CITY CLERK. City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund - Allocations Report

Transcription

1 CITY CLERK Clause embodied in Report No. 1 of the, as adopted by the Council of the City of Toronto at its meeting held on February 13, 14 and 15, City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund - Allocations Report (City Council on February 13, 14 and 15, 2002, adopted this Clause, without amendment.) The recommends the adoption of following report (December 19, 2001) from the Acting Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services: Purpose: This report recommends funding of $1,257, from the City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund (CT-HIF) to community agencies for a range of homeless services. These recommendations are the second phase of funding for The recommendations are for funding renewals for existing services to homeless people. The report also recommends that Council approve a grant of $250, from the CT-HIF to the United Way of Greater Toronto who is the Program Administrator for the Toronto Homeless Community Economic Development Program. This grant represents the third and final year of City participation as approved by Council in December Financial Implications and Impact Statement: The total budgeted allocation for the City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund is $6.868 million. The allocation is made up of $4.442 million in funding from the Province and $2.426 million in funding from the City. Funds required for the allocations recommended in this report are available in the 2001 Consolidated Grants Budget. Accruals have been established to accommodate this second phase of 2001 funding under the program. Funding to the United Way of Greater Toronto for the Toronto Homeless Community Economic Development Program will come from the 2002 Consolidated Grants Budget as consistent with the Interim Operating Budget Estimates report. The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and concurs with the financial impact statement.

2 2 Recommendations: It is recommended that: (1) Council approve the 2001 City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund (CT-HIF) grants in the amount of $1,257, for the 33 agencies described in Appendix A of this report; (2) Council approve a $250, grant from the City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund to the United Way of Greater Toronto for the Toronto Homeless Community Economic Development Program for the Year 2002, as the third and final instalment of the program approved by Council in December 1999, prior to the final approval of the 2002 budget as consistent with the Interim Operating Budget Estimates report; (3) funds in the amount of $100, be accrued for CT-HIF funding appeals to be held in the spring of 2002; and (4) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect hereto. Background: The City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund (CT-HIF) is the City s grants program for community agencies that work with homeless people or prevent vulnerable people from becoming homeless. Funding for the CT-HIF includes an allocation of $2.426 million from the City as well as an allocation of $4.442 million to the City of Toronto from the Province through its Provincial Homeless Initiatives Fund (PHIF). The program is administered as one fund. For accounting purposes projects are allocated to either the City portion or to the Provincial portion of the fund. The CT-HIF funds a range of long-term projects which help homeless people move from the streets to shelters, move from shelters to more permanent forms of accommodation or assists those at-risk of homelessness maintain their housing. Examples of projects include outreach initiatives, drop-in centres, information services, housing help initiatives and other projects which prevent homelessness or help vulnerable people stabilize their lives. In 2001, CT-HIF allocations are being made in two phases. Council approved first phase funding in the amount of $4,356, for 62 agencies at its meeting in September This report recommends funding for the second phase of the CT-HIF. Comments: (1) City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund Renewals: This report recommends $1,257, in funding renewals to 33 community agencies for a range of community-based homelessness initiatives. The funding is for ongoing projects, which have demonstrated their effectiveness in providing important services to homeless people or

3 3 those at risk of homelessness. Over the past year staff have monitored and evaluated the recommended projects and have determined that they are meeting their stated objectives and outcomes. As Federal funding was made available this year through the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiatives (SCPI), no new project proposals were solicited for the CT-HIF. New projects and those of a short-term duration are being funded through SCPI and the new provincially funded Off the Streets and Into Shelter (OSIS) program. Funding through the CT-HIF has not expanded over the past number of years and there are limited dollars available for funding enhancements. Therefore, based on the service planning process described below, only drop-in programs were eligible for funding enhancements as part of this annual funding application process. Detailed outlines for each agency including service summaries, recommendations, and conditions of funding, if applicable, are provided in Appendix B. Appeals of funding decisions for this will be heard in the spring of (a) CT-HIF and Service Planning: Over the past year staff began reviewing CT-HIF funding as part of the Division s service planning process. The first two sectors of funding to be reviewed are drop-in services and housing help services. The CT-HIF funds a number of drop-in services across the City and staff have been working with the agencies in the drop-in sector to identify gaps in service and to ensure services are available where they are needed. Based on the work done in the review process, a limited amount of funding was made available to enhance the stability of drop-in programs, increase service capacity, reduce barriers to service, develop service strategies for high risk groups; and to address gaps in service. Staff have recommended a total funding increase of $40, for CT-HIF funded drop-in programs in this round of allocations. $148, in funding increases was allocated to eight CT-HIF funded drop-in programs in the first round of allocations approved by Council in September An evaluative review of housing help, housing access and eviction prevention services within the City s homeless programs and services is currently underway. The review will be used to assist City staff in organizing services that are currently being funded through the CT-HIF, the Redirection of Emergency Hostel Funding Initiative (REHF) and the Community Partners Program. Funding for projects which provide housing help, housing access and eviction prevention services will not be eligible to apply for funding enhancements until the service review process has been completed in the summer of (b) Project Monitoring and Support: As a program funder the City supports agencies in the development and delivery of their projects and must also monitor agencies to ensure that funded projects are meeting their stated objectives and are providing the services for which the City has contracted. Staff measure the effectiveness of projects by examining the outcomes of individual projects and considering these outcomes within a set of performance measures.

