Reflecting On Our Values

Nine Circles Collage of Staff and Events
June was a time to reflect on our past fiscal year, and share what we’ve been up to lately, in both our annual report and at the Annual General Meeting.

 

This past year, we sought to review and refresh our organizational values. A number of Nine Circles clients supported this effort by sharing their stories. These stories of resilience, successes and challenges have been pivotal in capturing our shared values and helping us reflect on how these values guide our work every day. The following graphic illustrates what we’ve landed on. If you have feedback, send us an email
From our beginnings, Nine Circles has offered a space for people who may have otherwise been isolated or refused community spaces. A place to feel safe; a place to belong. Over 20 years, the changing face of HIV has required flexibility and compromise among staff and clients as we’ve worked together to create space for new community members without losing what we value about our community space. As the community around us changes, significant increases in demand on front line services have been particularly difficult. The lack of safe spaces for people who use drugs has also put significant pressure on Nine Circles and similar agencies who seek to reach out, rather than lock out, those who need help. We acknowledge the patience and kindness of all our clients during this transitional time.

 

As we begin a new fiscal year, we encourage folks to stay connected with the following activities:
    • 705 Broadway renovation: Nine Circles takes over our building lease from the WRHA this year. We will receive financial support from the building owner to undertake changes to our waiting area to better meet client requests for an improved experience of safety, privacy and belonging. Opportunities to participate in this development will be shared over our social media this year – stay tuned.
    • Collaboration: Nine Circles proudly supports efforts through the West Broadway Community and Manitoba Association of Community Health to expand the circle of support to people who use drugs and people with mental health issues in our communities. The obvious gaps in services for these community members cannot be met by one agency alone, but together we can find community-led solutions.
Nine Circles was built to have a client-centred approach, which means that we start where people are at, and adapt our services to meet them there. The subsequent development of the Manitoba HIV Program and more recently the Manitoba HIV/STBBI Collective Impact Network have carried our values of collaboration forward. By strengthening collaboration with community, regional, and provincial partners, new ways of working are being explored every day. A few exciting explorations include:
    • Integration of addictions medicine into our primary care services
    • Innovations in testing for HIV/STBBIs* (e.g. dried blood spot, self-testing)

Finally, Nine Circles will continue to call for improved, low barrier access to HIV medication for both treatment and prevention (PrEP, PEP) purposes.

View our complete Annual Report