business to meet its landscaping and gardening needs. The property management company services properties owned by not-for-profit organizations, and using the company is consistent with its own mission of supporting individuals who have lived experience of mental illness. The company also found itself seeking new options a few years ago when the costs associated with other landscaping businesses increased, while at the same time service quality was decreasing. The [landscaping business] was starting up at the time, and presented a more socially conscious and slightly less costly option. The director of the property management company reports that if the service wasn’t of high quality they would not continue the relationship.
• Resources in the form of equipment, supplies, and physical space that are transferred from the mental health system to create businesses can be obsolete and poorly suited to meet the business needs.
• Issues related to business autonomy in decision making can be compromised by relationships with mental health services that are not clearly defined and differentiated. The question of
“who owns the business” emerges, even where the businesses have a distinct legal entity. A mental health service focus on reducing patient risks can compromise business decisions.
• Business development involves knowledge and a range of attitudes and skills that are not part of the competency set traditionally required of mental health workers
• Businesses associated with the mental health system vary with respect to the extent to which they integrate and utilize community resources.
• Enabling the full involvement of people with mental illness can be undermined within
relationships that have historically been framed as “service provision”
• The ongoing association with the mental health system can sustain the image of the business as a “vocational service”
• The pressures that mental health service providers feel to connect individuals with lived experience of mental illness to employment can undermine their support for businesses that create long-term employment opportunities and therefore do not always have positions open.
• Businesses located within the physical plant of mental health services are not easily accessed by broader community markets, which can limit the extent and nature of the interactions with the public.
• Business development and autonomy can be compromised within the context of unionized mental health services, where certain
businesses might be viewed as replacing union jobs, and employment support functions are limited by formal work contracts.
• There can be a lack of distinction between the provision of employment support and business development activities provided by mental health service providers.
4. Business development, growth and sustainability
A. Expanding markets and social inclusion
While each of the businesses meet its business goals through sales to the public, the nature of the markets accessed have implications for the generation
of revenues and business growth as well as the achievement of social goals related to social inclusion and community acceptance. These businesses
access three distinct market economies, although one business may access multiple markets:
• General public market – The businesses sell their goods and services to members of the general public, both to individuals and to for-profit businesses within the broader community.
Examples include providing the services of a retail dollar store to community members or cleaning the offices of a for-profit corporation. Operating in these markets leaves businesses vulnerable to marketplace fluctuations. Access to this market provides the business with opportunities for interactions with the general public that
One business, located within the building of a former tertiary care psychiatric hospital, is planning for a move to a community location. It is expected that the move could provide the business with a higher profile in the community, expand the market base, and enable the general public to have face-to-face contact with workers in the business. There is, however, a concern that the loss of the business presence within the hospital structure will limit the capacity of the business to positively influence and instill hope in people with mental illness who are receiving in-patient care, or who are cautious about setting employment goals.
may promote a positive community profile for employees with mental illness.
• Public sector market economy – The social
businesses provide services to meet defined needs within the public sector. For example, one business provides landscaping services to government funded residential units, while another fulfills a government contract to provide cleaning services for residents whose living conditions are evaluated as a high safety risk. Despite the identified needs for services, this market is constrained financially, and can limit opportunities for both market and product development. The study findings suggest that social businesses may be highly suited to meeting many public sector needs, demonstrating understanding and sensitivity to specific needs emerging in the public sector. For example, one business providing extreme cleaning services noted that they were perhaps in a better position than other companies to manage this work with the sensitivity required by vulnerable people, while a business providing adaptive clothing noted they were motivated by their social mission to provide affordable and stylish clothing for seniors living on low incomes. These markets provide opportunities for interactions in community locations, but the interactions can be largely with individuals and communities who are themselves marginalized socially and economically.
• Markets within the mental health system –
Individuals served by the mental health system and mental health service providers provide a market for businesses. For example, a small café provides light lunches, snacks, and other refreshments to meet the needs of individuals and staff of out-patient mental health services, but also provides home-made baked goods to another social business located in a community setting. These markets are limited with respect to potential for expansion and product development. The extent to which these businesses are located within mental health services buildings limits interactions with the general public, and may sustain public stigma related to the capacity of people with mental illness for employment. On the other hand, they may serve to break down the stigma held by mental health professionals regarding employment and mental illness, and provide employment
opportunities for individuals whose access to community environments is limited.