4 4 Projects funded through the CT-HIF are monitored and supported in a number of different ways. When agencies apply for new funding or for a renewal of their existing funding, they are required to complete a funding application that requests the goals and objectives of the project, a complete management plan that includes a projected budget for the project, staffing and supervision plans, and a detailed workplan for the project. In addition, agencies are required to submit detailed information about the agency as a whole including the organizational structure, current audited financial statements, and information on governance including dates of annual general meetings, and lists of boards of directors and agency staff. This package of information assists staff in assessing how successful a project has been in providing services to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and also allows staff to assess the financial health and organizational stability of community organizations. Agencies are required to sign a funding contract in the form of a Letter of Agreement. The Letter of Agreement outlines the terms and conditions of City grants as well as the details of the agency s project including the amount of funding being made available, the services that will be provided for this funding, reporting requirements and, beginning in 2001, expected project outcomes. Once the Letter of Agreement is signed funding can be issued. Staff work in partnership with agencies to ensure that projects are running smoothly. Staff visit agencies on an annual or semiannual basis depending on the size and nature of the project but may also make additional visits throughout the year as required. With new projects/agencies or agencies experiencing problems this can sometimes involve up to monthly visits as well as regular contact by telephone. This level of support and monitoring continues until the project is operating effectively. Staff are also available to any clients, staff or members of the public who may have concerns about the operation of a project or an agency. All agencies that receive funding from the CT-HIF provide the City with an Interim Project Report at the halfway point of the project year. The report includes detailed information on the operation of the project including financial and statistical information. Agencies also provide demographic information, case studies, and describe key issues or gaps in service delivery. After reviewing this report City staff make a site visit to the agency to meet with project and agency staff to discuss the details of the report and to determine how the project is progressing. At year-end, projects are also required to submit final reports that include final financial and statistical information. This monitoring is intended to ensure the effective use of project funds and to ensure that project goals and objectives are being met. Agencies that have not fully met contract expectations may not be recommended for continued funding or may have conditions placed on future grants. In cases where there are serious difficulties, an Operational Review of the project and/or the agency can be conducted. An Operational Review is a more detailed examination of an agency s performance to ensure that appropriate financial, administrative and operational practices are in place.

5 5 (c) Performance Management System for Homeless Programs and Services: As reported previously, the Shelter, Housing and Support Division has been working on an enhanced performance management system for homeless programs and services. This will be piloted for programs funded through the Community Initiatives section of Shelter, Housing and Support. The enhanced performance management system builds upon the data collection techniques currently used across the various homeless program and service funding areas (Homeless Initiatives Fund, Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative, Community Partners Program, Supports to Daily Living, Redirection of Emergency Hostel Funding and Off the Street, Into Shelter). The initial goal is to enhance data collection and data reporting activities at the community-based agency level, thereby providing the City with more consistent, reliable and valid data on homeless programs and services. This data will be used to: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) demonstrate results in homeless programs and services at the City-wide and communitybased agency level, thereby increasing accountability to people who use the services, the public and governments; monitor trends, needs and capacity within the program and service sector, which will allow the City to improve the cost-effectiveness of funding, service and policy responses, as well as better co-ordinate funding and services; report to other levels of government as per criteria of the funding; and supply organizations with a tool to track their own progress in delivering services and to be better equipped to articulate the results and impact of their program(s) or service(s). Consultations began with community-based organizations in December 2001 regarding the larger framework for the performance management system, as well as data collection and data reporting. New data collection techniques will be piloted and monitored during the first quarter of Further refinements will be made to the data collection exercise throughout the year. All the projects funded through the Homeless Initiatives Fund, including the ones recommended for renewal in this report, will be subject to the new data collection process for the enhanced performance management system. (2) Funding Period Adjustments: The CT-HIF was created through merging of three different funds; the former City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund, the former Metro Toronto Homeless Support Services Fund and the Provincial Homeless Initiatives Fund. Each of these programs operated on different funding cycles that began at different times of the year. Additionally, during the first year and a half that it was available, the Province increased the funding to the Provincial Homeless Initiatives Fund twice. The Province did not tie these increases to existing funding cycles and expected that new projects would be selected and funded as money was transferred to the City. As a result of the above the projects funded through the CT-HIF have differing start dates throughout the year.

