate will also continue to explore opportunities for economies of scale through possible merger and amalgamation.

Reinforce

Sandgate’s core is its people. Sandgate will continue to build on its solid foundation by strengthening its operational, organizational and Board governance structure. This will be done by investing in operational systems, equipment and infrastructure and better utilizing technology and IT infrastructure. Sandgate will also strengthen internal communications capacity and continue to evolve internal policies and procedures for greater accountability, quality and equity. Lastly, it will strengthen its governance by diversifying the Board and institutionalizing community consultation and engagement mechanisms.

Invest in fund development and increase resources to serve survivors of gender-based violence

Reinforce Sandgate’s internal structure and systems

OBJECTIVES

OBJECTIVES

Enhance

Sandgate will enhance the meaningful engagement and leadership of racialized and marginalized women and youth, in the design, delivery and evaluation of programs. It will enhance program offerings that respond to the unique needs and lived experiences of Indigenous survivors and of children and youth and strengthen partnerships with like-minded organizations to better support our community.
Enhance Sandgate’s programs and service offerings

Explore

Housing insecurity is a major barrier for women fleeing violence. Survivors report having limited housing options due to high cost, discrimination, stigma, debt or a poor credit rating. Having a stable, safe, affordable place to live while building a financial history can facilitate moving into conventional housing and aid in the transition back to society.
Explore, invest and collaborate to expand access to transitional housing

OBJECTIVES

OBJECTIVES

Thank you!

We would like to thank all the stakeholders who generously gave their time and energy to help us chart a future course for Sandgate’s evolution. We especially acknowledge the clients who participated in this process for their insightful contributions – their ideas and opinions were incredibly valuable to the process.

The Strategic Planning Committee led the planning process under a mandate from Sandgate’s Board of Directors and with support from There Management Consulting Inc. This work was made possible because of their immense dedication and unwavering support of the process.


In addition, we want to express our sincere gratitude to our entire staff and management team and praise the steadfast leadership of our Executive Director in bringing this project to completion. This team has repeatedly demonstrated their tireless commitment to the work and their ability to work together, adapt and innovate even in challenging conditions. We are exceptionally lucky to have you!


Lastly, we want to acknowledge and thank our allies, donors, funders, volunteers and partners. Your generous and consistent support is the backbone of our efforts.