A review of the role of
the Supporting Community Partnerships Initiative (SCPI)
in Community Capacity Building

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES

How Halifax and Edmonton
Mobilized to Fight Homelessness

Prepared for the National Secretariat on Homelessness

by Professor Sue Ruddick
Department of Geography/ Programme in Planning
University of Toronto

November 2001

The views expressed in this document, published by the National Secretariat on Homelessness, are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Secretariat on Homelessness or the Government of Canada.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary
Context.
Key Findings: Halifax
Key Findings: Edmonton

Part I: Overview
Context
Purpose of the Report
Methodology

Part II: Halifax
Homelessness in Halifax
Identifying Gaps
Mobilizing the Community
Governance
Building Capacity
The Challenges Ahead
Summary

Part III: Edmonton:
Homelessness in Edmonton
Historic Context
Strength in Community
Community Mobilization
The Challenges Ahead
Summary

Executive Summary

Context: The Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) was launched in late 1999 as the cornerstone of the Government of Canada's National Homelessness Initiative. Unlike past attempts to address homelessness exclusively through investments in affordable housing, the three-year, $305-million SCPI pioneered a more comprehensive and integrated approach. The SCPI injects new funds into communities. More than that, however, it catalyzes a range of activities aimed at mobilizing communities to identify, organize and build on their own resources to support the homeless.

SCPI's innovative approach begins with the community plan. More than a simple document, it is intended as a process - a way for the community to unite behind a common understanding of the problems and the solutions. The community planning exercise is about identifying and reaching out to the broadest range of groups and individuals - governmental and non-governmental - who could contribute to a more complete and cohesive continuum of supports for the homeless. It is about consultation and compromise, priorities and partnerships. And it is about nurturing the community's own strengths and leveraging added capacity from other sources.

Ten Canadian cities with serious homelessness problems received the bulk of SCPI funds. Two of them, Halifax and Edmonton, are the focus of this report because they represent distinct ways to respond to homelessness in their respective communities. Halifax, where social service agencies have little history of collaboration, used a model in which the community shares with the Government of Canada the responsibility of implementing the SCPI. Edmonton, with a mature array of community-based social service infrastructure, opted to create a community entity that would take on full administrative responsibility for the program.

This report is based on field work in both communities, including interviews and focus group discussions with front-line workers, administrators, government officials and homeless people themselves. The purpose is to describe the communities' efforts to mobilize around the homelessness challenge, and the part played by the SCPI in catalyzing or furthering these goals. The report is not intended to compare either the cities or their approaches; nor is it meant to evaluate the success of their endeavours. It is intended merely as two separate case studies, described in large part through the voices of the people who live and work in those communities.

Key Findings: Halifax

• Prior to the SCPI, there were considerable community-based efforts to address the homeless. However, insufficient resources led to inter-agency competition, a fragmentation of services and little opportunity for long-range planning.
• Other factors, including the economy, the city's geography and government cutbacks and reorganization, resulted in Halifax having one of Canada's most serious homelessness problems.
• Halifax opted to deliver the SCPI through the shared model, in which a community-based organization (the Steering Committee) creates a community plan and, on the basis of that plan, recommends to the Government of Canada which projects should receive funding.
• The community planning process involved extensive consultations with a range of stakeholders, and made special efforts to hear from homeless people. The endorsement of homeless people is also required for final project approval.
• The community plan was developed in three stages, beginning with a workshop for 40 non-governmental organizations, the creation of an interim committee and, ultimately, the formation of a steering committee to oversee the plan's execution.
• The Steering Committee, which encourages participation by African Nova Scotians, Aboriginal people and the homeless, has a mandate for both short- and long-term activities to address homelessness.
• Observers felt that the community plan catalyzed a formal basis for interaction among community agencies and governments, which in turn promoted a comprehensive and co-ordinated approach to the homelessness challenge.
• Development of the community plan also contributed to a more unified understanding of the issues, which helped reveal gaps in services.
• The project development process was sensitive and responsive to the community. It depended heavily on suggestions from front-line workers and the homeless. It also encouraged proponents to come forward with innovative ideas, such as a community-based voice mail message system to facilitate communications between homeless people and community services, friends and family.
• Because some NGOs sat as members of the Steering Committee, other NGOs raised conflict-of-interest concerns.
• Some project proponents felt they needed more explicit guidelines and direction for submitting project proposals.
• Many also felt they had insufficient time to prepare proper project proposals.
• NGOs wanted to be able to revisit budgets and other key elements of their proposals once they had an opportunity to see how the projects were actually working on the ground.
• By injecting $4.2 million in new funds into the community over three years, the SCPI reduced the inter-agency competitiveness and encouraged more collaboration and sharing of information and resources. Meaningful partnerships have also been created with the provincial and municipal governments.
• As a result of the SCPI, many community groups have enhanced their internal capacity by taking on new responsibilities for managing capital and other projects to address homelessness. In many cases, however, the new responsibilities exceed the experience, expertise and resources of NGO staff.
• It was felt that despite the progress wrought by the SCPI, gaps remain in the continuum of supports for the homeless. These include services for youth, addictions programs, job skills training and transitional housing.
• There are also concerns about the long-term sustainability of major initiatives, once the three-year SCPI funding runs out.
• However, the formation of a permanent Steering Committee gives the community an institutional framework for ongoing efforts to plan, set priorities, administer proposals, allocate funds and engage the community in homelessness issues.

Key Findings: Edmonton

• Before the introduction of the SCPI, there was already a 20-year history of community-based services for the homeless, many of them working together in coalitions, task forces and other formal structures. Governments and the private sector have also played key roles in addressing homelessness.
• For a variety of economic reasons, there is still a serious homelessness problem, especially among Aboriginal people. There is a lack of affordable and transition housing, as well as gaps in services to support the homeless.
• Two existing organizations, the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund and the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing, came together to form the community entity that delivers the SCPI. Both organizations have clear-cut mandates and responsibilities, in order to preserve transparency and accountability in governance.
• The process of developing the SCPI community plan involved extensive consultations, including attempts to reach marginalized groups such as the Aboriginal community.
• The community plan introduced a number of procedural innovations that enhanced the community's capacity to address homelessness. These included inviting draft project proposals that would give the community entity an early signal of the community's needs and the responses, and how these might be best aligned before the formal bidding process began.
• The implementation of the SCPI, including the extensive planning process, has revitalized many community organizations, leading to increased memberships and broadened stakeholder representation.
• As part of the project development process, the SCPI fosters bigger networks of collaboration and partnerships that involve the business and development communities, philanthropists, the health care community and others.
• There are also more intensive community outreach efforts, aimed at making homeless people more aware of services, inviting greater involvement by the private and non-profit sectors in the homelessness issue, and raising public awareness of homelessness and the possible range of responses.
• With just over $17-million in direct investment in Edmonton, the SCPI has leveraged millions of dollars more from the province and the municipality. This enables the leading fundraising organization to develop a track record in funding worthy projects, which in turn spark the interest and generosity of the local business community.

