William Crooks
Over 30 people attended Mon Shack’s annual general meeting held June 26 at Mon Shack 2.0 in Lennoxville

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

Supervised living organization Mon Shack… Mes choix… Mon avenir! reported a budget surplus and floated the idea of a new residence for older adults living with mental health challenges during its annual general meeting on June 26. Held at Mon Shack 2.0 in Sherbrooke and attended by more than 30 people, the meeting included a review of financial results, organizational activities, and board elections, and was presided over by Executive Director Josée Parent with community organizer Gabrielle Ste-Croix serving as chair.

Over 30 people attended the meeting, including board members, residents, staff, and community supporters.

Parent opened the meeting by welcoming attendees and emphasizing the organization’s commitment to transparency. “Mon Shack doesn’t belong to any one person—it belongs to all of us, collectively,” she said. “It’s important that people know what we’re doing with the money, because we receive support from everyday citizens and community donors.”

Auditor Shawn Frost from Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton presented the organization’s 2024–2025 financial results. Mon Shack reported total revenue of $929,693, up from $685,519 the previous year. This $244,000 increase was largely attributed to rental income from Mon Shack 2.0, which was fully operational throughout the fiscal year. Revenue from apartment rentals rose from $184,000 to $354,000.

Mon Shack also received $214,570 in amortised deferred contributions, up from $124,971 the year prior. These contributions consist of grant and donation funds designated for infrastructure or long-term equipment purchases, and are amortised as revenue over multiple years. On the expense side, total spending reached $895,633, up from $626,806 in 2023–2024. The increase was primarily due to amortisation costs related to building construction and equipment, which totalled $239,000.

The resulting annual surplus was $34,060. “We’re not just stockpiling surplus,” Parent said. “We’re using it to keep improving our services, while making sure we have a safety cushion if we ever want to build something new.”

The auditor included a standard reservation in the audit related to untraceable cash donations. “This kind of reservation is standard when organizations receive donations in cash,” Frost explained. “For example, someone buys a hot dog at Square Queen and pays in cash—there’s no bank record for that. It’s not unique to Mon Shack.”

As of March 31, 2025, Mon Shack’s net assets totalled $2,163,148, including $272,000 in unrestricted funds available to the administration. That figure was down from $306,000 the previous year, indicating that funds had been used rather than accumulated. “We don’t want it to get too big or too small,” said Frost, noting that maintaining an appropriate balance of unrestricted funds allows the organization to respond to emergencies or pursue new projects.

Parent took the opportunity to raise a potential new project, a third residence specifically for older adults living with mental health challenges. “Maybe when I retire, there’ll be a Shack 3.0 for older adults with mental health challenges,” she said. “It doesn’t exist in Estrie, and it could be my last big project before I go.”

Founded in 2013, Mon Shack operates two buildings in Sherbrooke that provide supervised housing for people living with mental health difficulties. The original Mon Shack building opened in 2018 and offers 18 units for young adults aged 18 to 35, who receive intensive or moderate levels of support. Mon Shack 2.0, which began welcoming residents in November 2023, provides 22 additional units for adults of all ages with lower support needs. All apartments are three-and-a-half-room units with washer-dryer hookups, storage space, and parking. Rent supplements are available for all tenants.

The annual report notes that Mon Shack’s mission is to promote, develop, and operate residential buildings in Estrie that offer a supervised living environment for adults living with mental health issues. Services are bilingual and available six days per week. In addition to housing, Mon Shack offers individual and group counselling, post-housing follow-up, and a variety of community activities focused on health, well-being, and social integration. These include cooking workshops, physical activities, art therapy, budgeting sessions, and peer-led group initiatives.

During the AGM, Parent acknowledged the team responsible for financial management, including external accounting support and the board’s treasurer. “I’m responsible for every dollar spent and every decision made,” she said. “If something goes wrong, it’s on me.”

Board members also voted to renew the organization’s contract with its current auditing firm and reviewed committee reports. The presentation included updates on program outcomes, partnerships, and the organization’s Univers-Shack initiative—a community-based innovation lab that brings together young adults, staff, and local partners to co-create new approaches to mental health care.

The annual report indicated that Mon Shack received approximately $175,000 in donations in 2024–2025, and that 94 people were registered in clinical programming. The organization hosted over 2,500 participant interactions in its various group workshops and activities.

Four new topics were added to the agenda under the “varia” section at the request of members: camp fire, gardening improvements, gym maintenance, and kitchen usage guidelines. “It’s great when members bring up suggestions like this,” Ste-Croix noted. “We can’t vote on them at the AGM, but they’ll be forwarded to the board and the team for review.”

Parent also reiterated that funding from rent cannot be used for salaries or services, as many grants require funds to be allocated specifically to building-related costs or reserves. “The rental revenue has to stay with the building,” she said. “I can’t use that money to hire staff or fund programming, so we’re always looking for other sources of support.”

Elections for the board of directors concluded the meeting. Several members confirmed they would continue their involvement, and attendees were invited to meet new members informally over refreshments.

Parent closed the session by thanking the residents. “Recovery is a full-time job,” she said. “You are at the heart of our daily work.”