6 6 In order to simplify administrative, financial, monitoring and evaluation procedures all projects are being adjusted so that they have the same funding cycle. Therefore, in 2001, adjustments are being made so that all projects operate on an October 1-September 31 program year. This date was chosen as it coincides with quarterly reporting requirements and approximately two-thirds of projects have contract dates that start between September and December. As these adjustments are made, some project contracts will be lengthened and some will be shortened. This will be a one-time occurrence and all projects will then be on a 12-month contract cycle beginning in October of Contract adjustment periods are shown for each project on the agency summary sheets that are attached as Appendix B. It is projected that adjustments to the funding periods will cause one time under-spending in the Provincial portion of the CT-HIF funding in Staff will meet with the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) to ensure that this under-spending will not impact on future years service contracts with the Ministry. (3) Provincial Human Resources Pressure Funding: MCSS has provided a small amount of additional funding to allow agencies to address funding pressures related to human resource issues. This 1.8 percent funding increase will be allocated in 2001 to projects that are funded through the Provincial portion of the CT-HIF. The information on HR pressure funding is contained, where applicable, in the Project Comments section of the agency summary sheets that are attached as Appendix B. This HR pressure funding will now be part of the base funding provided to the City by MCSS. It is not known whether further funding will be made available in upcoming service contracts. (4) The Toronto Homeless Community Economic Development Program: The Report of the Mayor s Homelessness Action Task Force recognized the importance of alternative approaches to job creation through the support of Community Economic Development (CED) projects. CED refers to initiatives by community-based groups to create employment focused activities for low-income and marginalized people such as self-employment initiatives and small businesses. The Task Force recommended that the City invest in CED over three years as a strategy to alleviate homelessness. At its December 1999 meeting, Council approved that the City enter into a partnership with the United Way of Greater Toronto, Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), and the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) for the purposes of delivering the Toronto Homeless Community Economic Development Program. The United Way of Greater Toronto was chosen as the program administrator on behalf of HRDC, MCSS and the City. The Toronto Homeless Community Economic Development Program is a unique collaboration between three levels of government (federal, provincial, and municipal) and non-government funders (the United Way of Greater Toronto).