Conclusions: As a result of the SCPI, both Halifax and Edmonton have developed comprehensive approaches to building a continuum of support for the homeless. They have both created accountable, representative institutional frameworks to assist in project selection and funding, as well as the identification of long-term needs. Both too are beginning to identify strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of the initiative.

While both communities are clearly mobilizing to address homelessness, each has revealed an emphasis and approach appropriate to its unique realities.

For instance, in Halifax, community capacity building has tended to occur within NGOs as they evolve from an exclusive focus on front-line work to large-scale project development, construction and budget management. In Edmonton, on the other hand, capacity building has tended to take place among NGOs in a way that builds on that city's long history of collaboration and coordinated service delivery.

The experiences of both Halifax and Edmonton show that an infusion of funds can provide relief for the problem of homelessness, regardless of whether the initiative is delivered through the shared or the community-entity approach. Because the funds are tied to a community consultation and planning exercise, the funds do considerably more than just support one or two new building projects.

Instead, they catalyze a range of changes, from greater partnership and collaboration to strengthened NGOs to a better understanding of community needs and resources. Over the longer term, however, communities have to be able to use their funds to support independent, community-based action on a sustained basis. Edmonton's creation of a funders table, formalizing fundraising ties between the Trust Fund and the private sector, is one example of the community's desire to sustain the progress past the expiry of the SCPI.

Like any innovation, the SCPI can be improved as communities explore its potential and share their experiences with others. This research study describes some of accomplishments of two Canadian cities, as well as the hurdles they faced and the solutions they proposed.

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Part I: Overview

Context

Over the past 15 years, homelessness in Canada has becoming an enduring feature of our urban landscape. De-institutionalization, changes in the labour market, increased demand for affordable housing and rapidly growing economies have all contributed to a mismatch between need and resources. In this time, non-profits, various levels of government and the private sector have launched initiatives to address this difficult problem, but efforts have often been fragmented or at best confined to specific urban areas.

It is widely acknowledged that addressing homelessness requires more than building additional houses and shelters. It requires a comprehensive approach - a continuum of supports that meets the health, social and economic needs of the homeless and those who are at risk of losing their homes.

Experience has also shown that communities are in the best position to identify and fill any gaps in the continuum of supports for the homeless. And generally, they could benefit from outside help - funding or other supports to help them mobilize to build the partnerships, organizational structures and capacity to truly address their homelessness challenges.

The Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI): In response, the Government of Canada announced in December 1999 an investment of $753 million over three years to help alleviate and prevent homelessness in Canada. The cornerstone of the federal strategy is the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI), which received $305 million to help local communities address homelessness.

The SCPI provides flexible funding for strategies devised and implemented at the local level. By requiring the development of a comprehensive community plan, the initiative promotes participation by new groups, as well as creative partnerships between non-profit organizations, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, and the private sector. Purpose of Report
Within the SCPI's flexible approach to community mobilization, communities in every region of Canada are pioneering new ways to confront the homelessness problem - often in the context of radically restructured service delivery systems and new institutional arrangements between different levels of government, non-government organizations and the business community.

In some cases government and local organizations share the leadership role; in others, community organizations or local municipalities are at the helm. In all cases, there are attempts to reconfigure outmoded institutional arrangements in new and creative ways.

As communities mobilize, they become better able to co-ordinate existing resources, build new capacity, leverage new resources and enhance the efficiency and accountability of new governance structures.

Two models: The SCPI promotes two types of governance models to mobilize the community and develop an inclusive process for determining and addressing the needs of homeless people and those at risk of being homeless. In the "community entity" model, a community organization or a municipal government receives SCPI funds directly from the Government of Canada, and is accountable for their disbursement. In the "shared" model, a community-based partnership body acts as an adviser to the Government of Canada, recommending which projects should be approved for funding.

This report provides an in-depth view of how two communities have developed and implemented these models.

Purpose of the Report

It is generally accepted that successful community mobilization efforts have certain basic characteristics in common. These are inclusiveness (drawing in the fullest range of stakeholders); the ability to develop local skills and capacities; local ownership of the issue; co-ordinated efforts, and sustainability.

Even so, the precise mechanisms underlying these characteristics are not always immediately obvious and the means to achieve them vary from one community to another. Moreover, in examining the elements of success, retrospective analyses can provide only limited value. They may, for instance, miss important factors that either aided or impeded success in particular communities, which makes it impossible to modify practices while there is still some benefit in doing so.

Therefore, the best way to understand how the shared and community entity models are working 'on the ground' is to collect first-hand accounts from stakeholders involved in the community mobilization efforts - while the projects are actually evolving from the planning through the implementation stages.

Case studies: This report presents detailed case studies of two communities in the early stages of the SCPI - Halifax, which opted for the shared model, and Edmonton, which mobilized along the community entity model.

The study is not intended as an evaluation of the success of the mobilization efforts. Nor is it a comparison of the two cities, or of the shared and community entity approaches. Rather, it is an attempt to document, from the perspectives of local stakeholders, the challenges and opportunities involved in building a continuum of supports for the homeless, within the framework of the SCPI. By exploring and analyzing the elements of community mobilization, this report could serve as a useful guide for other communities.

Methodology

The cities of Edmonton and Halifax were selected for this study because of their contrasting styles of governance, mix of public, private and voluntary resources, and identified service needs. Moreover, each city illustrates one of the two frameworks for intervention under the SCPI. Edmonton adopted the community entity approach to community capacity building, while Halifax opted for the shared approach.

Edmonton has a long history of service provision to homeless people, a history of municipal and provincial involvement in homelessness initiatives, and a well-established and co-ordinated framework of public-private engagement. At the time of this study, the province of Alberta was enjoying an economic boom, which, while enhancing revenues, also brought with it the social problems of rapid growth.

Halifax, meanwhile, has a wide range of voluntary initiatives, but a less developed infrastructure and history of partners working together to address homelessness. Responsibility for community services, until recently a joint provincial-municipal responsibility, has become a consolidated responsibility of the province. In spite of recent growth in some sectors, Nova Scotia has limited resources in this area.

Focus group approach: The study was conducted through ten focus group discussions with a broad range of stakeholders representing the following groups or sectors:

• regional homelessness facilitators, who administer the SCPI locally through HRDC offices
• municipal and provincial officials
• institutional representatives involved in needs assessments
• institutional representatives involved in project selection
• services receiving funding through SCPI
• services not receiving SCPI funds, but that address the needs of the homeless
• homeless people, including youth, women and Aboriginal people

Following a comprehensive review of background reports and materials for each community and entity, stakeholder focus groups were conducted in March of 2001, shortly after the structures of governance were formed and the first project funds were being allocated.