Social status and goods and services delivered While the businesses have found a market niche, the nature of the products and services they produce has been associated with low-status and low-income work. This has implications for the public profile of the businesses and the potential to engender negative stereotypes that have historically been associated with the work carried out by people with disabilities. The business sectors are largely of the type that is accessed by individual employment support programs for people with mental illness. Given their direct experience with the product and with the business sector, social business employees should, at least theoretically, be in a good position to be hired into jobs in other businesses in the broader community. In these case studies, two issues emerged as possible explanations for the lack of movement to community businesses delivering essentially
A property management company
has enlisted the services of a social
business to meet its landscaping
and gardening needs. The property
management company services
properties owned by not-for-profit
organizations, and using the company
is consistent with its own mission
of supporting individuals who have
lived experience of mental illness. The
company also found itself seeking
new options a few years ago when
the costs associated with other
landscaping businesses increased,
while at the same time service quality
was decreasing. The [landscaping
business] was starting up at the
time, and presented a more socially
conscious and slightly less costly
option. The director of the property
management company reports that if
the service wasn’t of high quality they
would not continue the relationship.
• Resources in the form of equipment, supplies, and physical space that are transferred from the mental health system to create businesses can be obsolete and poorly suited to meet the business needs.
• Issues related to business autonomy in decision making can be compromised by relationships with mental health services that are not clearly defined and differentiated. The question of
“who owns the business” emerges, even where the businesses have a distinct legal entity. A mental health service focus on reducing patient risks can compromise business decisions.
• Business development involves knowledge and a range of attitudes and skills that are not part of the competency set traditionally required of mental health workers
• Businesses associated with the mental health system vary with respect to the extent to which they integrate and utilize community resources.
• Enabling the full involvement of people with mental illness can be undermined within
relationships that have historically been framed as “service provision”
• The ongoing association with the mental health system can sustain the image of the business as a “vocational service”
• The pressures that mental health service providers feel to connect individuals with lived experience of mental illness to employment can undermine their support for businesses that create long-term employment opportunities and therefore do not always have positions open.
• Businesses located within the physical plant of mental health services are not easily accessed by broader community markets, which can limit the extent and nature of the interactions with the public.
• Business development and autonomy can be compromised within the context of unionized mental health services, where certain
businesses might be viewed as replacing union jobs, and employment support functions are limited by formal work contracts.
• There can be a lack of distinction between the provision of employment support and business development activities provided by mental health service providers.
4. Business development, growth and sustainability
A. Expanding markets and social inclusion
While each of the businesses meet its business goals through sales to the public, the nature of the markets accessed have implications for the generation
of revenues and business growth as well as the achievement of social goals related to social inclusion and community acceptance. These businesses
access three distinct market economies, although one business may access multiple markets:
• General public market – The businesses sell their goods and services to members of the general public, both to individuals and to for-profit businesses within the broader community.
Examples include providing the services of a retail dollar store to community members or cleaning the offices of a for-profit corporation. Operating in these markets leaves businesses vulnerable to marketplace fluctuations. Access to this market provides the business with opportunities for interactions with the general public that
One business, located within the building of a former tertiary care psychiatric hospital, is planning for a move to a community location. It is expected that the move could provide the business with a higher profile in the community, expand the market base, and enable the general public to have face-to-face contact with workers in the business. There is, however, a concern that the loss of the business presence within the hospital structure will limit the capacity of the business to positively influence and instill hope in people with mental illness who are receiving in-patient care, or who are cautious about setting employment goals.
may promote a positive community profile for employees with mental illness.
