Two venerable Centretown institutions have combined forces to deliver better social services to Ottawa’s Chinese Canadian community.
Yet Keen Seniors’ Day Centre will be relieved of its administrative duties now that Somerset West Community Health Centre is in charge of the clerical work for both associations.
Yet Keen offers senior aged Chinese Canadians a place to spend their days.
They have opportunities to socialize and participate in fitness and recreational activities, such as ping-pong or chess.
By having the Somerset West, on Eccles Street, take over the administrative duties, such as financing and human resources, it will allow Yet Keen to focus its time on expanding, opening more hours and applying for grants and proposals, says Suzanne O’Byrne, the director of community and social services at Somerset West.
The integration officially began on Oct.1, although there has been a year and a half of preparations.
“Yet keen came to us, they had limited funds and wanted most of their dollars to go to service delivery,” says O’Byrne.
Yet Keen, located in the Bronson Centre, has also taken on Anna Yip as the new program administrator. It has combined the previous positions of co-ordinator and executive director into Yip’s new title, due to “funding problems they couldn’t hire two people for each position,” says Yip.
The two centres have a long history of working together.
“Instead of two boards of directors, two financing people, two human resources people, it’s all coming under us,” O’Byrne says. “It just makes sense.”
Yip says she will work to expand the variety of services that Yet Keen offers. She hopes to help the seniors not only with the physical, but also mental health problems.
“I’m trying to focus on the needs of seniors, not just giving them activities.”
Yet Keen is a place many seniors call their second home says Anna Yip.
“This is the only place they feel really comfortable.”
Peter Ho is a senior who goes to the Yet Keen Centre four times a week. He says the best thing is that it gives him an alternative to staying home.
“It’s the only facility like this for the Chinese community,” says Ho.
Being able to play ping pong at the Centre helps Ho maintain a healthy lifestyle. He hopes to see Yet Keen use the integration for expansion.
“Yet Keen is limited by space,"Ho says."The place we play ping-pong is very small, and the centre is just one room. It is very crowded," he says.