SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 1  
                                                      CS&B COMMITTEE AGENDA
                                                      SEPTEMBER 26, 1996   


                              ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT


                                                   Date:  September 4, 1996


     TO:       Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets

     FROM:     Director of Community Services, Social Planning

     SUBJECT:  Allocation of 1996 Cross-Cultural Expertise Grants



     RECOMMENDATION

          THAT Council approve Cross-Cultural Expertise Grants to the
          following organizations, the source of funds being a $25,000
          reserve in the 1996 Community Services Grants Budget:

          a)   a grant of $3,180 to South Vancouver Family Place, in
               partnership with South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, South
               Health Unit and Sunset Community Centre;

          b)   a grant of $ 6,050 to Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Greater
               Vancouver, in partnership with SUCCESS;

          c)   a grant of $2,700 to Immigrant Services Society, in
               partnership with 411 Seniors Centre; and

          d)   a grant of $7,373 to Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, in
               partnership with Eastside Family Place and Cedar Cottage
               Neighbourhood House.


     GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

          The General Manager of Community Services submits the foregoing
          for CONSIDERATION.


     COUNCIL POLICY

     Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.






     PURPOSE

     This report recommends grants to four projects intended to share and
     develop cultural expertise and increase the degree to which community
     service agencies effectively serve people from diverse cultural
     backgrounds.


     BACKGROUND

     On April 2, 1996, Council approved a reserve of $25,000 in the 1996
     Community Services Grants Budget for the Cross-Cultural Expertise
     Grants.  This is the second year of the program, which was developed
     in collaboration with immigrant-serving and general community service
     organizations, to increase cross-cultural understanding and to make
     organizations and programs more culturally accessible.  (Appendix A:
     program criteria.) The three 1995 projects were not actually approved
     until February, 1996 and hence are still in progress.  We will report
     on the evaluation of these projects at a later date.  For 1996, five
     applications were received and four are recommended.


     RECOMMENDED GRANTS

     Each project is a partnership between two or more agencies.  In two of
     the projects, Canadian Heritage and the City will be co-funders.

     . South Vancouver Family Place

          Request: $3,180     Recommendation: $3,180

          This is a joint project with South Vancouver Neighbourhood House,
          South Health Unit and Sunset Community Centre to develop and
          evaluate more effective approaches to serving South Asian
          families. 


     . Boys' and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver

          Request: $12,100    Recommendation: $6,050

          This joint one-year project with SUCCESS is to modify an
          existing, very effective parent support program to make it
          accessible to Chinese families currently requesting assistance
          from SUCCESS.  Canadian Heritage is supportive of this proposal
          and is processing a request for the other half of the funding. 
          This project could make a real contribution to reducing what is
          currently a major barrier between the approach to family support
          that many  Chinese families are used to and the support models
          that work (socially and financially) in a Canadian setting.




     . Immigrant Services Society

          Request: $5,200     Recommendation: $2,700

          This is a project with 411 Seniors Centre, to provide education
          for 411 staff, board and volunteers re: cultural issues, and to
          work with these groups and 411 members, to identify issues and
          plan changes to make the Centre more accessible.  Canadian
          Heritage will provide the balance of the requested funding.


     . Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House

          Request: $7,373     Recommendation: $7,373

          This project with Eastside Family Place and Cedar Cottage
          Neighbourhood House will involve board, staff and volunteers in
          education re: gay, lesbian, bi- and transsexual issues, and in an
          assessment of barriers and organizational issues in each agency.


     The grant request not recommended for funding was an application from
     the Hispanic Community Centre Society of B.C. to support community
     economic development and training in the Hispanic community. 
     Unemployment is a serious issue in this community but programs to
     address it are outside of the current mandate of the Community
     Services Grants and Cross-Cultural Expertise grants.



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