Out of this World

Français

Out of this World (OTW) is an alternative business* located in downtown Toronto within the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH – the largest mental health and addictions facility in Canada) and has been operating for seven years. With an espresso bar, canteen, catering service and a coffee cart, OTW offers various employment opportunities for Consumer/Survivors. OTW has a large and loyal customer base of hospital staff and consumer/survivors.

The café illustrates how a large psychiatric institution and a consumer/survivor organization can form a partnership and work together on a long-term basis to ensure that the business meets the employment needs of the survivor community and the food and catering needs of the hospital. To the best of our knowledge this is the first alternative business in North America to operate out of a psychiatric facility. It is hoped that the success of the café will inspire other organizations and institutions around the country to embark on similar undertakings.

*Also referred to as social purpose enterprises: organizations that hire or train people with barriers to employment.

History & Development of Enterprise

From 1994 until 2002, OTW operations were run by the Vocational Resource Centre (VRC) of CAMH to provide Consumer/Survivors with a new skill set and an employment opportunity. Brown (2003) outlined that OTW was run more like a business than a training program, and it extended outside the mandate of CAMH. After much discussion with a CAMH hired consultant, the clients decided to divest OTW to Working for Change.

A Negotiating Committee was set up with six representatives from CAMH, two from Working for Change, six clients from the Café and the community development consultant. Divestment resulted in a shift towards meeting industry standards, but also conducting business in a way that meets the needs of Consumer/Survivors.

OTW has also begun using social media to connect with customers. They post descriptions and pictures of the daily specials to their Facebook page. “We see a drop in sales when we don’t post pictures,” says Warren Hawke, Director of Food Services.

Over the past six years, OTW has seen dramatic expansion in its product lines, services and revenue, and now has more than 20 employees with histories of mental health and addiction challenges.

Last fall, CAMH completed a multi-year renovation project that opened the campus to the vibrant Queen West community and OTW moved to a bright new café space at 100 Stokes Street. Sales increased by 50 per cent over night. The new location also includes a commercial kitchen, something the old location didn’t have, and a major advantage for preparing and storing large volumes of food. This is especially important as catering makes up 30 per cent of sales.

Recently, CAMH approached OTW to take over a second location at the Queen West campus, a major contract that was previously held by Aramark. The new location opened in June, 2013. The expansion and growth is exciting, but comes with new challenges. “It’s a good problem to have,” says Warren.

Products & Services

Out of this World Cafe provides a range of catering options and they can serve events from five to more than one hundred. For customers’ convenience, catering can be ordered online. All items are priced individually and there is space for comments and delivery instructions. OTW is also pleased to develop custom menus and assist in selecting the appropriate items and quantities for a customer’s event.

The cafe is a meeting place for patients, CAMH staff, and the neighbourhood; it provides a model for the community integration the larger institution is trying to do. It is housed in the Bell Gateway Building of CAMH, serves breakfast, lunch and a variety of tasty snacks such as healthy soups and salads, and freshly baked muffins.

Impacts & Outcomes

Social enterprises are seen as a way to address the discrimination Consumer/Survivors face in the workforce and from society as a whole (Capponi, 2007). OTW staff presence throughout the hospital reduces the perception that Consumer/Survivors are not capable of participating in the workforce, and can be encouraging to current patients (Capponi, 2007). Purchasers of the goods and services provided by OTW are supporting the social mandate of the organization even though they may not be aware of it. A professional approach also shows that OTW can produce high quality goods and services while providing a valuable experience to the Consumer/Survivor community. Employment with OTW has also allowed workers to reconnect with friends and family, build a network and socialize with co-workers, and have some structure in their lives (Jamieson, 2007). Working at OTW also results in medical benefits, such as fewer doctors appointments and hospital visits, and less frequent use of medication (Jamieson, 2007; Capponi, 2007). Warren also believes the ongoing commitment of the OTW staff may be one of the most important success factors. Some of the staff have been with the café since it opened in 1997 and all staff share the same commitment to continual improvement, creating high quality products and excellent customer service that sustains customer loyalty and the business.

