Client Corner - Indwell
“Hope and homes for all” is the vision of Indwell, one of Ontario’s most effective and fastest growing providers of supportive housing.
From simple beginnings in one family’s home in Hamilton in 1970 to now housing nearly 800 households with nearly the same number of additional units in progress across Southern Ontario, Indwell’s innovative and compassionate approach to addressing housing insecurity is proven remarkable.
Training and supporting more than 150 employees with a variety of specialties across several cities is a challenge. Anticipating having double that number in rapid growth means Indwell needs to find and develop more leaders more quickly to function in their particular organizational culture.
Having worked with Indwell’s CEO Jeff Neven and their senior executives in the past, and being a huge admirer of their work, the opportunity to partner with their People Developer (what a great job title!) Dallas Friesen to design and facilitate new leadership pathways programs is something I’m very excited about.
Recognizing the pace of growth is very high we’ve already set aside our first concept, a ten month cohort based program, in favour of a six week incubator that will see results more quickly. Providing ongoing support and development will be key to making this approach a success.
Every aspect of the program will reinforce Indwell’s values and prepare leaders for the challenges of leading teams with a variety of specialties to serve the diverse and complex needs of their residents. We need to build skills, empower effort, and develop deep confidence.
The outcomes list for this project is ambitious and the expectations are as high as the need. Fortunately Indwell values people highly and is committed to the process. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
We’ll reassess after the initial cohort to see what next steps look like but it’s clear that Indwell’s continuing expansion and commitment to delivering with both excellence and dignity will mean that developing leaders will have to continue to be a key priority.
If your organization is in a growth phase and you need to develop leaders internally Contact Us to see if what we’re learning with Indwell can be beneficial to you as well. Whether it’s a single training session or an ongoing design and facilitation project, Catalyst is here to help.
When my mom asks me what charities I recommend giving to in the Hamilton area Indwell is one that I always suggest. Join her in supporting their excellent work.