Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Housing Programs Branch
777 Bay Street, 14th Floor
Toronto ON M5G 2E5
Housing.Progam.mah@ontario.ca
January 13, 2021
Les Gamble
Board Chair, Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB
210 Mead Boulevard
Espanola ON P5E 1R9
Dear Les Gamble:
I am writing to provide you with details regarding the $10 million in new provincial funding announced on December 10, 2020, aimed at supporting a range of mental health and addictions-related supports and services across the province.
As you know, protecting the health and well-being of all Ontarians continues to be the government’s number one priority. That is why my ministry has announced several investments since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak under the province’s Social Services Relief Fund. This funding – worth $510 million total – has been effective in supporting Service Managers and Indigenous Program Administrators to respond quickly, adapt services, and address the housing and economic impacts of COVID-19 in their communities.
However, we know that our municipal and Indigenous partners continue to face extraordinary challenges and that additional assistance is needed, particularly to support those living with mental health and/or addictions issues. As a result, Ontario’s Ministry of Health has provided my ministry with $10 million in one-time mental health and addictions funding for 2020-21 to be allocated to select Service Managers and Indigenous Program Administrators under existing program agreements.
From this investment, I am pleased to announce that we have approved $224,947 in funding for the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSSAB for 2020-21.
This flexible funding will help address the pandemic needs of vulnerable people living with mental health and/or addictions issues and may be used for eligible operating activities in your local area. Below are additional details regarding your allocation, including examples of eligible uses of funding.
Similar to the province’s Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF), your allocation under the mental health and/or addictions funding will flow through your Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) agreement. This will help ensure the investment is delivered as quickly as possible and to provide maximum flexibility to address community needs. For this dedicated mental health and/or addictions funding only, the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative Program Guidelines are hereby amended by adding the terms set out in Supplement A to this letter.
This amendment forms part of your Service Manager Service Agreement effective January 1, 2013 with Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario as represented by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (“Service Agreement”) and any breach of any of the terms of the amendment shall constitute an Event of Default under the Service Agreement. All other provisions of the Service Agreement remain in full force and effect.
Please note that this funding is in addition to your base 2020-21 CHPI allocation, which the Ministry previously communicated to you on April 17, 2019, and any funding received under the initial or second phase of the SSRF. There will be no change to the program administration or payment process for payments under CHPI.
To receive this funding, you are required to sign this letter confirming your agreement to the terms and conditions of the funding, complete the attached Investment Plan and return them to the Ministry. You may submit your signed confirmation and completed Investment Plan via e-mail to Housing.Program.mah@ontario.ca.
Given the pressing need to help support vulnerable residents living with mental health and/or addictions issues during the pandemic, all funding must be spent by March 31, 2021. To ensure adequate time to spend your allocation, please ensure my Ministry receives your sign-back letter and completed attached Investment Plan as soon as possible.
Upon receipt of your sign-back letter, the Ministry will proceed to process your payment.
As noted above, your allocation under the mental health and/or addictions funding may be used for the following eligible operating costs to fund a range of mental health and/or addictions-related services and supports, including but not limited to:
Please note that this funding is only being provided for the 2020-21 fiscal year and Service Managers are responsible for any program expenses not covered by the Funding.
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you that the Ministry will implement By-Name Lists across Ontario in 2021 to help connect people experiencing homelessness to housing and supports. Service Managers in many Ontario communities are implementing By-Name Lists to provide real-time data about people experiencing homelessness in their communities. By-Name Lists provide information that can be used to prioritize and connect people to the right housing services and supports in their area, to coordinate access to services and to track local homelessness and changes over time. The Ministry will work collaboratively with stakeholders, experts and Service Managers on the implementation of a By-Name List approach so that future requirements are focused on achieving the best and most cost-effective outcomes.
As always, I would like to thank you for all your work during these challenging times. We sincerely appreciate your efforts to assist our most vulnerable residents during the COVID-19 outbreak and I look forward to continuing our work together as we serve the people of Ontario.
Yours truly,
Steve Clark
Minister
Enclosure
c. Fern Dominelli, Chief Administrative Officer
The Service Manager hereby agrees to the terms of this letter agreement, including the attached Supplement A.
Service Manager:
Name:
Signature:
Title:
Date:
Name:
Signature:
Title:
Date:
I/We have authority to bind the organization.
The CHPI Program Guidelines are modified by adding to them the provisions set out below which apply solely with respect to funding provided under the Mental Health and Addictions Funding (the “Funding”) for the fiscal year 2020-21 notwithstanding that CHPI funding will continue to be governed by the Guidelines without the application of these provisions. The program shall remain in effect until July 31, 2021. Unless incorporated in this amendment, the provisions of the CHPI Program Guidelines shall not apply to the program.
1. Eligible Use of Funding
The Funding may be used to pay for eligible costs as reflected in the letter to which this Supplement A is attached incurred on or after April 1, 2020. Each Service Manager may use up to three (3) per cent of the Funding towards program administration. The budget for the initiative shall allocate the entire amount of Funding provided hereunder to these eligible costs and administration costs.
2. Payments
The full Funding allocation for each Service Manager shall be paid to such Service Manager following receipt by MMAH of (i) the executed sign-back letter to which this Supplement A is attached and (ii) the required completed Investment Plan.
3. Reporting and Performance Indicators
Each Service Manager shall report on each transfer payment recipient’s progress towards meeting this initiative’s objectives and any issues or events that arise that could have an impact on the initiative and/or funds provided, in the form and as requested by the Ministry.
Each Service Manager will be required to report on the following performance indicators for the year-end report:
4. Reallocation
The ministry reserves the right to reallocate Funding at its sole discretion.
5. Reconciliation
Each Service Manager shall require an audited report from each transfer payment recipient on the use of the Funding provided to it indicating whether all of the Funding has been spent on eligible program expenses and whether any of the Funding remains unspent by March 31, 2021. Each Service Manager shall recover any such unspent Funding from the transfer payment recipient. Each Service Manager shall subsequently refund all such monies to the Ministry of Finance which shall be a debt owing to the Crown in right of Ontario.
Please see attached.