Lessons Learned

There were several challenges that came with divestment, including: patient information was no longer provided to VRC employees; training was required for “non-profit business practices, funding requirements, how to develop a business plan and how to fine tune day to day operations”; and employees were let down when the business manager was not hired internally.

As well, creating an evaluation process that reflects the nature of the business and is sensitive to employees? needs is complex. Due to the episodic nature of their illness, some employees of OTW may require a leave of absence from work. Although OTW is marginally profitable, it still faces some significant challenges in its viability and is forced to rely on some funding from outside sources.

Various factors critical for maintaining OTW as a successful and sustainable business were identified. Most are not unlike those in the for-profit sector, including:

• Customer needs – identifying and meeting the customers’ needs and wants.
• Product – being able to offer high quality products and services at a reasonable cost.
• Captive Market – having a clientele including staff, patients, and visitors to the hospital that are encouraged to support OTW by CAMH.
• Adaptability – making adjustments to items such as the menu, products, and prices that reflect variations in the marketplace and respond to competition.
• Staff – ensuring that employees feel a sense of community and support is essential. It is also important to have a knowledgeable and experienced manager to facilitate day to day operations and training, and to provide accommodations to the employees.
• Flexibility and Accommodation – many Consumer/Survivors require a certain level of accommodation in the workplace.

Parent Organization

The Ontario Council for Alternative Businesses (OCAB), now named Working for Change, was developed in 1993, out of the growing need for employment opportunities requested by the psychiatric Consumer/Survivor community. It is an umbrella organization which runs three businesses in Toronto that employ people living with mental illness. Working for Change’s mandate is to develop and support social enterprises that provide empowerment, employment, training and skills to Consumer/Survivors, and bring attention to the growing need for these opportunities.

The social enterprises belonging to Working for Change employ approximately 80 part-time employees with annual revenues of $450,000 (Brown, 2007). Currently the Raging Spoon, Parkdale Green Thumb Enterprises and Out of This World Café (OTW) are the social enterprises run by Working for Change.

Funding

Funding was required to hire staff to take over the management positions once VRC staff withdrew. After a rigorous process, which involved the development of a detailed business plan, and presentations by Café trainees and Working for Change staff, United Way allocated funding to the group. This was the first time that clients from the Café had participated as equal partners in a funding process.

CAMH provides support to OTW by renting the space at a minimal cost, sending emails and memos encouraging staff to purchase and use its services, and producing some printed materials for promotional use. However, OTW also receives financial support from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Toronto Enterprise Fund. The Toronto Enterprise Fund provides funding to businesses with a “double bottom-line” that includes maintaining a sustainable business while fulfilling a social mandate (Toronto Enterprise Fund, n.d.).

Out of this World’s investors and supporters include:

• Toronto Enterprise Fund
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
• Ontario Trillium Foundation

Successes

People from CAMH, Working for Change and OTW definitely feel a sense of pride, and employees experience improved self-esteem and confidence from working there.

“The staff opportunity to work in a real business environment, to earn an income and to be part of a really caring community has had a huge impact on them.” – (Jamieson, 2007)

The enterprise’s legitimacy as an employer is furthered by having staff identification cards, uniforms and providing a steady income to its employees

Employees’ receiving a pay cheque every week as opposed to the previous daily profit-sharing arrangement provides a sense of income security. The pay cheque is also viewed as recognition of real work. Training in areas such as food handling, first aid, and workplace health and safety, is regarded as very educational and empowering. Some employees mentioned that since taking the food handlers training course, they have become watchful in restaurants and notice that standards are not always up to those in the Café. In general, employees of OTW feel more competent in their jobs as a result of the training and have a greater understanding of health and safety issues. Some of the employees have participated in Consumer/Survivor Leadership Training and their response to this has been overwhelmingly positive.

Café staff have identity tags, uniforms, and keys to locked wards (for those who operate the coffee cart). This indicates a profound change in how the Café employees are viewed by the hospital administration and how they view themselves. There is a feeling of legitimacy and pride. The employees also recognized the positive impact they were having on clients in CAMH.

“The job means money. It means being productive. It means that you fit somewhere.” – OTW Employee

Finally, employees identified staff meetings and social outings as important for developing camaraderie and cohesiveness amongst staff.