One advantage of focus groups is that they promote connections between the theoretical knowledge of academics, the policy-based knowledge of government officials, and the front-line expertise of service providers and homeless people themselves. Moreover, the participatory nature of focus groups values minority opinions that might not otherwise be heard.

In order to ensure free and frank discussion, the anonymity of participants was guaranteed at the outset. The researcher's status as an outside contractor rather than employee of HRDC also helped to encourage candour. Interviews with the focus group members were taped and transcribed.

Improving the process: The focus group approach yielded a rich and varied perspective on the SCPI process. In retrospect, however, two observations might improve the process:

1. While recognizing that regional officers can select focus group participants in a way that minimizes disturbance of the sensitive processes of community building, independent selection of candidates (perhaps in a separate focus group) might offer a more comprehensive picture.
2. Homeless people are best interviewed in subgroups rather than en masse. Homeless women, especially those who have experienced abuse, feel uncomfortable reflecting on their experiences in front of homeless men. Indeed, in Halifax, all homeless women declined the invitation to participate in the focus group. Among men, the older ones also tend to defer to the younger ones, out of concern that their own needs were somehow less urgent.

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Part II: Halifax

Homelessness in Halifax

Introduction: For a variety of geographic, economic and social reasons, Halifax has had a uniquely complex homelessness problem. While numerous agencies have tried over the years to meet the needs, the efforts were often hampered by fragmentation and insufficient resources.

The launch of the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative (SCPI) presented an opportunity to build meaningful linkages between community and government services, with the goal of leveraging the greatest impact from the available resources. Halifax opted for the SCPI's "shared" approach, in which a community-based partnership advisory body assesses, on the basis of a comprehensive community plan, which homelessness project ought to receive federal funds. The advisory body makes recommendations to the Government of Canada, and approved projects are funded on an individual basis.

While the "community entity" approach to building community capacity (described in Part III of this report) vests more administrative control in the community, the shared approach has the benefit of mobilizing communities without overburdening their resources. This report describes how Halifax adopted and implemented the shared model to deliver the SCPI.

The Challenge: The Halifax census metropolitan area is recognized as having one of Canada's most serious homelessness problems, and the situation is becoming increasingly critical. While hard data are lacking, evidence from front-line service providers suggests that more people are experiencing absolute homelessness, lack adequate shelter or are at risk of becoming homeless. The demographics of the homeless population are also shifting, with the numbers of homeless women and children growing significantly. While the situation in Halifax has some characteristics in common with other major Canadian cities, it also has elements uniquely its own.

As in many provinces, Nova Scotians gravitate to their capital in search of better employment opportunities. The resulting rapid population growth has put pressure on Halifax's housing markets and lowered vacancy rates. Various transient populations, including post-secondary students and military personnel, add to the housing market pressure.

Halifax boasts a robust and modern economy, with a strong high technology sector, leading universities and a professional workforce. The market has responded with high-end housing. There is also a substantial building boom for well-to-do "empty nesters" moving to the Maritimes. An unfortunate byproduct of the strong growth and high incomes, however, is that fewer developers want to invest in affordable housing. Meanwhile, much of the low-rent stock, including social housing, is either old and in need of repair, or located in rural areas, far from where it is needed most.

Halifax's physical form adds to the challenge. Social services are clustered in the small downtown. The widely dispersed suburbs have few social services and little public transit, even though that is where most low-income people find their affordable housing.

Historic context: Halifax has always had many services for the homeless, provided by people with extensive front-line knowledge and experience. The Homeless Network, for example, is a group of service providers who meet once a month in an informal collaboration. However, the capacity of these organizations to meet the needs of the homeless has been challenged in recent years by several factors:

Service cutbacks: First, the province of Nova Scotia had suffered revenue declines, which translated into cutbacks to social programs and service. Over the past six or seven years, spending in these areas was frozen or reduced by two or three percent.

As a result, services for the homeless in Halifax have tended to be delivered by understaffed agencies, working at different stages of development and only loosely coordinated along a continuum of support. Many NGOs were becoming frustrated by an inability to provide the services they felt their clients needed.

Although the necessity of functioning on a shoestring has often triggered creativity and resourcefulness, it also resulted in considerable inter-agency competition for scarce funds. Funding requests were driven more by what NGOs thought they could get than what they knew they needed. Consequently, few opportunities emerged for cooperation, information sharing and community capacity building.

Role of the province: In addition to budget cutbacks, social services have been restructured and consolidated under provincial control. The province has introduced a number of financing innovations that front-line workers report are having negative impacts on the homeless. For example, the province pays for emergency shelter beds only when they were used. This forces many shelters to pack in clients, even if the mix is inappropriate.

In sum, by the time the SCPI prompted Halifax to mobilize behind a community plan of action for the homeless, the situation had grown grave:

• Shelters were at capacity, unable to respond to the growing needs of homeless families.
• There were waiting lists for second-stage housing.
• Shelters lacked the support services necessary to successfully steer homeless people toward stable housing.
• Agencies were responding to immediate needs, with little time or money for long-range planning, capacity building or service coordination.

Identifying Gaps: The Views of Homeless People

(I)t's cool to have people come to you and want your knowledge and want your opinion, which is something that I really haven't had at all … (A)bout a month ago I wrote a letter advocating for a youth shelter. And I was told that my letter was used as part of the proposal and it was one of the key (factors) that actually got it funded… It's so important. You made it, you had influence that you didn't know you had.

The development of the SCPI community plan involved extensive consultation with homeless people through a series of five focus groups held in April 2000. Projects stemming from the community plan also required the endorsement of homeless individuals in order to win approval for SCPI funding.

By identifying services gaps through the community consultation process, homeless people contributed to the community's efforts to grapple with the problem. At the same time, the opportunity to participate in consultations promoted a sense of self-worth among people who often feel disenfranchised.

Listening to the Homeless: The observations in this report were also gleaned from focus groups with people who had experienced homelessness. These people were referred by Phoenix House for youth and Turning Point for older men. Individuals from Adsum House for women were also contacted but were unable to attend.

There was clear consensus that in spite of the efforts of local NGOs, gaps exist virtually throughout the continuum. What follows is a summary of focus group views.

Services for Youth: Young men pointed to a particularly serious shortage of services, from community outreach to drop-in centres to emergency shelters. In part, this is because many shelters require their clients to be at least 19 years old. Moreover, outreach services that bring comforts such as blankets and hot meals to the homeless are intermittent, and more difficult to access for young people.

