CITY OF VANCOUVER

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

 

Date:

November 2, 2004

 

Author:

Rick Gates

 

Phone No.:

871-6036

 

RTS No.:

4648

 

CC File No.:

2005

 

Meeting Date:

November 30, 2004

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Director of Social Planning

SUBJECT:

Capital Grant for Kiwassa Neighbourhood House - Final Phase Expansion

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services recommends approval of the foregoing.

COUNCIL POLICY

Approval of a grant requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to recommend approval of a capital grant for an expansion to Kiwassa Neighbourhood House that will be the completion of the facility that was planned and built in phases, starting more than ten years ago.

BACKGROUND

Kiwassa Neighbourhood House (KNH) is a City-owned, multi-purpose social service facility located at 2425 Oxford Street. It was built in 1991-92 as part of a joint social housing/ Neighbourhood House project on land purchased by the City for this purpose. The facility contains a licensed group childcare centre, a "family place", a seniors' centre, office space, a community kitchen, and a number of meeting and activity spaces of various sizes.

The original plan was for a 15,000 sq. ft. facility, but there was only sufficient funding at the time to build 11,000 sq, ft. However, KNH was designed in such a manner as to facilitate the addition of space at some future date, with minimal changes required to the existing building. The City contributed $367,000 to this phase of the project, with $575,000 coming from the Province, and $948,000 being raised by Kiwassa.

Then, in 1995, in the face of continuing pressures from the community for more programs, which required more space, sufficient funding was secured to enable the construction of an additional 2,400 sq.ft. This resulted in a total floor area that was still less than originally planned, but again, it was all that could be afforded at the time. The City contributed $155,000 to this expansion, while Kiwassa was able to secure an additional $310,000.

DISCUSSION

Since the new KNH facility was completed, there has been a substantial increase in the services and programs provided. The total operating budget grew from approximately $700,000 in 1990 to just under $2 million in 1994, when the first addition was being planned. It now stands at $3.6 million. The City has provided a Community Services Grant each year towards the operating budget - in 2004 this totalled $72,500.

KNH has basically been operating at capacity since 2000 and the demands for additional space have continued unabated. When they received funding for a community employment resource centre several years ago, they had to locate it in leased space, away from the House. New daytime programming has had to be curtailed. KNH has agreed to the placement of two MCFD Family Program staff in the facility, even though there is insufficient suitable space for them and their programs. They have begun discussions with an Aboriginal agency to provide full-time neighbourhood youth programming, but may have to abandon these plans if appropriate space cannot be provided.

COSTS and FUNDING

With the development last year of a new Gaming capital grant program, KNH is now in a position to move forward on the final addition to the facility. With this addition, the facility will be built out to the total floor space originally planned for in 1990, which is the maximum for this use permitted by the zoning on the site.

The estimated cost of proposed 1,200 sq. ft. addition is $380,000, broken down as follows:

KNH is in the process of applying for a Gaming capital grant, but have been advised that they are unlikely to receive it without prior commitments from the other funders. The Vancouver Foundation has indicated that a $50,000 grant is likely to be approved, and Kiwassa can contribute $15,000 to the project from its own reserves. That leaves a balance of $215,000 for the project to be fully funded.

The 2003-2005 Capital Plan included an allocation of $4,050,000 for City-owned social and cultural facilities. The 2004 Capital Budget allocated $200,000 from the Capital Plan for the KNH project. At the time of the approval of the Capital Budget, the total project cost was estimated at $350,000. As with all capital projects recently, the costs for this one have increased (by $30,000) in the past year. KNH can provide for half the cost increase from their own reserves, but have asked the City to contribute to the other half.

The 2003 Capital Budget also included an allocation of $200,000 for Capital Grants. However, grants totalling only $37,300 were approved, leaving a balance of $162,700. We are proposing that $15,000 be transferred from the Capital Grants account for the KNH project, bringing the City's total contribution to $215,000.

As the funding from Gaming and the Vancouver Foundation has not yet been confirmed, staff are recommending that the City grant be contingent on all funding from other sources being secured. Approval of the City funding at this time will help ensure that the other funding is also approved. The project will be tendered in accordance with the City's standard practice for such projects.

CONCLUSION

Even though the first phase of the new Kiwassa Neighbourhood House facility was completed more than ten years ago, it was known at that time that additional space would be required to meet the changing and growing needs of the neighbourhood. A 2,400 sq. ft. addition in 1995 certainly helped the situation for a while, but the demands for more program space are once again growing.

The design of the building and the current zoning regulations restrict any further addition to approximately 1,200 sq.ft. With funding assistance from the City and other funders, KNH will finally be able to complete the facility that was envisioned more than a decade ago.

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