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CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
November 30, 2004 | |
Author: |
Carol Ann Young | |
Phone No.: |
604-871-6042 | |
RTS No.: |
4647 | |
CC File No.: |
2005 | |
Meeting Date: |
December 14, 2004 |
TO: |
Vancouver City Council |
FROM: |
Director of Social Planning |
SUBJECT: |
2004 Capital Grant - Aboriginal Mother Centre Society |
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council approve a Capital Grant of $50,000 for the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society (AMCS), on the condition that remaining funds to complete the project have been secured and receipt of necessary development and building permits is fulfilled. Sources of funding 2004 Capital Budgets.
B. THAT Council approve reallocation of 2000 Capital Grant of $20,000, previously approved for the Indian Homemakers Association, to the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society (AMCS), on the condition that remaining funds to complete the project have been secured and receipt of necessary development and building permits is fulfilled.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A and B.
COUNCIL POLICY
The 2003-2005 Capital Plan included a provision of $2,250,000 for City Social Services and Cultural Facilities, of which $500,000 is for Capital Grants program for Social and Cultural projects in facilities not owned by the City.
Approval of grants requires eight affirmative votes.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to seek Council approval of a 2004 Capital Grant of $50,000 to the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society, and the reallocation of a $20,000 Capital Grant originally approved for the Indian Homemakers Association, with the condition that other funding sources are secured, prior to release of the Capital Grants. These grants are to assist in the finishing of a licensed childcare and child minding facility within the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society at 2019 Dundas Street.
BACKGROUND
In 2000, Council approved a Capital Grant, with conditions, for $20,000 to the Indian Homemakers Association. These conditions were: i) confirmation of receipt of funds necessary to complete the project; ii) confirmation of a signed lease and final design and budget to the satisfaction of the Director of Community Services. Funds were to assist in the development of a childcare program within the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society. In June, 2004, Council approved that the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society be requested to resubmit an application for a Capital Grant by September 30, 2004, which provides sufficient information, to the satisfaction of the Director of Social Planning, to enable a fair and complete assessment of their proposal.
The Aboriginal Mother Centre Society (AMCS) was initially proposed by the Indian Homemakers Association and incorporated as a non-profit society in 2002. It is a model that has proven to be effective with high-risk mothers in a number of centres throughout the world. It is a meeting place for women and children during the time women are at home with their children, training, looking for or creating paid work. It is an empowerment approach and may include activities that help lower the expenses of families (such as second-hand shops, hair cutting, etc.), crisis counselling, parenting skills, job training and creation, and child care. The population primarily served is young mothers with children from birth to six years.
Funding for the AMCS is through Aboriginal homelessness initiative, BC Government, with an estimated $1.6million over the next two years. The AMCS has faced a number of challenges in getting its programs operational, given both the timing and conditions of various grant requirements for both Capital and operations.
The City was initially approached by the Indian Homemakers Association in 2000 for a $20,000 Capital Grant to assist in capital renovation of a licensed childcare space, which would support mothers coming to the centre in both their parenting and job search efforts. Council approved this grant with conditions. In the meantime, the AMCS was incorporated as a non-profit society, a lease was signed and a new governing body was established. At that time, AMCS approached the City to reallocate the $20,000 Capital Grant to the new society, with approval from the Indian Homemakers Association.
AMCS was advised that grants were not transferable; however, funds had been held from the 2000 Capital Budget and could be reallocated, with Council approval, if and when conditions had been met. The two conditions included confirmation of receipt of funds necessary to complete the project, and confirmation of a signed lease and final design and budget to the satisfaction of the Director of Community Services.
AMCS completed a 2004 Capital Grant application and, at that time, staff recommended to Council that the application be resubmitted, as there was insufficient information to assess the application. Additional information was provided. Facilities staff have reviewed the proposal and indicated that the cost estimates are reasonable.
The challenge for AMCS is that the childcare component is part of a larger renovation of the entire facility, totalling $447,799. To date, the project has received $220,000 from Luma Housing, leaving an estimated $227,799 for completion of the childcare centre, including a shared community kitchen. AMCS and Social Planning staff have met on a few occasions to determine what childcare program would best suit the needs of this community and a preliminary design for a licensed program for 25 children, ages 3 to 5, has been completed. Permits were obtained for renovations, excluding the childcare centre, as further work was required for the childcare development permit and because additional funding for the childcare renovation had not been secured.
DISCUSSION
It has been challenging for the project to raise the additional funding to complete the childcare centre, as most funders require, as a condition of granting, that other funds be in place. AMCS has spoken with the Provincial Government and the Vancouver Foundation and feels that it will be in a better position to leverage other funding, once the City approves its Capital contribution.
Childcare services that are culturally appropriate for aboriginal children are limited in the city. At this point, there is only one other licensed 3 to 5 year old full time childcare programs, operated by the Aboriginal Friendship Centre. Aboriginal Headstart provides preschool hours of care for young children in two Vancouver locations. Licensed childcare and child minding at the centre would help build the foundation supports for many women to use other services provided within the AMCS and to the community.
AMCS has met the conditions of providing a signed lease, 2003 audited statements, cost breakdowns for the project with reasonable cost estimates and proof of funding from Luma Native Housing Society in the amount of $220,000. Staff recommend that the original $20,000 for Indian Homemakers Association in 2000 be approved for the AMCS and the $50,000 requested in 2004 by the AMCS be approved, on the conditions that the project can demonstrate approval of the remaining funds and receipt of necessary development and building permits.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The total grant is $70,000, with funding provided from existing capital budgets. Project renovations cost is $227,800, of which the Aboriginal Mother Centre hopes to secure a significant portion from the Provincial Government. The $70,000 from the City is intended to help leverage Provincial and other Foundation funding.
CONCLUSION
Social Planning recommends Council approval of two Capital Grants to Aboriginal Mother Centre Society for $50,000 and $20,000 (originally approved for the Indian Homemakers Association for the purposes of renovating space for licensed childcare, on the conditions that remaining funds to complete the project have been secured and receipt of necessary development and building permits. Funding includes $20,000 from the 2000 Capital Grants budget (previously approved to the Indian Homemakers Association) and $50,000 from the 2004 Capital Grants budget.
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