Provincial Homelessness Initiatives Fund

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (November 2, 1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services:

Purpose:

To provide the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee with information on the Provincial Homelessness Initiatives Fund and the proposed process for disbursing the City of Toronto portion of this fund.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There is no financial impact on the City. The Provincial Homelessness Initiatives Fund will be funded 100 percent at the Provincial level.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be authorized to allocate the City of Toronto's portion of the Provincial Homelessness Initiatives Fund to projects to be identified through targeted proposal calls using the processes described in this report;

(2)the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services report back to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee on a quarterly basis, beginning in January of 1999, describing projects underway and funds allocated to date; and

(3)the appropriate City officials be authorized to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Council Reference/Background/History:

A report is before the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee on November 5, 1998, describing the findings of the Provincial Task Force on Homelessness.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Background:

On October 8, 1998, the Provincial Task Force on Homelessness released their report. A report is before the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee which outlines the findings of that report and provides the City of Toronto response to that report. Following the release of the report, the Province made an announcement regarding the Provincial Homelessness Initiatives Fund which will be made available to support new, innovative approaches to addressing homelessness.

Funds Available:

The total fund for Ontario is $4 million, of which $1.02 million has been allocated to the City of Toronto. The Province has indicated that the first year's allocation will be available within the Municipality's current fiscal year, with an ongoing annual allocation to follow. Funds for the first year are available immediately and a status report on the actual and projected use of the funds is required by June 30, 1999. It is expected that projects will be well underway by this time.

This fund will be 100 percent subsidized by the Province, with no cost-sharing required from municipalities. There will be no net cost for the City of Toronto.

Provincial Guidelines:

The Province has provided some direction regarding the priorities and approaches to be used for the Homelessness Initiatives Fund. They have directed that funds must be used for new, innovative programs which will achieve one or more of the following "outcomes":

-getting homeless people off the street;

-getting homeless people out of hostels and into housing; and

-preventing people from losing housing.

The Province is providing municipalities with the authority to determine the use of the funds within their community and clearly state their expectation that municipalities will consult with local service partners to set priorities for the allocation of funds. Municipalities will be expected, at year end, to report on the use of funds and results of programs which were put in place. A copy of the Agreement to Terms and Conditions from the Ministry of Community and Social Services is attached.

City of Toronto Process:

The Province's desired outcomes, as noted above, are supported by the City of Toronto. There are many programs already in place which focus on the three respective "outcome" areas, however, there are significant gaps in service due to the increased number of people in danger of losing their housing and the increased levels of homelessness. In addition, there has been only limited funding for such responses available to the former municipalities of Scarborough, North York, York, East York and Etobicoke. The funding being made available by the Province will allow the City and its community partners to develop new and innovative responses to homelessness in all parts of the City of Toronto.

Through ongoing consultations with community groups, staff have already identified a number of priorities within each of the three "outcome" areas identified by the Province where funding is needed. These project proposals address gaps in services, create efficiencies, divert people from the shelter system or assist shelter users in finding more permanent accommodation, and link homeless people to longer term solutions. In addition, it is anticipated that employment opportunities for people who have experienced homelessness could be provided in many of the proposed projects. Examples of these projects are as follows:

(1)Getting homeless people off the street:

- expanded street outreach, support, and linkage to community services in all parts of the City;

- an innovative self-help initiative to train youth to assist in the design, and construction of housing at 11 Ordnance Street;

-a community development project for homeless Aboriginal people that develops self-help and support to access and maintain shelter;

-assistance in accessing shelter and supports to refugee claimants who are not eligible for Federally-sponsored settlement services; and

-street help line service outreach project .

(2)Getting homeless people out of hostels and into housing:

-hostel diversion projects to assist families in stabilizing their housing;

-outreach and support to young mothers with children in the shelter system or in precarious housing ;

-next stage housing for chronically homeless women in the shelter system;

-an SRO pilot project; and

-a revolving loan fund to assist landlords add units or preserve housing stock in licensed rooming houses.

(3)Preventing people from losing housing:

-enhancement of the rent bank model (a pilot project is currently being operated for women with children);

-"housing help" projects across the City that prevent eviction by assisting vulnerable people maintain their housing through crisis intervention, conflict resolution, trusteeship services, emergency cleaning etc.;

-rooming house monitoring projects; and

-community economic development projects for homeless people in the former municipalities.

Staff will set in place a consultation process with community partners that will solicit input on additional services gaps and overall priorities. The Alternative Housing and Services Committee has an annual process for identifying service gaps, prioritizing needs and proposing appropriate strategies. The Committee will be discussing these issues and making recommendations on November 4, 1998. The recommendations will be forwarded to the next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Homeless and Socially Isolated People for comment and further community input.

Once service priorities have been identified and articulated, staff will use a targeted Request for Proposals process to select agencies to work on projects. The Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services will approve all projects and allocation amounts.

Conclusions:

The new Provincial Homelessness Initiatives Fund will provide the City of Toronto and its community partners with the opportunity to implement further innovative responses to homelessness at no net cost to the City. Staff of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department will set in place a process to identify service priorities and to select projects to be funded. All projects selected and allocation amounts will require the authorization of the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services. Quarterly reports will be provided to the Committee regarding fund expenditures and projects.

Contact Name:

Joanne Campbell

General Manager, Shelter, Housing and Support Division

Tel: 392-7885

(A copy of the Agreement referred to in the foregoing report was forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee for its meeting on November5, 1998, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)