• Public sector market economy – The social
businesses provide services to meet defined needs within the public sector. For example, one business provides landscaping services to government funded residential units, while another fulfills a government contract to provide cleaning services for residents whose living conditions are evaluated as a high safety risk. Despite the identified needs for services, this market is constrained financially, and can limit opportunities for both market and product development. The study findings suggest that social businesses may be highly suited to meeting many public sector needs, demonstrating understanding and sensitivity to specific needs emerging in the public sector. For example, one business providing extreme cleaning services noted that they were perhaps in a better position than other companies to manage this work with the sensitivity required by vulnerable people, while a business providing adaptive clothing noted they were motivated by their social mission to provide affordable and stylish clothing for seniors living on low incomes. These markets provide opportunities for interactions in community locations, but the interactions can be largely with individuals and communities who are themselves marginalized socially and economically.
• Markets within the mental health system –
Individuals served by the mental health system and mental health service providers provide a market for businesses. For example, a small café provides light lunches, snacks, and other refreshments to meet the needs of individuals and staff of out-patient mental health services, but also provides home-made baked goods to another social business located in a community setting. These markets are limited with respect to potential for expansion and product development. The extent to which these businesses are located within mental health services buildings limits interactions with the general public, and may sustain public stigma related to the capacity of people with mental illness for employment. On the other hand, they may serve to break down the stigma held by mental health professionals regarding employment and mental illness, and provide employment
opportunities for individuals whose access to community environments is limited.
Social status and goods and services delivered While the businesses have found a market niche, the nature of the products and services they produce has been associated with low-status and low-income work. This has implications for the public profile of the businesses and the potential to engender negative stereotypes that have historically been associated with the work carried out by people with disabilities. The business sectors are largely of the type that is accessed by individual employment support programs for people with mental illness.
Given their direct experience with the product and with the business sector, social business employees should, at least theoretically, be in a good position to be hired into jobs in other businesses in the broader community. In these case studies, two issues emerged as possible explanations for the lack of movement to community businesses delivering essentially
A property management company has enlisted the services of a social business to meet its landscaping and gardening needs. The property management company services properties owned by not-for-profit organizations, and using the company is consistent with its own mission of supporting individuals who have lived experience of mental illness. The company also found itself seeking new options a few years ago when the costs associated with other landscaping businesses increased, while at the same time service quality was decreasing. The [landscaping business] was starting up at the time, and presented a more socially conscious and slightly less costly option. The director of the property management company reports that if the service wasn’t of high quality they would not continue the relationship.
• Resources in the form of equipment, supplies, and physical space that are transferred from the mental health system to create businesses can be obsolete and poorly suited to meet the business needs.
• Issues related to business autonomy in decision making can be compromised by relationships with mental health services that are not clearly defined and differentiated. The question of
“who owns the business” emerges, even where the businesses have a distinct legal entity. A mental health service focus on reducing patient risks can compromise business decisions.
• Business development involves knowledge and a range of attitudes and skills that are not part of the competency set traditionally required of mental health workers
• Businesses associated with the mental health system vary with respect to the extent to which they integrate and utilize community resources.
• Enabling the full involvement of people with mental illness can be undermined within
relationships that have historically been framed as “service provision”
• The ongoing association with the mental health system can sustain the image of the business as a “vocational service”
• The pressures that mental health service providers feel to connect individuals with lived experience of mental illness to employment can undermine their support for businesses that create long-term employment opportunities and therefore do not always have positions open.
• Businesses located within the physical plant of mental health services are not easily accessed by broader community markets, which can limit the extent and nature of the interactions with the public.
• Business development and autonomy can be compromised within the context of unionized mental health services, where certain
businesses might be viewed as replacing union jobs, and employment support functions are limited by formal work contracts.
• There can be a lack of distinction between the provision of employment support and business development activities provided by mental health service providers.
4. Business development, growth and sustainability
A. Expanding markets and social inclusion
While each of the businesses meet its business goals through sales to the public, the nature of the markets accessed have implications for the generation
of revenues and business growth as well as the achievement of social goals related to social inclusion and community acceptance. These businesses
access three distinct market economies, although one business may access multiple markets:
• General public market – The businesses sell their goods and services to members of the general public, both to individuals and to for-profit businesses within the broader community.