The practice of housing younger homeless men in older men's shelters can also be problematic because it provides few positive role models.

Job and life skills: Young people stressed the need for a variety of programs and services to accommodate their range of needs. A common theme was the value of giving homeless youth more than a place to sleep. In particular, they need to learn job and life skills, including opportunities for volunteer service. Such programs could begin with the basics, like budgeting, and extend to job-readiness instruction, job shadowing and mentoring. Opportunities like these build self-esteem, which could help homeless youth begin to view themselves - and actually become - productive members of society.

Making Transitions: Focus groups noted the need for specific programs geared to young adults who have moved off the street and are ready to begin post-secondary education. Existing support programs limit the kinds of college courses that homeless young people can take to computer training and information technologies.

The focus group for older homeless men called for a range of supportive services addressing multiple needs such as addictions and mental health problems. Average rents for low-income housing start at around $200 a month, making it impossible for people on social assistance to find accommodation without cutting deep into their food budget. But, even with supportive housing, limits on social assistance benefits make it very difficult to make ends meet. One man, for example, reported he receives $321 a month in benefits. Out of that, he pays $111 a month for subsidized rent and $57 for a bus pass. That leaves him with $153 to live on.

Front-line workers also point to a gap between supportive and affordable housing. That means people who are prepared to make the transition to independent living cannot find decent accommodation, and are often thrown back into the cycle of homelessness and dependency.

Addictions: Both young people and adults talked about the role that addictions played in their experiences. But some young people felt education and skills training, including basic literacy programs, were even more valuable than drug counselling.

Mobilizing the Community:

BUILDING THE COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN

Although the National Homelessness Initiative was only announced in December 1999, the process that would ultimately lead to a comprehensive community plan in Halifax began several months earlier. Concerned by the serious problem of homelessness in this Maritime centre, the provincial government hosted a roundtable discussion in July of that year. It was attended by representatives of HRDC and a variety of other public and third-sector stakeholders, including Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the provincial Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs and the Ministry of Community Services, and a number of NGOs operating in the Halifax area. The purpose was to identify strategies to address homelessness in Halifax, and to set up an interim steering committee. The roundtable participants agreed to:

• hold a one-day workshop with a broad variety of stakeholders to identify priorities and establish a governance body;
• organize a series of focus groups with homeless people to solicit their views on local services and facilities;
• conduct a review of research and policy literature.

Workshop: As decided at the roundtable, a one-day workshop was held at Hope Cottage, a soup kitchen, on February 19, 2000. Approximately 70 NGOs were contacted and 40 attended the initial workshop, which formed the basis of community input for the Community Action Plan. Participants identified five priorities:

• women and children
• youth
• people with multiple needs such as addictions, mental or physical disabilities or legal problems
• the development of new housing stock and physical facilities
• addressing policy and planning priorities where research and policy gaps exist.

Development of the Community Plan

Interim Steering Committee: As a result of the one-day workshop, an interim steering committee was appointed to advance the mobilization process. In particular, the mandate of the committee was to consult with the community in order to determine the composition and mandate of a permanent Action Plan Steering Committee. The Interim Committee thus consulted the following groups:

• the provincial government of Nova Scotia, specifically agencies involved in housing and human services
• federal departments and agencies
• the Halifax Regional Municipality
• community agencies and advocacy groups
• homeless people
• property owner and landlord associations
• private sector groups
• the general public

Steering Committee: Based on its consultations, the Interim Committee concluded that, once the Steering Committee hired a full-time co-ordinator, it would exercise the following mandate:

• to identify action priorities for addressing immediate housing needs
• to explore opportunities for program development
• to develop a clear statement of the mission, goals and objectives of the committee as a basis for ongoing evaluation and accountability
• to consider establishing working groups or sub-committees
• to develop a communications strategy

The Steering Committee comprises members of the Interim Committee, with an explicit role for African-Nova Scotians and Aboriginal organizations addressing homelessness, as well as homeless people themselves. Indeed, any project recommended for funding approval by the Steering Committee requires prior consultation with, or support from, homeless people. Governments are not represented as full members but serve in an advisory capacity.

With the help of an outside consultant, the Interim Committee determined criteria for composition of the Steering Committee, its mission statement and terms of reference. The Steering Committee would also "dedicate funding to ensure appropriate and, if necessary, external evaluation of [its] progress." Consequently, the activities of the Steering Committee are assessed by an external evaluator using an evaluation framework developed by the HRDC, in conjunction with specific local criteria developed by the committee. The assessment process includes quarterly reviews of the status of the community plan, and annual public meetings to discuss progress and priorities.

Community plan: The community plan was developed in a three-step process. First, the information gleaned from the February 2000 workshop was fortified with further input from five focus groups with homeless people. Next, the views of various community agencies were solicited through a questionnaire. (About 40% of the surveys, sent to 80 organizations, were returned.) Third, another 30 people associated with governments and NGOs were engaged through informal discussions.

In the end, the comprehensive community consultation process yielded eight priorities for action to address homelessness and related supports:

• women and children
• youth
• people with multiple needs
• housing stock and physical facilities
• policy and planning priorities
• Aboriginal people
• immigrants and refugees
• African-Nova Scotians

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Governance:

THE FORMATION AND OPERATION OF THE SCPI STEERING COMMITTEE

One of the main points of discussion for all the focus groups was the creation and operation of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee, after all, had the enormous responsibilities of articulating the community's priorities through the action plan, and then of executing the plan through the allocation of project funds. This section describes some of the common themes that were expressed in relation to governance.

Community wisdom: Homeless people and local NGOs emerged as key players in the governance structure. Homeless individuals helped identify service gaps and strategic funding needs early in the process of forming the Steering Committee, and their endorsement of projects remains a prerequisite for funding. NGOs provided both formal and informal input throughout the SCPI process.

Many agencies felt that this consistent reliance on community wisdom has resulted in a more sensitive process. However, it also created new challenges for local NGOs already stretched for time and resources. For example, some felt unable to participate in the community consultations because of staff shortages, transportation problems or their location outside the Halifax core.

Project development: The Steering Committee also drew on local wisdom when it asked NGOs to develop project proposals according to their assessment of the community's needs and their own capacity to respond. Both Steering Committee members and representatives of other NGOs, however, called for more time for proposal development, including an opportunity to gauge the impact of projects after a first year before a follow-up request for funds for the second and third year is required.

NGOs would also have preferred more explicit guidelines and direction, in part to even out the advantages enjoyed by organizations that were actually represented as members of the Steering Committee and therefore better understood the funding possibilities.

Governance in the Shared Model

Project selection: The Halifax community plan specifies that the Steering Committee, in conjunction with HRDC, is responsible for selecting projects for SCPI funding. The decisions are based on recommendations from a homelessness co-ordinator who is charged with conducting a preliminary review and evaluation of all proposals.

