The Regional Municipality of Halton. Chair and Members of the Health and Social Services Committee

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1 The Regional Municipality of Halton Report To: From: Chair and Members of the Health and Social Services Committee Sheldon Wolfson, Commissioner, Social and Community Services Date: March 24, 2015 Report No. - Re: SS Funding Recommendations from G Request for Grant Applications for Housing First Intensive Case Management Services and Homelessness Prevention and Intervention Program". RECOMMENDATION 1. THAT Council approve the funding recommendations in Report No. SS Re: Funding Recommendations from G Request for Grant Applications for Housing First Intensive Case Management Services and Homelessness Prevention and Intervention Program". 2. THAT the Commissioner of Social and Community Services be authorized to execute funding agreements and ancillary documents with the agencies approved for funding through SS for the period of April 1, 2015 March 31, 2019, in a form satisfactory to the Director of Legal Services. 3. THAT the Commissioner of Social and Community Services be authorized to reallocate funding from one project to another within the approved funding envelope, if necessary, due to unforeseen circumstances, to enable projects to continue during the funding period, as per Report No. SS REPORT Executive Summary In 2013, the federal government announced a five year extension to the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS). After a one year extension, four years of funding ( ) were made available through Grant Application G For April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, $734,647 funding is available, of which $334,647 is federal and $400,000 is regional contributions. 1

2 A Community Advisory Board (CAB) with broad community representation was established to evaluate proposals and provide strategic advice to the Region on HPS funding decisions. 16 responses to the Grant Application were received. Based on the CAB s review, 10 projects are being recommended for funding with 8 community agencies. Background On October 13, 2013 the federal government announced a five year extension to the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) effective April 1, 2014 to March 31, The HPS extension specifically requires that 40 per cent of allocated federal funding be used for Housing First related activities in Halton Region starting on or before April 1, As outlined in Report No. SS Re: Allocation of the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) and Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) Funding, a one year extension was provided to agencies supported through the former HPS while a made-in-halton Housing First approach was developed. In 2014 Council approved Report No. SS Re: Approval of Community Plan and Grant Application Process for Homelessness Partnering Strategy and Regional Funds which permitted a grant application process to commence for the purpose of allocating funding for homelessness prevention and Housing First initiatives. Halton Region s Housing First program addresses the chronic and episodic homeless population in Halton. Chronic or episodic homelessness is defined as at least 6 consecutive months or 3 separate episodes of homelessness in a 12 month period. Therefore, Halton Region s Housing First program is geared towards assisting those individuals and families that are homeless for a significant portion of a calendar year and that are the most frequent users of Halton Region s emergency shelter programming. Halton individuals and families eligible for the Housing First program must meet the Housing First criteria of chronic or episodic homelessness. They will be supported by an agency to find affordable housing and be provided ongoing rental assistance through the Halton Rental Assistance Program (HRAP). These individuals and families will then be provided intensive case management and wrap-around supports in their rental units to ensure they remain housed. This initiative will also help to house clients from the Halton Access to Community Housing (HATCH) waitlist. The funding available for allocation is comprised of federal HPS funding of $1,338,588 and Regional funding of $1,600,000 for a total of $2,938,588 over four years beginning April 1, 2015 and ending March 31,

3 Grant Application Evaluation The request for proposal (G ) closed on January 22, Sixteen applications were received for 4 year funding (April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2019) totalling $9,521,808. As outlined in Report No. SS-18-14, the CAB is responsible for participating in the evaluation of responses to the grant application. Accordingly, the CAB evaluated the 16 grant applications received and provided advice to Halton Region for funding consideration. Regional staff supports the recommendations of the CAB. The CAB s structure represents the community and has a mix of community stakeholders that interface with Halton Region s homeless population. All funding proposals must be approved by Regional Council and come as recommendations from the CAB as set out by the federal guidelines. Recommended Funding Allocations The following table highlights community agencies recommended for funding by the CAB under grant application G Proposed projects and recommended funding allocations are also provided. A more detailed summary of the recommended funding allocations can be found as Attachment #1 to Report No. SS Community Agency Proposed Project Federal Regional Total Recommended Annual Funding Allocation Halton Children s Aid Society Bridge House Transitional Housing $8,355 $16,645 $25,000 Halton Children s Aid Society Bridging the Gap Youth Outreach $76,868 $153,132 $230,000 Halton Multicultural Council Transitional Housing for Newcomers $26,737 $53,263 $80,000 Hamilton Housing Help Halton Housing Help Centre $23,395 $46,605 $70,000 Home Suite Hope ReStart Halton Transitional Housing $13,398 $26,690 $40,088 Links2Care Transitional Housing in Halton Hills $21,957 $43,743 $65,700 Salvation Army Halton Step-Up Housing Program $21,723 $43,277 $65,000 Shifra Homes Inc. Transitional maternity residence $8,355 $16,645 $25,000 3

4 Wesley Urban Ministries and Hamilton Housing Help Centre (Partnership) Total Housing First intensive case management $133,859 - $133,859 $334,647 $400,000 $734,647 Discussion Regional staff are confident that the 10 recommended projects will continue to meet the needs of vulnerable populations in Halton Region. In total, these project recommendations will assist 20 homeless individuals/families and provide 40 transitional housing opportunities. Six other applications for funding consideration were also submitted by Summit Housing and Outreach Programs, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Milton Transitional Housing, Catholic Family Services of Hamilton and Hope Place Centres. Based on the CAB s review, these proposals are not being recommended for funding. While unsuccessful for funding under the HPS extension Summit Housing and Outreach Programs as well as Milton Transitional Housing are currently in receipt of funding under other Regional housing initiatives. The CMHA currently operates the Safeplace program at the Salvation Army Lighthouse emergency shelter funded by Halton Region. FINANCIAL/PROGRAM IMPLICATIONS There is a total of $2,938,588 available in Regional and Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2019 ($1,338,588 in HPS and $1,600,000 in Regional funding). Based on the CAB s review and project evaluation, Regional staff is recommending funding for 10 projects from April 1, 2015 to March 31, This will fully commit available multi-year funding. During the next four year period, unforeseen circumstances could arise which may result in the total allocation not being fully utilized or alternatively a need for additional funding for a project. Staff are recommending that the Commissioner of Social and Community Services be authorized to approve the reallocation of approved funds within the same funding year if such circumstances arise to meet project needs, while not exceeding the approved annual funding of $734,647. 4

5 Up to 20 homeless individuals/families will be provided Housing First assistance under the Housing First stream of the HPS. While funding for support services will be sourced from federal HPS program funding, ongoing rent supplement assistance will be provided through Halton Region s Halton Rental Assistance Program (HRAP). HRAP funding was included in the 2015 Halton Region Budget and Business Plan. Respectfully submitted, Janice Sheehy Director, Employment, Housing and Social Services Sheldon Wolfson Commissioner, Social and Community Services Approved by Jane MacCaskill Chief Administrative Officer If you have any questions on the content of this report, please contact: Janice Sheehy Tel. # 2730 Andrew Balahura Tel. # 4445 Daryl Kaytor Tel. # 4432 Attachments: Summary of Proposed Projects for Funding Under G