MMAH SSRF Additional Funding - January 8, 2020

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing
Housing Programs Branch
777 Bay Street, 14th Floor
Toronto ON M5G 2E5
Housing.Progam.mah@ontario.ca

January 8, 2021

Fern Dominelli
Chief Administrative Officer, Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB
210 Mead Boulevard
Espanola ON P5E 1R9

Dear Fern Dominelli:

I am pleased to be writing to you today with details regarding new provincial funding to support your efforts to improve the lives of Ontarians living with mental health and addictions issues.

As you know, protecting the health and well-being of all Ontarians continues to be the government’s number one priority. That is why the ministry has announced several investments in the housing and homelessness sectors since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak – including the province’s $510 million Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF) and more recently, the targeted $10 million investment to support vulnerable residents living with mental health and addictions issues.

Building off these investments, the province has allocated an additional one-time mental health and addictions investment to select Indigenous Program Administrators and Service Managers. This funding will help address the need for mental health and addictions services by people experiencing or at risk of homelessness during COVID-19, many of whom have been living with a pre-existing mental illness. This funding is part of the $147 million in new provincial funding that was announced on December 17, 2020, to expand access to the provincial mental health and addictions system.

We know that our Indigenous and municipal partners have been developing creative solutions to addressing housing and homelessness needs – including mental health and addictions needs – during the COVID-19 outbreak and we are pleased to be able to support these vital efforts in your district. Under this investment, we are pleased to confirm that we have approved an additional $280,000 in funding for Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB for 2020-21 the eligible expenses listed below.

The ministry is proud to support this initiative and will continue to assist our partners with developing and implementing creative solutions to addressing housing and homelessness challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak.
 

Program Details – Additional Mental Health and Addictions Funding

To expediate this funding and to help ensure your initiative is delivered as quickly as possible, this additional funding will flow under the province’s Social Services Relief Fund Phase 2 Program Guidelines. These Program Guidelines are hereby amended by adding to them the terms set out in Supplement A to this letter. If any of the provisions in Supplement A conflict with or are inconsistent with the Program Guidelines, the provisions of Supplement A shall prevail.

The above 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.

To receive this funding, you are required to sign this letter confirming your agreement to the terms and conditions of the funding and return to the Ministry. You may submit your signed confirmation via e-mail to Housing.Program.mah@ontario.ca.

You are also required to complete and submit the enclosed simplified Investment Plan, outlining the proposed uses of funding by spending category in your service area. 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 this funding, please ensure the Ministry receives your sign-back letter and Investment Plan as soon as possible.

Upon receipt of your sign-back letter and Investment Plan, the Ministry will proceed to process your operating and/or administration fee payment (if applicable). Payments for capital projects will be made upon your submission and Ministry acceptance of Project Information Forms and the required security documentation through the Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) system.

As noted above, your allocation under this mental health and addictions investment may be used for the following eligible expenses related to the initiative:

  • The hiring of approximately four (4) staff people to support individuals in the transitional housing.

Up to three per cent of the allocation awarded through this investment may be used towards administration costs.

Please note that this funding is only being provided for the 2020-21 fiscal year and you will be responsible for any program expenses not covered by the funding.

As always, I would like to thank you again for all your work during these challenging times. We sincerely appreciate your efforts to assist our most vulnerable residents and I look forward to continuing our work together as we serve the people of Ontario.

Yours truly,

Jim Adams
Director, Housing Programs Branch

 

The undersigned agrees to the terms of the above letter and to comply with the Social Services Relief Fund Phase 2 Program Guidelines, as modified by Supplement “A”.

Service Manager:
Name:

Signature:
Title:

Date:

Name:

Signature:
Title:

Date:

I/We have authority to bind the organization.

 

Supplement “A”

Amendment to Addendum B to the Social Services Relief Fund Phase 2

The Social Services Relief Fund (“SSRF”) Phase 2 Guidelines are hereby amended by adding to them the provisions set out below which apply solely with respect to the Mental Health and Addictions funding (“Funding”).

1. Business Case

There is no requirement to complete and submit a Business Case related to the Funding. Rather, a simplified Investment Plan for Funding must be completed and submitted before a payment can be initiated.

2. Administration Fees and Operating Funding Payments

Full payment of administration fees and operating Funding requested through the simplified Investment Plan will be initiated upon receipt and approval of the Investment Plan and receipt of the sign back letter.

3. Reporting

No Interim Report or Q3 Report Back will be required for the Funding.

Reporting on the Funding will be separate from the reporting on base Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative funding and funding provided under the Social Services Relief Fund.
 

Appendix “A” – Simplified Investment Plan