Some of the Steering Committee members were drawn from local NGOs. Thus, NGOs can participate in both the selection and management of projects, which raised questions about accountability in the focus group discussions. While the Steering Committee has conflict-of-interest procedures, NGOs outside the process were not fully aware of them. While NGOs were generally pleased when they received funding, they wanted more explicit information detailing the full list of successful bidders and their projects.

Project maintenance: A persistent criticism of service providers concerned the lack of flexibility in monthly budgeting procedures. For capital projects, the difficulties are compounded by budgets that are often too complex to predict with certainty on a month-to-month basis. Providers therefore suggested three- to four-month timeframes to project and allocate expenditures.

Building Capacity: The Impact of the SCPI

The term "capacity building" is used to describe a range of activities that flow from a community's decision to mobilize behind a common objective. These activities include the development of new skills to enable individuals or groups to take on new responsibilities; the sharing of resources and information about best practices, and the coordination of tasks among different groups collaborating in a shared goal.

In Halifax, the exercise of developing a SCPI community plan helped mobilize the community to strengthen its capacity. By catalyzing a formal basis for interaction among community agencies and governments, the action plan promoted a comprehensive and co-ordinated approach to the challenge of homelessness.

This section describes the evolution of the Halifax community's capacity to address homelessness.

Common understanding: The development of the community plan helped service providers locate themselves along a continuum of supports and to identify where gaps in services existed. This focus on the bigger picture generated a more comprehensive and consensual understanding of homelessness in the region.

Shared skills and information: Because the SCPI brought new money to the community to address homelessness, service providers began feeling less competitive toward each other. Now they are prepared to share information and resources and increase their collective capacity to manage larger projects.

The SCPI community planning exercise also forged new ties between stakeholders, which helped clarify the province's role and enabled providers to capitalize on the resources of the provincial and federal governments.

Indeed, service providers expressed a desire to formalize the new information sharing processes. They proposed a number of mechanisms, including a computer list to advise service providers about projects funded by the SCPI, a newsletter from the Steering Committee to publicize funded projects and other newsworthy items, and a workshop to provide NGOs with information on budgeting and other key project management issues.

Strengthened organizations: Numerous community groups have enhanced their internal capacity by assuming new roles above and beyond their traditional front-line work. For instance, many have for the first time taken on responsibilities to develop and manage capital and other projects to address homelessness.

The possibility of new funding has also allowed service providers to consider not only what they assume is possible with limited funding, but to express what they actually need. Where once their priority was to seek funding merely to arrest a deterioration in services and infrastructure, they are looking broadly now at providing more effective and efficient services. SCPI funding has promoted a shift in the orientation of service providers from a charitable model to a social development focus.

New projects: A clear manifestation of the community's enhanced capacity to address homelessness lies in the new projects and innovative strategies that have emerged from the combined resources of service providers, the private sector and government agencies.

For example, one of the direct results of the open-ended nature of the SCPI solicitation process is the Community Voice Mail. This innovative project gives homeless people access to voice mailboxes that facilitate stigma-free communication with landlords, prospective employers, services and friends.

Similarly, the Mainline Needle Exchange is the first methadone program in Atlantic Canada. This storefront intervention reduces the harm associated with injection drug use and provides a friendly, non-institutional entry point to other services such as supportive housing.

Metro Turning Point/Creighton Garrish housing project is another innovative example of collaboration, in which SCPI funding helped mobilize capacity in other sectors of government and reorganized responsibilities across levels of government. The project is geared towards the provision of longer-term and second-stage housing. The municipality donated the land for a dollar, SCPI funded the construction and the province oversaw the project and conducted due diligence. The money saved in provincial housing subsidies has been reinvested in support staff for the project.

Renewed municipal role: With the restructuring of the provincial-municipal relationship in Nova Scotia, municipalities like Halifax no longer have any formal involvement in social services. However, the infusion of funds through the SCPI has leveraged other important types of assistance from the municipality.

For instance, the municipality can:

• donate land or properties for housing projects
• offer community grants to defray the cost of purchasing property
• provide tax exemptions or deferrals on properties or land transfers
• assist in planning and other bureaucratic processes such as security permits
• change zoning bylaws to facilitate the location of services.

Long-term framework: The formation of the permanent Steering Committee gave the community a long-term institutional framework for systematic intervention. The committee is the mechanism through which Halifax can plan, set priorities, administer proposals, allocate funds and solicit broad community involvement.

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The Challenges Ahead

For all the positive impacts that the SCPI had on the homelessness problem in Halifax, it has not been without its challenges. Because of its collaborative nature, the initiative necessitated a certain amount of mutual accommodation among governments and non-governmental agencies. Similarly, by tackling a particularly difficult problem like homelessness, the SCPI also served to highlight just how complex and entrenched are the roots of the problem. This section describes some of the growing pains associated with the SCPI in Halifax, as well as the challenges that still lie ahead.

NGO perception: Focus groups noted that service providers had for too long depended on government funding, a source that was threatening to run dry in this revenue-poor province. NGOs also had to learn that municipalities could not be counted on to step into the breach with grants or other traditional forms of support, since the province had relieved them of responsibility for social services. The SCPI therefore helped underline the importance of communities searching out new funding sources, useful partnerships, and innovative ways to stretch the value of a dollar.

Steep learning curve: The SCPI opened up vast new possibilities for NGOs dedicated to addressing the needs of the homeless. But with those new possibilities came responsibilities that in many cases exceeded the experience, expertise and resources of NGO staff.

Some, for instance, were unable to adequately assess the financial feasibility of their project proposals -- to conduct the market research that determines not only the demand but the actual need.

As a result of this inexperience, mistakes are possible, especially in projects requiring major capital construction. In some cases, for example, groups might focus on renovating existing buildings when new construction, though more daunting, would make more economic and practical sense.

To help them climb the steep learning curve, many service providers quite properly looked for outside expertise, in government, the private sector or among other NGOs that had had similar experiences.

New role for government: In recent years, governments have grown less inclined to simply hand out grants to community organizations. At the municipal level, moreover, planning departments have been cut back and staff have less time to help community organizations develop local projects. The challenge for governments, therefore, has been to devise innovative new ways to support service providers in their efforts to build capacity.

One way is to ensure that community agencies are made aware of funding and other support programs that still exist. Another is to foster greater co-ordination among departments that deal directly or indirectly with homelessness. And a third is to explore a range of in-kind supplements to direct funding, such as advice and counsel, tax assistance and donations of property or other assets.

