A critical social service provider in Quyon is turning to the community for support after losing financial backing from its most significant funder this spring.

At a public information session hosted at the Maison de la Famille on Saturday afternoon, members of its board of directors shared that the non-profit’s application for the two-year grant it usually receives from Quebec’s Family Ministry had not been successful, news it received at the end of March.

Opening the meeting, board member Shannon Purcell said after hearing rumours circulating that money had been stolen, or that the family centre would be closing altogether, the board decided to share a formal update with the community and offer transparency on what’s happening behind the scenes.

“We have lost a lot of funding for the Maison. We’re currently trying to get a lot of our partners back, and looking for new avenues for funding,” Purcell explained to the 30 or so people in attendance.

“We’ve been trying to come up with fundraising ideas. But this is your building too. So if you have any ideas, we want to hear them.”

While the board members said they could not disclose how much funding was lost for 2025-2026, they said the last amount received from the ministry for the 2023-2024 funding period was almost $200,000.

“A ball was dropped on it, and it’s a shame,” said board treasurer Carolyn Kenney, explaining the application had not been properly completed by the organization’s director, who has since been dismissed by the board.

“There were certain things that needed to be filed that were maybe not done on time. We’re not here to blame anybody.”

They said this money was critical to paying the salaries of the organization’s five staff members, including that of the director, who run programs like the snowsuit fund, the back-to-school program, income tax support sessions for seniors, playgroups, a community fridge, a daycare and many others.

Board members said while they have no plans to end any of the programs, they have laid off all staff. Some, however, have continued to volunteer to keep the family centre’s doors open.

Longtime employee Louann Gibeault is one of them.

“We’re staying open. We’re not closing our doors. As long as we can pay the hydro and keep the lights on in here, we’re still going strong,” she said.

“We’re not here to point fingers, to say anything negative, we just want to get back to our family centre thriving. I’ve been here 19 years. For me this is my home. Yous are my people.”

Next steps unclear

Members of the audience, including former board members and a former family centre employee, did not hold back from sharing concerns and frustrations with the current board members, requesting both further transparency around what went wrong with the application and what the board would be doing to resolve the problem.

“You want my honesty? Something is really wrong here [ . . . ] It’s shameful, when people put down their heart and soul in this place, and now you see what’s going on here,” said former employee Julie Cadieux, one of several who expressed concern with how the center is being managed.

Kenney and Purcell assured the organization still has funding from other partners, but that it would be at least two years before it could regain its funding from the family ministry.

When asked whether the organization had lost support from any other funders, board members did not respond before THE EQUITY’s publication deadline.

In the meantime, the board is working on finding other funding sources and is requesting volunteer support from the community to help them continue to keep their running their programs.

The board is now made up of Purcell, Kenney, as well as secretary Hollie Leach and president Ashley Carson, who was unable to attend Saturday’s meeting due to prior commitments. Its vice-president resigned this spring.

Purcell reminded those in attendance the board is not trained to take on the responsibilities of a director, but is learning, because it does not have money to hire another director at this moment.

“I really hope everybody is patient with us. Besides having families and full-time jobs, there’s a reason we were not the director. We don’t know how to do that job,” she said, noting they are receiving help and guidance from somebody experienced in supporting non-profits.

“Right now, every day we’re trying to figure out how to do this job.”

Gibeault, for her part, said she believes the board is doing what it can to get the family centre back on track.

“I have the utmost confidence they’re doing their best to get us back here working, being paid,” she said.

At the request of those in attendance, the board will be hosting a second meeting in July at a yet to be determinded date where it will share updates on progress made to find new funding for the family centre.