The region will consider a request from the Cambridge YWCA for $1.4 million to help the organization plan for a new 20-bed 24/7 emergency women's shelter somewhere in the city, in addition to close to $80,000 in startup costs.
The recommendation from staff comes with the caveat that it will require "a location, significant, and unknown capital funding support and considerable time to become operational."
Another funding request aimed at tackling chronic homelessness from Marillac Residence in Kitchener could see the creation of 15-units of transitional housing and 15-units of supportive housing for pregnant women and young mothers.
That organization's request for operating and capital funding for a new build comes with a capital cost estimate of around $21 million and over $700,000 in annual operating costs.
The requests are part of a report headed to the region's community and health services committee next week, and included among recommendations in the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, a multi-pronged approach the region will table as part of next year's budget discussions that includes recommended funding of $11.1 million to implement the plan.
The recommendations to consider funding the two shelters asks for council's support to direct staff to enter discussions with the organizations and bring any recommendations back to council for consideration.
The Cambridge YWCA and Marillac Place requests are among those that met scoring criteria established in a "Fee for Service Request and Proposal Response Protocol" put in place for the 2024 budget process.
Although the requests meet criteria in the protocol, staff believe they require further discussion.
Starting in 2022, the region's housing services department began to receive a number of funding requests from community agencies that provide services and programs focused on ending or preventing experiences of homelessness.
In February of this year, council directed staff to report back with funding recommendations, at which time staff developed the protocol to evaluate the applications.
The YWCA and Marillac Place are among nine service organizations that help reduce homelessness that the region is recommending for regional support through the funding allocation model.
They include Argus Residence and Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services in Cambridge.
Staff is recommending council approve $3.1 million in immediate budget needs for organizations that met the criteria.
Cambridge's Argus House is eligible for $55,718 to hire a FirstConnect community worker and Porchlight is eligible for $299,520 in sustainable funding for recovery supportive housing.
Many of these organizations shared in temporary COVID-response funding from the provincial and federal governments starting in 2020. When that funding ended, the region continued to fund many of the agencies' new and enhanced programs, creating budget pressures.
Agencies were asked to apply through the protocol and their requests were scored on an "evaluation matrix" that used housing first principles, funding guidelines for federal and provinial programs, equity-focused service provision, collaboration with the broader housing stability system and an ability to report on program outcomes.
The region received 19 proposals but the vast majority were from organizations that already had funding agreements with the region.
If regional councillors approve adding $3.1 million to the Housing Services operating budget, it will bump the tax levy impact for those services from 7.3 per cent to 8 per cent.
