The five major tenants are Community Living Tillsonburg, the Multi-Service Centre (MSC), Service Canada, Thames Valley District School Board, and Fanshawe College. There are also many associated agencies providing services out of The Livingston Centre.
Although each of the agencies preserves its own culture, staff, funding and reporting mechanisms, they no longer see themselves as separate entities, but rather as part of a greater whole working together to build a healthy community.
Why is it called The Livingston Centre?
The Centre is named after Gerry Livingston, a prominent, community-minded citizen, visionary and benefactor of Tillsonburg. His generosity to and support of multiple services and facilities throughout the area embody the best of the Tillsonburg community spirit.
Leadership and Goverance of the Centre
Serving as support for the front-line staff are the leaders for the five major agencies. They see their jobs as creating and sustaining an environment that is fully participatory and encouraging of staff, as well as clients, to grow and develop in unprecedented ways.
The leadership is entrusted with keeping the vision and managing the partnership involved in bringing five unique cultures under the same roof in an integrated fashion. All five partners are given an equal say.
The Livingston Centre's mandate of serving the community assists the partners in recognizing each of their needs individually while at the same time addressing "What is best for the client and what is best for the community?"
At least one of the Centre's 5 leaders tries to represent The Livingston Centre at every community activity because outreach and staying informed and connected to the greater community is essential.
Governance of the Centre
The Livingston Centre facility is run as a collective with a unique governing structure. The building itself is owned in part by the Board of Education (the former Tillson Avenue Public School) and the Tillsonburg Community Services Initative Board (TCSI) (the new addition). Together the two portions form The Livingston Centre.
The Board of Education owns and maintains the pre-existing portion of the building which now houses the Adult Education Centre and Fanshawe College.
The Tillsonburg Community Services Initative Board owns and maintains the new portion of the building that houses the other partners and associated agencies. TCSI is a not-for-profit charitable board formed and incorporated in late 1996 to guide the construction process of the new portion of the building, and take responsibility for all legal and financial contractual arrangements associated with this part of the facility. The Board is composed of seven members from the Multi-Service Centre and Community Living Tillsonburg Boards of Directors. They serve as landlords of the new portion and consult with the Management Team about any facility issues. The Board of Education and TCSI, as a part of their lease agreements, have to meet about operational and contractual issues.
The Partnership Group consists of the leaders of the five major partners who oversee the Centre. They confer on a regular basis on centre-wide issues and work in collaboration to assure that concerns that affect everyone are addressed and that daily operation run soundly and smoothly.
The Management Team is composed of the executive directors of Community Living Tillsonburg and the Multi-Service Centre and their financial managers. The Management Team meets regularly and is responsible for maintaining the building standards of the new portion of the facility and continuing on-going liaison and goodwill with other partner and associate agency leaders, all staff, the community, and the reporting bodies.
