Report To: Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board
From: Donna Stewart, Director of Integrated Social Services
Date: January 28, 2021
Re: Social Services Relief Fund Phase 2 – Issue Report
To provide the Board with an update on the Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF) Phase 2 Business Case that was announced by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on August 12, 2020.
This summer, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced $362 million in new funding under a second phase of the SSRF to help protect vulnerable people from COVID-19, bringing the government’s total SSRF investment to $510 million. This funding has helped Service Managers and Indigenous Program Administrators respond quickly, adapt services, and help address housing and economic impacts from COVID-19 in their communities.
To ensure SSRF Phase 2 funding was targeted to where it was needed most, the Ministry communicated that a portion of the total SSRF Phase 2 funds would be held back to help communities that were disproportionately impacted by the effects of COVID-19 and had the capacity to commit the funding within the program timelines.
SSRF Phase 2 builds on the support being delivered as part of the COVID-19 Action Plan to Protect Vulnerable Ontarians and will help Ontario safely restart its economy and become more resilient to future waves of COVID-19, which are key priorities of the federal funding under the Safe Restart Agreement.
For SSRF Phase 2, all Service Managers were provided with an initial planning allocation and the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board was allocated $897,838. The Social Services Relief Fund Phase 2 – Issue Report indicated that the province held back 30% of the available $212M in SSRF Phase 2 funding which amounts to an additional $62M dollars.
The total cost of the SSRF–Phase 2 Business Case of the VAW Retrofit and new build for the Food Bank/Thrift Store for Manitoulin Family Resources is $1,188,488. Since the DSB did not receive sufficient funding to cover the full project, Manitoulin Family Resources will be responsible to cover the shortfall of $290,650 and/or reduce the scope of work should the province not approve the full amount. In our Business Case for Phase 2 funding, we identified this shortfall.
In the SSRF–Phase 2 Business plan, we were also given the opportunity to ask for additional funding. We indicated that we would also entertain the idea of transitional housing with support services should funding be available. The transitional housing with support services would include Mental Health and Addictions supports as part of our business plan. Operating funding would be required for additional staff to help support the most vulnerable, depending how many transitional housing units would be approved, the approximate operating costs would be $280,000 annually.
On December 15, 2020, the Board chair received a letter from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing advising that the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB was approved additional SSRF hold back funding in the amount of $176,100.
The DSB submitted an investment plan that indicated the intention to use the additional $176,100 to fund part of the $290,650 shortfall for the Manitoulin Family Resources new build which was approved by the Board in the September 2020 Issue Report. This would leave a shortfall of $114,550 for the new build which Manitoulin Family Resources will be responsible to cover and/or reduce the scope of work.
On January 8, 2021, the CAO received a letter from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing advising that our additional funding request of $280,000 for Mental Health Supports in order to hire additional staff to support individuals in the transitional housing. DSB staff need to submit an Investment Plan for this funding and are in the process of determining where the need is in the DSB catchment area.
On January 13, 2021, the Board chair received a letter from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing advising that the province recognizes municipal 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 $10 million in one-time mental health and addictions funding for 2020-21 to be allocated to select Service Managers. The Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB was approved for an additional $224,947 to support those living with mental health and/or addictions issues. DSB staff need to submit an Investment Plan for this funding and are in the process of determining where the need is in the DSB catchment area.
Staff are recommending the Board approve the $176,100 be used to support the shortfall that Manitoulin Family Resources had in the original SSRF Phase 2 Business Case as submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on September 11, 2020.
DSB staff will continue to work closely with Manitoulin Family Resources to ensure that the new build of the food bank/thrift store progress according to schedule.
Staff are also recommending the Board approve the additional funding totaling $280,000 be used to support Mental Health supports for transitional housing in the Manitoulin-Sudbury District per our original SSRF Phase 2 Business Case as submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on September 11, 2020.
Staff are also recommending the Board approve the additional funding totaling $224,947 to support those living with mental health and/or addictions issues. Staff will work with local agencies to ensure that services are available across the entire DSB catchment area.