Sustainability: Some NGOs are concerned about the long-term viability of their projects. Some, for instance, said insufficient time for the proposal development phase led them to underestimate project costs. As a result, they were already shifting funds from other areas to make SCPI projects workable. Moreover, because many communities have limited means to sustain funding for multi-year initiatives, the province expressed concern that pressure to backfill demands created by the Homelessness Initiative would ultimately fall on it.

Service providers also said they found it difficult to launch and maintain projects, while at the same time developing long-term funding strategies. To compound the challenge, some non-profits recognize their causes as especially hard sells, making it more difficult to raise private-sector funds. In the absence of a collective, community-based strategy for raising and distributing funds, it will remain difficult to complete the continuum of supports necessary to move people from homelessness toward independence.

Community perception: Homelessness is still widely perceived as a personal failing rather than a social problem requiring public intervention.

The challenge, therefore, is to promote greater public awareness about the causes of homelessness and the value of services that exist to address it.

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Summary

Despite years of under-funding of supports for the homeless, Halifax boasted a vibrant core of social service agencies. In the face of economic and political changes, however, the community was losing ground and the number of homeless people continued to rise. Halifax became an ideal candidate to try out the shared model to deliver the SCPI.

While the process is still in its early stages, NGOs today suggest that the SCPI has sparked a significant improvement in the region's climate of interaction. This is due both to the SCPI approach that requires collaboration and partnership, and to the infusion of funds. Where once non-profits were forced to compete with each another for scarce resources, they are now willing and eager to share information, skills, and resources.

At the same time, the community is learning a great deal from its SCPI experiences and using its newfound knowledge to explore ways to improve processes. There are, for instance, suggestions on better ways to develop projects and manage funds. Skills development, another crucial aspect of capacity building, could be promoted through workshops, newsletters and Internet-based information sharing. A mechanism to collectivize fundraising could also improve the fairness of the process and extend the viability of projects sponsored by smaller, less experienced organizations.

It would be premature to suggest all the problems have been solved. There are still gaps in the continuum of supports as well as the institutional capacity to address them. The long-term financial stability of some projects remains a concern, especially for those serving the needs of groups with limited fundraising appeal. And, in spite of the inclusive approach fostered by the SCPI, certain groups such as Afro-Nova Scotians still need to be drawn more actively into the community-based processes.

Even so, the impact of the SCPI has been measurable and beneficial. The community capacity building process catalyzed by the SCPI is unprecedented in its ability to engage the homeless and other members of the community. In opening the project solicitation process to any reasonable proposal, the shared SCPI model applied in Halifax also encouraged the emergence of fresh ideas that may not otherwise have seen the light of day. Energized by this innovative approach, many groups are taking on new roles and developing new skills in service delivery and administration.

Municipal, provincial and federal governments are also finding new ways to foster community mobilization by co-ordinating resources and building helpful links among programs and services. In-kind government contributions promoted through the SCPI include the donation of land, the contribution of expertise and the waiving of taxes and other charges.

Taken together, these measures are signals of a community that is willing to recognize its needs, and - with the help of the SCPI - is able to work together towards a solution.

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Part III: Edmonton:

Homelessness in Edmonton

Introduction: Edmonton has a long history of community involvement in housing and homelessness issues. It is also rich in institutions dedicated to providing a continuum of supports for the homeless, and has developed a mature framework for collaboration among public and non-profit organizations.

Even so, Edmonton has been designated one of Canada's most affected areas for homelessness, making it one of the 10 cities targeted for SCPI funding. The causes of homelessness in Edmonton are numerous and complex, but the will to address the problem remains strong.

Because of the experience built up in Edmonton's sophisticated structure of social service agencies, the "community entity model" was the natural choice for delivering services under the SCPI. In this model, a community organization or municipal government takes responsibility for deciding, in conjunction with community stakeholders, which projects will receive SCPI funds. The Government of Canada transfers funds directly to the community entity, which is accountable for the disbursement of funds. The community entity model invests more administrative capacity in the community than does the "shared" approach used in Halifax.

This part of the report describes how the SCPI was implemented and what impact it is having in Edmonton.

The Challenge: Edmonton has significant numbers of homeless people, both absolute (living in emergency shelters or on the street) and chronically under-housed (living in substandard accommodations). A recent survey found Aboriginal people comprise a disproportionately large share of the homeless population (between 40% and 50%). There are also significant numbers of families with children, people with multiple needs, seniors and youth.

One of the key causes of homelessness in Edmonton is the lack of affordable housing. Low vacancy rates in the local housing market have shrunken even further in a booming local economy that draws large numbers of people to the city in search of opportunity. The social housing that does exist is dispersed throughout the province in areas far removed from the high-growth cities. As a result, people stay longer in emergency shelters, which are not intended as effectively permanent homes.

Other factors have contributed to Edmonton's homelessness problem. For instance, the local labour force is increasingly characterized by temporary, contract and informal work, which affects income stability and people's capacity to afford stable housing. Deinstitutionalization of people with mental illness or other problems is compounding the challenge. Overloaded and under-funded social service networks have trouble keeping up with the demands, particularly in light of cutbacks in public programs and support.

Aboriginal people: While Aboriginal people face the same difficulties finding adequate and affordable housing as other Edmontonians, additional social and economic disadvantages, including subtle racism and a lack of credit history, explain why they comprise a disproportionate share of the homeless population.

With inadequate and unsafe housing, many Aboriginal people face the traumatic consequences of losing custody of their children. This can trigger a downward spiral: loss of income from children welfare payments compounds difficulties in finding or maintaining adequate housing and parents are at an increased risk of becoming homeless. Supports to Aboriginal parents are therefore paramount.

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Historic Context: Institutional Capacity Before the SCPI

Edmonton has a long tradition of collaboration among community-based agencies. The Edmonton Coalition on Homelessness, for example, was formed in 1986 with a mandate to develop a co-ordinated and comprehensive response to homelessness.

Governments too have long been involved in the issue. Spurred by the 1988 International Year of the Homeless, the Consultative Committee on Housing was created by the province the following year. In the ensuing four years, a variety of joint federal, provincial and municipal initiatives produced 42,000 units of housing throughout Alberta, most of them in the inner cores of Calgary and Edmonton. The effort was an early example of the continuum of supports approach to homelessness, focussing on many of the underlying causes such as drug addiction, alcoholism and mental illness. The housing initiative created a range of accommodations, group homes, shelters, second- and third-stage housing and independent living.

In the early 1990s, non-profits and government agencies had fewer resources to deal with homelessness. Retaining their commitment to the issue, however, governmental and non-governmental organizations alike continued to collaborate on creative and sustainable solutions to the problem.

