There will be some changes coming to Simcoe County’s Social and Community Investment Fund (SCIF).
Since 2012, the SCIF allocation for community projects has been $1.2 million, noted Sandra Lee, manager of community services with the county, in an update to council this week on the plans to promote, accept and evaluate applications for 2024.
“The 2024 application process has been redesigned to align with Canada’s National Poverty Reduction Strategy. A review was undertaken to support the design of new projects to meet community gaps outlined in local Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) plans in Simcoe County,” she stated in the staff report.
County staff plans to review the existing Poverty Reduction — formerly known as the Social Assistance Restructuring Reinvestment (SARR) — allocation of almost $1.74 million.
“This provides the flexibility to increase funding for community programming that addresses the needs of low-income families and individuals living in Simcoe County up to $1,738,000," says the the report, which was presented to county council during the June 27 committee of the whole meeting.
Any unused Poverty Reduction funding not spent at year's end is transferred to the social service reserve to be allocated in future years, with approval, when pressures are identified, according to the report.
SCIF was initially developed to support individuals around the county who were homeless and living in poverty, wrote Lee, noting the current funding portfolio was established in 2007 from savings found through social assistance restructuring.
Since 2012, $1.2 million has been allocated annually for community programming, she noted, adding 18 agencies were approved for funding in 2023. Increased Homeless Prevention Program (HPP) funding from the provincial government and Reaching Home (RH) funding from the federal government allows for a review of existing commitments in the Poverty Reduction funding and its alignment with new funding.
“The review of Poverty Reduction allocations offers the opportunity to increase the available funding for SCIF up to $1,738,000 for 2024 agreements. Following the approval of the 2023 SCIF agreements, county staff reviewed existing priorities, discussed growing needs in communities, and redesigned the SCIF application to align with Canada’s National Poverty Reduction Strategy: Opportunity for All," Lee added.
Innisfil Deputy Mayor Kenneth Fowler was curious about whether the funded programs were run in-house, or if they were tendered out to other services or agencies. “Will we get greater detail about their processes and the people tendering?” he asked.
Mina Fayez-Bahgat, the county’s general manager of social and community services, confirmed the grant funding is for third-party agencies to apply for and access to deliver their services.
“The fund has had an annual application process for a decade," he said. "This particular report is designed to help county council understand some changes that we are making as far as aligning it with the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy. We also reviewed the Canadian Safety Wellbeing Plans … and recently hosted a webinar for community stakeholders because we wanted to widen the breadth of people who knew about the funding application,”
The application process goes live on July 10 and remains open until Aug. 24.
“Similar to last year's, we will provide recommendations back to county council in the fall,” Fayez-Bahgat added.
The renewed application process requires agencies to develop programming based on one or more key areas, including dignity, inclusion and opportunity and resiliency and security, explained the report.
“This year’s funding application will be submitted online to address potential firewall challenges. Supporting documentation will continue to be submitted through email," stated the report. "An internal selection committee will review the funding applications in September, and a report will be shared with council in the fall outlining recommendations for 2024 funding allocations."
The Poverty Reduction funding is 100 per cent municipally funded, Lee explained in her report.
