One of the five senior leadership team members that were let go from the Lighthouse Supported Living on Tuesday says she worries about the future of the shelter and its clients.
“It really puts the Lighthouse in a precarious position and I’m concerned for the people that we’re serving and the people that call the Lighthouse home,” said Melissa Smith, the former associate executive director and director of advancement at the Lighthouse.
The terminations come less than a month after the Lighthouse’s executive director Don Windels was placed on leave, with two members of the board, Twila Reddekopp and Jerome Hepfner, taking over his responsibilities.
Smith said she was in a virtual meeting when Reddekopp and another board member came into her office and handed her a letter saying her employment was terminated without cause effective immediately.
Smith said she was asked to clear out her belongings, return all corporate documents and hand over her passwords, then was escorted out by security.
“I think we’re all left feeling fairly traumatized and in a state of shock and disbelief that this is actually happening,” she said.
“We’ve been so tied to this mission and it really gets into your heart and so, I think we’ll all have a really difficult time letting go.”
Smith said while she wasn’t given a reason for her termination, she believes it’s tied to conflict between the operations team and the board.
“We were really vocal about and pushing for more answers on transparency and accountability,” she said.
“Calling for a better understanding of how this board is making decisions and how they’re sharing that out or being accountable to the membership.”
CTV News has confirmed five of the people dismissed on Tuesday, including Smith, signed a Jan. 20 letter that called for the province’s dispute resolution office to step in after Windels was placed on leave. Nine staff members in total signed the letter.
Smith, who has been working at the Lighthouse since November 2018, said she worries about the institutional knowledge that will be lost and how that will affect planning.
“I am concerned that they don’t have that really in-depth knowledge and understanding and expertise on the operational level, understanding those interdependencies within all the departments and programs and services that we offer,” she said.
“I think the Lighthouse provides a really valuable community life-saving service and so, I would hope that those services remain.”
In a statement, Reddekopp said the staff changes won’t affect day-to-day operations or the services the Lighthouse provides.
A current Lighthouse employee CTV News has agreed not to identify said he feels there has been more communication since the recent changes in leadership.
“There has been a lot more just flat-out communication now, an openness and receptivity and the desire for staff to speak up and speak out.”
The employee added that the day-to-day operations rest solely on the people working at the front desk and on the frontlines, directly dealing with residents.
“If there is a bit of a gap, we can probably survive,” he said.
When asked how the Lighthouse will replace the five positions, Reddekopp said in a statement that the shelter’s “focus is on building a safe and respectful workplace” and that it continues to make progress towards those goals through its partnerships with other local agencies, the fire and police services and its staff.
“Our vision at the Lighthouse has not changed. We aspire to be a dynamic and innovative housing and service provider in the communities we serve that assists individuals in reaching higher levels of personal growth, independence and resilience by providing supports and meeting needs through a client-centred approach,” Reddekopp said.
Last month, the Saskatoon Fire Department revealed it has found dozens of issues at the Lighthouse during inspections over the past year.
In an update to CTV News, Assistant Chief Yvonne Raymer said the shelter has prioritized the repairs and is expected to have all the deficiencies completed near the end of the month.
