SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 4
CS&B COMMITTEE AGENDA
APRIL 25, 1996
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: April 9, 1996
TO: Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM: Director of Finance
SUBJECT: 1996 'Other' Grants - AIDS Vancouver
- McLaren Housing Society of B.C.
- B.C. Persons with AIDS Society
CONSIDERATION
A. THAT Council approve a 1996 grant of $85,986 to AIDS Vancouver;
source of funds to be the 1996 'Other Grants budget.
B. THAT Council approve a 1996 grant of $30,906 to McLaren Housing
Society of B.C.; source of funds to be the 1996 'Other Grants
budget.
C. THAT Council approve a 1996 grant of $83,538 to B.C. Persons
with AIDS Society; source of funds to be the 1996 'Other'
Grants budget.
RECOMMENDATION
D. THAT Council advise AIDS Vancouver, McLaren Housing Society of
B.C., and B.C. Persons with AIDS Society that their grant
program will be terminated at the end of 1996; and instruct
staff to assist the three organisa-tions to secure the
necessary funding from the Ministry of Health and/or the
Vancouver Health Board.
GENERAL MANAGERS' COMMENTS
The General Managers of Corporate Services and Community Services
submit A, B and C for CONSIDERATION and RECOMMEND approval of D.
COUNCIL POLICY
City Council, on April 29, 1986, adopted a policy that it would not
consider financial support, in the form of hospitality grants or
otherwise, to conventions being held in Vancouver, sport teams holding
championships in Vancouver or to other events of this nature, except
that senior staff, in their professional capacity, are directly
involved in the event, and that the topic is particularly relevant to
the business of the City.
City Council, on May 17, 1994, when approving the 1994 grants to the
three AIDS support organisations, also resolved:
THAT in the future, grants to the three organisations be
processed in the same manner as the social services grants,
i.e., as base allocation stream grants.
THAT the Mayor, on behalf of Council, request the
Provincial Government to reconsider its funding to these AIDS
organisations.
Approval of grants require eight affirmative votes of Council.
BACKGROUND
The City has provided financial support to the AIDS organisations
since 1987. In 1994 and 1995, the City has granted a total of
$193,000 each year to AIDS Vancouver, McLaren Housing Society of B.C.
and B.C. Persons with AIDS Society. In 1994, the City reconfirmed
that the requests from these three organisations are to be processed
as base allocation stream grants. The funding level is secured for a
period of three years and is escalated each year by the annual
inflationary factor used in the preparation of the City's Operating
Budget.
The grants from the City have been directed to fund adminis-trative
support costs by the three organisations. In the case of the McLaren
Housing Society of B.C., the grant supports part of the salary of the
full-time executive director position.
DISCUSSION
A. AIDS Vancouver
AIDS Vancouver continues to be one of the largest AIDS service
organisations in the country and the busiest one in the province,
serving about 1,600 persons with HIV/AIDS. Its 1996 grant request of
$85,986 represents about 5.6% of its operating budget.
In addition to the normal services and programs offered to the
community, AIDS Vancouver will be heavily involved in supporting the
upcoming International Conference on AIDS in July, 1996. Although an
amount has not been specified at this time, AIDS Vancouver would like
Council to consider providing a one-time grant to assist with its
effort at the conference.
The issue of financial assistance to the 1996 International Conference
on AIDS has been dealt with by Council on December 16, 1993. Council
declined to make direct financial contribu-tion to the conference but
resolved that Health Department be encouraged to purchase advance
registrations for the conference from existing budget. A total of
$12,500 was made available from within the 1994 Health Department
budget to allow staff to attend the conference. As well, Council also
resolved that the Local Committee be requested to provide further
details on projected policing and engineering costs to allow Council
to consider the conference's eligibility for assistance with these
service costs. The Chief Constable has submitted a report requesting
a one-time funding $84,000 in 1996 to deal with crowd control issues
at the conference.
The one-time grant request from AIDS Vancouver to support their effort
at the International Conference on AIDS does not comply with current
Council policy and the Director of Finance recommends that the request
not be approved.
B. McLaren Housing Society of B.C.
McLaren Housing Society of B.C. is not a direct care-giving
organisation. It provides safe and affordable housing to HIV positive
individuals in its housing program. The Society operates 32 units at
649 Helmcken and provides 15 portable housing subsidies for
individuals living in the City.
The Society is a small organisation and requires financial support
from the City to continue its services. The grant of $30,906 from the
City, about 4.7% of its operating budget, is used to cover a major
portion of the executive director's salary.
C. B.C. Persons with Aids Society
B.C. Persons with Aids Society promotes self-help and self-care by
providing support, advocacy, education and health promotion services
to people living with HIV disease. The Society currently has over
2,600 members. The grant of $83,538 from the City is used to offset
the administrative cost of the Society, and it represents about 4.2%
of the Society's operating budget.
The grants to the three organisations are covered under the base
allocation stream process as approved by Council on May 17, 1994, and
1996 is the last year of the three-year period of the process. The
1996 grant level is based on the 1995 approved funding level and
includes a 2% inflationary allowance. The Director of Finance submits
the three grant requests totalling $200,430 for Council's
consideration, noting that the source of funds for the grants, if
approved, is 1996 'Other' grants budget.
D. Grants to the three AIDS organisations in 1997
and subsequent years
On May 17, 1994, when dealing with the 1994 grant requests from the
three AIDS organisations, Council reconfirmed the City's position that
funding to the three AIDS organisations is the responsibility of the
Provincial Government. At that time, Council instructed that the
Mayor, on behalf of Council, request the Provincial Government to
reconsider its funding to the three AIDS organisations.
With the transfer of the Vancouver Health Department to the Vancouver
Health Board effective January 1, 1996, the Board has assumed the
decision making and funding responsibility for health-related services
and issues from the Ministry of Health and from the City. As the City
is no longer the policy making body on health matters, and consistent
with current Council policy, staff believe that the City should
terminate the grant program with the three AIDS organisations by the
end of 1996, and instruct staff to assist the three AIDS organisations
to seek additional funding from the Ministry of Health and/or
Vancouver Health Board. The Director of Finance recommends approval
of the recommendation.
* * * * *