7 7 The goal of this program is to fund CED projects where non-profit organizations, working with homeless people or those at-risk-of-homelessness, develop employment focused initiatives such as small businesses or self-employment initiatives. The program also provides business advisory support, such as marketing and business planning, to funded projects. This helps groups improve their capacity to implement these projects. An independent evaluator has been hired to develop a learning and evaluation strategy that will help the funders and project groups measure the effectiveness of the program in meeting its goals. By joining with the United Way of Greater Toronto, Human Resources Development Canada, and the Ministry of Community and Social Services in the Toronto Homeless CED Program, the City s contribution of $250, will lever an additional $850, in funding for a total of $1.1 million in funding for projects in each of 2000, 2001 and This is the third and final year of a three-year program. To date, eleven projects working with homeless youth, consumer survivors, new Canadians and other groups have been funded across the City. Projects include an audio/video production training program for homeless and at-risk youth, a woodworking and renovation business for homeless men and women, a shipping, freight forwarding business for immigrant women and a film industry support project for homeless people. The CED program includes funding for participant expenses, business and development support, and an independent learning and evaluation strategy. Evaluators, hired by the program, have been working closely with each project to develop a learning framework, project objectives and goals, a monitoring system, and procedures for developing program recommendations. Staff from the United Way of Greater Toronto monitor the progress of each project on behalf of the funders. In addition, the evaluators submit a quarterly report on program activities, which is reviewed by all the funders. City staff participate in regular program meetings as well as making site visits to funded projects. The City s contribution for the third and final year of the program will provide ongoing project funding to the eleven projects now operating. A report summarizing the achievements of the Toronto Homeless CED program and the advantages of such collaboration between the three levels of government and the United Way will be submitted to Committee in the summer of Conclusions: The CT-HIF now funds over 90 different community agencies that are working to help homeless people. Final reports submitted by agencies funded through the CT-HIF show that the program is very effective in helping people move from the streets to shelter, from shelters to housing or to prevent homelessness among those most vulnerable. Staff have been closely monitoring the work of these projects in relation to the City s objectives of creating long-term solutions to homelessness. The majority of projects funded through the CT-HIF are working with very vulnerable people. Although the work is complex and very labour intensive, the projects are effective in helping those people who have difficulty in accessing shelters, finding affordable housing or keeping their housing and avoiding homelessness.

8 8 In order to ensure that City resources are used in the most effective manner as possible, staff are engaged in ongoing activities including collaborating with other levels of government, the United Way and charitable foundations to avoid duplication of funding, engaging in a service planning process and developing appropriate evaluation systems to ensure funded projects are effective. This ongoing work will result in more effective use of the resources available to develop solutions to homelessness. Contact: Phil Brown General Manager, Shelter Housing and Support Tel: /Fax: pbrown1@city.toronto.on.ca List of Attachments: Appendix A Summary of Funding Recommendations Second Phase Appendix B Agency Summary Sheets Appendix A City of Toronto Homeless Initiatives Fund (CT-HIF) Summary of 2001 Funding Recommendations Second Phase Organization 2000 HIF # HIF # HIF #2 Recommendations Adjusted to Allocated Request 12-Month Sept 30/ Agincourt Community Services Association $80,000 $188,214 $101,440 $76,080 2 Albion Neighbourhood Services $130,000 $130,000 $132,340 $82,288 3 All Saints' Church-Community Centre $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $25,450 4 Anishnawbe Health Toronto $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $38,175 5 Canadian Red Cross Society, Toronto Region $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $21,208 6 Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation $100,000 $100,000 $101,800 $76,350 7 Christie-Ossington Neighbourhood Centre $41,490 $41,490 $42,237 $31,678 8 COSTI IIAS Immigrant Services $130,000 $156,542 $152,340 $76,170 9 Dixon Hall $100,000 $100,000 $101,800 $76, East York/East Toronto Family Resources $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $21, Ernestine's Women's Shelter $3,000 $3,000 $3,054 $3, Evangel Hall $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $29, Eva's Initiatives $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $38, Fife House $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $29, Flemingdon Neighbourhood Services $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $29, Fred Victor Centre $50,000 $61,242 $50,900 $29, Hispanic Community Centre for the City of York $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $38, Massey Centre for Women $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $33,933

9 9 Organization 2001 HIF # HIF # HIF #2 Recommendations Adjusted to Allocated Request 12-Month Sept 30/ Midaynta Association of Somali Service Agencies $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $33, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $16, Oolagen $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $29, Open Door Centre & Rooms Registry Inc. $37,500 $47,000 $38,175 $28, Progress Place $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $25, Romero House $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $33, Scarborough Housing Help Centre $100,000 $100,000 $101,800 $50, Syme-Woolner Neighbourhood & Family Centre $75,500 $75,500 $76,859 $38, Warden Woods Community Centre $65,592 $65,592 $66,773 $27, West Hill Community Services $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $16, West Toronto Community Legal Services $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $25, Wigwamen $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $33, WoodGreen Community Centre $150,000 $150,000 $152,700 $93, Yonge Street Mission $50,000 $50,000 $50,900 $21, York Community Services $46,676 $46,676 $47,516 $23,758 TOTALS $2,059,758 $2,215,256 $2,136,834 $1,257, United Way of Greater Toronto $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 (A copy of the Appendix B (Agency Summary Sheets) referred to in the foregoing report was forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda of the for its meeting on January 16 and 23, 2002, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk, City Hall.)