Examples include providing the services of a retail dollar store to community members or cleaning the offices of a for-profit corporation. Operating in these markets leaves businesses vulnerable to marketplace fluctuations. Access to this market provides the business with opportunities for interactions with the general public that
One business, located within the building of a former tertiary care psychiatric hospital, is planning for a move to a community location. It is expected that the move could provide the business with a higher profile in the community, expand the market base, and enable the general public to have face-to-face contact with workers in the business. There is, however, a concern that the loss of the business presence within the hospital structure will limit the capacity of the business to positively influence and instill hope in people with mental illness who are receiving in-patient care, or who are cautious about setting employment goals.
may promote a positive community profile for employees with mental illness.
• Public sector market economy – The social
businesses provide services to meet defined needs within the public sector. For example, one business provides landscaping services to government funded residential units, while another fulfills a government contract to provide cleaning services for residents whose living conditions are evaluated as a high safety risk. Despite the identified needs for services, this market is constrained financially, and can limit opportunities for both market and product development. The study findings suggest that social businesses may be highly suited to meeting many public sector needs, demonstrating understanding and sensitivity to specific needs emerging in the public sector. For example, one business providing extreme cleaning services noted that they were perhaps in a better position than other companies to manage this work with the sensitivity required by vulnerable people, while a business providing adaptive clothing noted they were motivated by their social mission to provide affordable and stylish clothing for seniors living on low incomes. These markets provide opportunities for interactions in community locations, but the interactions can be largely with individuals and communities who are themselves marginalized socially and economically.
• Markets within the mental health system –
Individuals served by the mental health system and mental health service providers provide a market for businesses. For example, a small café provides light lunches, snacks, and other refreshments to meet the needs of individuals and staff of out-patient mental health services, but also provides home-made baked goods to another social business located in a community setting. These markets are limited with respect to potential for expansion and product development. The extent to which these businesses are located within mental health services buildings limits interactions with the general public, and may sustain public stigma related to the capacity of people with mental illness for employment. On the other hand, they may serve to break down the stigma held by mental health professionals regarding employment and mental illness, and provide employment
opportunities for individuals whose access to community environments is limited.
Social status and goods and services delivered While the businesses have found a market niche, the nature of the products and services they produce has been associated with low-status and low-income work. This has implications for the public profile of the businesses and the potential to engender negative stereotypes that have historically been associated with the work carried out by people with disabilities. The business sectors are largely of the type that is accessed by individual employment support programs for people with mental illness.
Given their direct experience with the product and with the business sector, social business employees should, at least theoretically, be in a good position to be hired into jobs in other businesses in the broader community. In these case studies, two issues emerged as possible explanations for the lack of movement to community businesses delivering essentially
A property management company
has enlisted the services of a social
business to meet its landscaping
and gardening needs. The property
management company services
properties owned by not-for-profit
organizations, and using the company
is consistent with its own mission
of supporting individuals who have
lived experience of mental illness. The
company also found itself seeking
new options a few years ago when
the costs associated with other
landscaping businesses increased,
while at the same time service quality
was decreasing. The [landscaping
business] was starting up at the
time, and presented a more socially
conscious and slightly less costly
option. The director of the property
management company reports that if
the service wasn’t of high quality they
would not continue the relationship.
the same products and services. First, none of the businesses had developed explicit connections with individual employment support programs that might be in a position to enable placement and follow-along supports in the broader community workforce.
Second, the social businesses were viewed as, overall, having better working conditions than matched jobs in the broader community workforce. So, for example, workers in sewing businesses are known to be
vulnerable to precarious and poor working conditions.
The social business was described as having a better working environment, and with their minimum wage standards for pay, the income is considered better and more stable than in contract businesses typical of this sector. In the cleaning business, it was noted that there are similar community jobs with better pay and job security, but these positions were considered attainable only through in-house social networks that
“cornered” the available positions.
B. Competition and quality standards
Delivering high quality products and services is fundamental to the sustainability of the social
businesses. Each of the businesses operate from the perspective that the businesses need to meet market standards for quality. In one case, where the café was established as a partnership within a local community organization, early business development was
predicated on the notion that products had to be of a quality higher then the norm for similar businesses and that service delivery had to be free from disruptions.
These assumptions were responses to concerns within the partnering institution that people with mental illness would demonstrate problems that would interfere with the work of the organization.
Monitoring quality standards is an important issue
Monitoring quality standards is an important issue