COMMUNITY INITIATIVES PRIOR TO THE SCPI

1986
Edmonton Coalition on Homelessness established
Community-based coalition of NGOs and non-profits

1991
Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing established
Government, private sector, NGOs

November 1998
Edmonton Task Force on Homelessness established
Government, NGOs, private sector

1999
Edmonton Housing Trust Fund established
Province, municipality, development community

March 1999
Edmonton Homelessness Count Committee established
Established by Task Force

April 1999
Public Forum/ Consultation
Task Force research

May 1999
A Call to Action released
Task Force report and recommendations

COMMUNITY INITIATIVES THROUGH THE SCPI

May 17-18, 2000
Planning Conference (charette)
Funded by HRDC. Nearly 300 people attended, including the homeless, NGOs, private sector, the Aboriginal community, youth and government representatives. Led to construction of the Community Plan

May 2000
Native Counselling Services of Alberta
Community Consultation on Homefullness report released

November 2000
Edmonton Community Plan on Homelessness Released

Throughout the 1990s, a number of organizations emerged to further the goal of developing a continuum of supports for the homeless. The Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing (EJPCOH), for instance, was established in 1991 and brought together government, the private sector and NGOs.

In recent years, because of funding shortages, EJPCOH had begun focussing more on research than the development of affordable housing. Since then, however, it has taken on substantial responsibilities as one of the two central administrative organizations in the homelessness governance structure.

In late 1998, the provincial government and the city of Edmonton formed the Edmonton Task Force on Homelessness, made up of government, non-profit and private-sector representatives.

Among other things, the task force spearheaded the first attempt to count the number of homeless people in the city. It also sponsored a series of consultations, public forums and research that culminated in the 1999 report Homelessness in Edmonton: A Call to Action.

Institutional Capacity and Structure Prior to the SCPI

Following the release of A Call to Action, a reinvigorated EJPCOH organized and led the community-based consultation process that resulted in the SCPI Community Plan on Homelessness.

In 1999, the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund (EHTF) was formed as a way to raise government, private-sector and community funds for affordable housing. The Trust Fund is a legal entity that represents the province, the municipality and the development community, as well as non-governmental organizations that serve the homeless. It shares with the EJPCOH the lead responsibility for administering SCPI in Edmonton.

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Strength in Community: Creating the Community Plan

While there was significant institutional capacity and activity prior to SCPI, many of these organizations were facing shrinking budgets and had slipped into a period of stasis. SCPI funding re-animated the community groups and helped them regain momentum.

The SCPI was intended to provide opportunities to strengthen the most effective existing practices and catalyze development both within and between agencies. Through its community planning process, the initiative stresses the need to build local capacity, thus mobilizing Edmonton to identify and fill gaps in the continuum of supports for homelessness.

Community consultations: A key requirement for the transfer of SCPI funds is the development of a community plan. Such a plan must be the product of extensive research and community consultation to assess both the needs and the capacities and resources of the community. A community plan should also explore the potential contributions of a range of partners, including all levels of government, the private sector and NGOs.

Funded through the SCPI and spearheaded by the EJPCOH, the plan-writing process in Edmonton involved literature reviews, a two-day, 300-person planning conference called a "charette," and an extensive consultation with the Aboriginal community. In addition, the community plan was strongly influenced by another report, entitled Community Consultation on Homefullness, which was prepared by Native Counselling Services of Alberta.

Developing the Community Plan on Homelessness

The Community Plan: The Edmonton Community Plan on Homelessness 2000-2003, released in November 2000, provides a community-based blueprint for identifying and responding to priority needs.

Key to the plan is the creation of an administrative structure, called a community entity, with leadership roles for two existing organizations: the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing and the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund.

In the plan, the EJPCOH was assigned overall responsibility for coordinating research and planning for affordable, special-needs, and low-income housing. The EJPCOH also became responsible for setting priorities, providing budget estimates and committing support staff to implement and update the community plan.

The Trust Fund, meanwhile, was put in charge of fundraising, soliciting project proposals, approving projects according to the priorities set by the EJPCOH, and overseeing financial agreements with project proponents.

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Governance in the Community Entity

Governance: The community entity attempts to be transparent and accountable for its operations through two mechanisms: the clear separation of duties between the EJPCOH and the EHTF, and the articulation of community goals and priorities in the Community Plan.

Funding: The SCPI injected just over $17 million in Government of Canada funds to the Edmonton community. The guiding principle behind the SCPI, however, is to leverage additional funds from other levels of government, the private sector and the community as a whole. Thus, for each of the three years of the community plan, the Province of Alberta is contributing $1 million to address homelessness, while the city of Edmonton is providing another $1.3 million.

The Edmonton Housing Trust Fund is charged, under the community plan, with raising funds from the community. To formalize relations and promote meaningful dialogue between the Trust Fund and the private sector, Edmonton established a Funders Table, which holds regular planning meetings for stakeholders.

Project selection: At the time this report was written, no projects had received final approval for funding. However, the EHTF introduced a number of innovations into the process of developing and selecting proposals for homelessness projects.

For instance, before a formal tender call goes out, community agencies are encouraged to submit expressions of interest. These are generally less comprehensive, and therefore less time-consuming, for the agencies. At the same time, this approach allows the community entity to gain a feel for both the needs and the potential resources of the community.

Similarly, Edmonton applies a staged approach to final project approval, under which successful project proponents receive their funds only when they were ready to launch and lead their projects.

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Community Mobilization: IMPACT OF THE SCPI

Introduction: Information sharing, joint planning and coordinated service delivery have been an important part of Edmonton's approach to homelessness for some time. The SCPI, however, has enabled the community to build on these practices, to strengthen local capacity and to develop long-term strategies for providing a continuum of supports for the homeless. In particular, the SCPI has strengthened local processes for consultation, governance and accountability, and supplied the community with the resources to proceed with much-needed projects.

Community mobilization in Edmonton comprises four key elements:

• the development of new skills and training, which enables groups or individuals to take on new responsibilities;
• the promotion of best practices through the sharing of information and resources;
• the coordination of tasks to enhance productive collaboration among agencies;
• the development of formal networks to link stakeholders from various sectors.

This section describes the impact of the SCPI on the community's capacity building efforts.

Greater engagement: The revitalization of community organizations spurred by the SCPI has led to increased memberships and improved stakeholder representation. For example, the community entity has made concerted efforts to bring aboard more Aboriginal members and homeless people. It has also provided a framework for collaboration between the health, business and philanthropic communities, as well as representatives from the Edmonton Coalition on Homelessness.

In order to enhance the participation of stakeholders and their ability to represent their respective communities, the EJPCOH, part of the community entity's core governance structure, changed the way it was set up. Of 18 members on the committee, only three now represent government, which increases the relative influence of front-line providers.

Trust Fund matures: The introduction of the SCPI also helped the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund to mature and develop towards its potential. By injecting new funds into the community, the SCPI allowed the EHTF to develop a track record of funding project proposals. That, in turn, attracted the interest of other sources of funding. And, as the fund has grown and developed, it has been able to contribute toward the long-term sustainability of community organizations.

