ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: September 30, 1997

Dept. File No.

CC File: 2051

TO: Standing Committee on City Services & Budgets

FROM:Director of Community Services, Social Planning

SUBJECT:Allocation of 1997 Cross-Cultural Expertise Grants

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve Cross-Cultural Expertise Grants to the following organizations, the source of funds being a $20,000 reserve in the 1997 Community Services Grants Budget:

a)a grant of $ 6,700 to South Vancouver Family Place, in partnership with Westcoast Childcare Resource Centre;

b)a grant of $6,794 to Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, in partnership with Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House, and Eastside Family Place;

c)a grant of $6,000 to Pacific Immigrant Resources (PIRS), in partnership with 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 three 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 8, 1997, Council approved a reserve of $20,000 in the 1997 Community Services Grants Budget for the Cross-Cultural Expertise Grants. This is the third 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).

In the first year of the program, projects included an initiative in Hastings Sunrise which developed better connections between Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, Thunderbird Community Centre and First Nations families in the area; and a partnership between SUCCESS and Family Services to share cultural and professional expertise in family counselling and support services. The 1996 projects, which are still underway, include development of a culturally appropriate parenting group model for Chinese families; an innovative multi-agency family support model in the South Asian community; and a project to assess barriers and organizational issues in three eastside agencies regarding gay, lesbian, bi- and transsexual youth.

This year, five proposals were received and three are recommended.

RECOMMENDED GRANTS

Each project is a partnership between two or more organizations.

South Vancouver Family Place/Westcoast Childcare

Request: $6,700 Recommendation: $6,700

This project will add another component to the inter-agency family support model which the family place, South Vancouver Neighbourhood House and the health unit have developed over the past year. This approach is proving to be more effective at serving South Asian families than were the previous individual efforts of each partner. The second phase of the project will work with staff, parents and children attending the children’s program to develop culturally appropriate parenting education. The topics and methods will be documented and evaluated, so that the model can be shared with other groups serving the South Asian community.

Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House/Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House/Eastside Family Place/The Centre

Request: $6,794(total project:$13,588) Recommendation: $6,794

This project focuses on organizational learning re: access for gay, lesbian, bi- and transsexual youth, and is an expansion of the first year’s project to include additional community agencies in south and east Vancouver. In the first phase of the project, staffand board of the neighbourhood houses and family place have worked with GALE (Gay & Lesbian Educators) on access issues. In response to community interest, phase two will include liaison with The Centre (formerly Gay & Lesbian Centre) and will involve 2 to 3 eastside neighbourhood houses and community centres in developing strategies which will reduce homophobia among agencies and address service access issues for gays and lesbian in those communities. The applicant has also applied to United Way for support of this project.

Pacific Immigrant Resources/Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House

Request: $6,000 Recommendation: $6,000

This project will develop a model for recruiting and supporting volunteers from diverse cultural backgrounds in a neighbourhood house setting. Training sessions and the final results of the project will be shared with management and staff from other neighbourhood houses.

GRANTS NOT RECOMMENDED

Two applications were not recommended for funding. A proposal from The Association of First Nations Women involved aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups sharing expertise on domestic violence through a one-day conference. While City policy does not permit the funding of conferences, partnership proposals coming out of this event could be eligible for funding in a future year.

A proposal from the Hispanic Community Centre involved training community volunteers in AIDS issues. While this project responds to a real need in the Spanish-speaking communities, it is health and service-oriented, and more appropriately funded through other jurisdictions.

CONCLUSION

Three grants are recommended in this year’s Cross Cultural Expertise Grants program.

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(c) 1997 City of Vancouver