Fraserside Community Services Society is maintaining its existing services at a time when it's trying to improve its financial picture.
Lynda Edmonds, Fraserside's CEO, told The Record that the society recently had to lay off several employees who had made "important contributions" to Fraserside and to the community. She said those employees will be missed by Fraserside.
"We had a financial review. As a result we have restructured the administration," she said. "There were several staff layoffs."
The layoffs took effect at the end of July. Remaining administration staff has been reassigned to take on the work done by those who have been laid off.
"The programs are pretty much staying the same," she said. "We are accountable to our contractors and will continue to be."
Fraserside receives contracts to provide a variety of services, including community living programs, and employment, mental health and addiction services.
Edmonds said Fraserside is having to "pull in" and shrink administration for a little while in order to get strong again and move into a growth mode.
"We will get strong financially," she said. "We will get there eventually."
Edmonds couldn't pinpoint the sources of Fraserside's financial woes on any one thing.
"It is quite complex," she said. "There is no single thing that happened. It was a gradual process that happened in a variety of different ways."
While some additional changes may occur to the society, Edmonds said nothing firm has been decided.
"It's very new," she said about the changes.
Based in New Westminster, Fraserside offers a variety of services including housing support, emergency shelters, counselling, programs for adults with developmental disabilities and mental health issues, and assistance to low-income families.