To ease it through this high-growth period, the EHTF borrowed three staff people from HRDC. The personnel aid the Trust Fund in its relations with the community, but do not interfere in the decision-making processes.

Effective dialogue: Under the SCPI community plan, Edmonton's modifications to otherwise routine processes like project selection and funding have helped strengthen capacity in the community. One leading innovation is to call for expressions of interest from agencies before issuing a formal invitation for grant proposals. This gives the Trust Fund a chance to work more closely with community groups during a period when it can best influence a positive outcome.

In particular, the insertion of this early step allows the Trust Fund to identify gaps in service provision in relation to the priorities identified in the community plan. It also gives the Trust Fund a way to encourage the emergence of proposals that would address these gaps. Similarly, by promoting greater dialogue with community agencies, the interim step helps the EHTF recognize and address shortages in community skills and experience. At the very least, community agencies can use the personalized attention from experts and the Trust Fund to learn how to write clearer and more compelling project proposals. They are also learning to better assess and budget for new needs that arise from an expanded role in service delivery.

The call for expressions of interest has proven an extremely popular innovation because it encourages more thoughtful project planning and development that is better targeted to local needs and resources. The procedure does, however, tend to slow down the approval process, which has raised concerns in light of the SCPI's three-year timeframe.

Promoting partnership: In the course of considering project proposals, the Trust Fund also made explicit efforts to connect organizations working on parallel or related projects. This catalyzes beneficial new forms of collaboration and promotes the sharing of information, skills and other resources.

The partnerships are not restricted to the non-profit sector but include businesses as well. Indeed, the Funders Table is a mechanism developed specifically to bring together various groups, particular in the private sector, to focus on common challenges.

Staged implementation: Another innovation is the staged project approval process, which allows the community entity to delay issuing funds to successful proponents until they are ready to implement their projects. This recognizes that some projects can be launched quickly, while other organizations need time to refine their proposals and ready themselves to take on new responsibilities.

Coordinating government responses: At the same time as the SCPI was unfolding, the province of Alberta was beginning to coordinate the roles of various ministries in the homelessness issue and to streamline their interactions with NGOs. However, given the complexity of issues facing homeless people and the limited time and resources of NGOs, this more integrated approach must extend both across and between all levels of government.

Community outreach: Edmonton is making extensive efforts to fulfil its community plan commitments to communicate with homeless people, NGOs, Aboriginal groups, the private sector and the community at large.

The SCPI's emphasis on collaboration, consultation and partnership has drawn people from a wide range of sectors into the planning process. Even groups that have not traditionally provided services to the homeless, including the business and development communities, have become part of the solution.

The community has not yet found a satisfactory way to secure adequate representation from Aboriginal groups and homeless people on its key committees, although it continues to try. For example, by supplying organizations representing these groups with operational support, Edmonton is trying to promote greater involvement by these segments of society. These supports can be as basic as providing groups with a neutral place to hold monthly meetings.

The community plan also devoted significant resources to community awareness programs, in order to increase public understanding about homelessness and the solutions proposed in the community plan.

The most significant outreach effort, however, has focussed on improving the awareness of homeless people of the services that exist for them. The efforts are particularly urgent for homeless Aboriginal people and youth, who seem either unaware of the services or reluctant to take advantage of them.

The community plan therefore calls for the hiring of more outreach workers. It also recommends the training of individuals who already have contact with homeless people in their usual activities, including Aboriginal elders, hospital staff and police officers. Further funds have been dedicated to developing databases of services and housing registries, and hiring referral agents to simplify client access to community resources.

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The Challenges Ahead

For all the positive influence the SCPI has had on the community of Edmonton, significant gaps remain in the availability of affordable housing and related support services, as well as in the capacity of community organizations to fully address the range of needs.

Edmonton's rapidly changing housing market continues to challenge the community. While the CMHC's recently expanded Residential Rental Assistance Program is helping to boost the supply of affordable housing, there is still too big a gap between the low and high ends of the market.

And while experts at the community entity feel there are now sufficient shelter spaces, the immediate and pressing need is to create a continuum between supportive, transitional and affordable housing - a continuum that also includes the support services necessary for independent living.

Existing services, though effective for some populations, do not meet every need. Services run by religious groups, for instance, do not have approaches suitable for Aboriginal people. There are no shelters for homeless couples. Many services have zero tolerance for alcohol, and few have places for storage, with sleeping quarters limited to mats on the floor.

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Summary

Edmonton, which has a long history of collaboration among stakeholders, recognized the potential to build on its mature array of organizations dedicated to providing housing and services to the homeless. Because much of the infrastructure for community mobilization already existed, Edmonton was well positioned to adopt the community entity model for delivering the SCPI.

The infusion of SCPI funds served to support the community's efforts to address homelessness. The community planning process initiated under the SCPI also fostered opportunities for consultation, networking, and collaborative project implementation.

In this model, the community's capacity to respond to homelessness has been enhanced in several ways. For example, important new structures such as the Funders Table were created. The community entity, the principal governing body for the SCPI initiative, was formed by combining the experience and expertise of the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund and the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing, which included from the outset the full range of stakeholders who can help alleviate homelessness.

Edmonton continues to face a number of challenges in developing a long-term continuum of supports for the homeless. There is evidence, however, that the Alberta capital is making progress in addressing them.

For example, while the shortage of affordable and transitional housing remains an ongoing concern, the community is exploring ways to make the best use of available resources by coordinating the complex array of government services and public and private funding streams already available to address housing and homelessness. It was suggested for example, that each level of government have a single point of contact. An integrated and coordinated approach also tends to encourage the emergence of new sources of funding.

Similarly, gaps remain for services for certain groups such as Aboriginal People but efforts are underway to remedy this situation. Overall, NGOs are enhancing their skills and capacities through the development and implementation of proposals. At the same time, they are trying to increase the involvement of the Aboriginal community and other under-represented populations in the search for meaningful and sustainable solutions.

What's more, under the SCPI, the community has developed innovative approaches to addressing homelessness that accurately reflected the needs and capacities of the community. For example, the staged process of project development and selection, involving intensive feedback and discussion between project proponents and funders, fostered the development of skills within individual NGOs, as well as collaborative arrangements among NGOs.

In addition, the SCPI has made significant contributions to building capacity within the community entity. These include:

• the development of SCPI guidelines in close discussion with the provincial and municipal governments to integrate a variety of funding sources;
• the investment of more than $17 million in federal funds to help the Trust Fund develop a track record of project selection that could, in turn, attract more investments from other sources;
• the lending of staff to the Trust Fund to assist in the early stages of development of a continuum of supports.

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