Meeting be adjourned. (8:14 p.m.)

1:49:35Community grants also help build stability for organizations doing important work for residents that align directly with city goals.

1:49:45Funding for the community grants are approved with delegation of authority from Council for a group of appointed residents on the grants allocation panel to make the funding decisions.

1:49:56And then community grants are then reported on annually to Council through an information report. We have one coming forward next week.

1:50:03Next steps for us on the community grant is we are looking at reducing barriers for equity deserving groups to access funding and exploring further exploring the role of the grants allocation panel.

1:50:24Sorry for that. We're not on the next slide yet.

1:50:26We're also investing in innovative funding opportunities.

1:50:32In 2019, Council approved the development of few innovative new funding programs through a reserve fund with community investment.

1:50:41However, in 2020, the pandemic hit and we pivoted towards the emergency fund in 2020 and 2021.

1:50:48We were able to support over a million dollars in funding going out to the community during that critical time to help organizations keep their doors open.

1:50:58In 2022, we began the process to transition back to the new programs.

1:51:03This year, the micro grant program is a new fund to activate neighborhoods and the arts community through small funding opportunities to groups and individuals.

1:51:11The program was developed in partnership with the neighborhood support coalition and the Guelph arts council.

1:51:17And each partner is able to allocate $25,000 back to the community for these resident led projects.

1:51:24Some of those projects include free bike inspection and repair workshops all the way to a ceramic art project exploring themes of mental health.

1:51:33That's just the first phase phase two we're planning in the fall.

1:51:38And we'll be sure to keep you on the loop on that.

1:51:39Next steps with these new programs is looking to further explore those programs for the develop some new programs and see ongoing basis, which we should be continuing.

1:51:52We are also investing in fostering partnerships.

1:51:56Through our CBAs that Dana mentioned, the city is engaged in some system level work by supporting partnerships such as the poverty task force, the willing to go falling to drug strategy and toward common ground.

1:52:07But internally at the city, we also support partnerships with the local immigration partnership being hosted at the city of Guelph and community investment.

1:52:16It's a federally funded initiative created to create a more welcoming community in Guelph that's able to support and integrate newcomers more effectively.

1:52:25We engage with over 50 community partners to create a more welcoming community.

1:52:29We conduct important research and leverage other partners resources to better support and attract newcomers to the city.

1:52:37And we'll now shift to talk about how community investment invests in individuals and primarily through our subsidy programs.

1:52:49Generally subsidies reduce cost barriers for residents to access important city services and support those living with low incomes to contribute to the community, build a sense of belonging and connection.

1:53:02All city subsidy programs are administered centrally in community investment to add efficiency and dignity for users, as well as ensuring greater confidentiality when they're they're accessing services.

1:53:15Community investment receives a subsidy application and sensitive information and assesses the eligibility into different subsidy programs.

1:53:24Affordable bus pass is one of the main city subsidy programs. It started in 2013. And it's the largest program with over 2500 people currently approved.

1:53:36Eligibility for many subsidy programs, including the affordable bus passes based on the low income cut off, which is an income scale.

1:53:46Just for some general context we provided here approval into the subsidy programs for a family of four would be an income of approximately $42,000.

1:53:56City Council recently approved the innovative sliding scale affordable bus pass program at an annual cost $400,000 to significantly help over 1800 people continue to buy monthly passes in light of financial hardships.

1:54:11Sliding scale initial results included hearing about improved quality of life. People are using transit more and increase in purchase a monthly passes.

1:54:21Sliding scale allows users with the lowest income to access a monthly pass of $4 a month and users in the middle to access pass at $20 and all other eligible users receive the regular affordable bus pass 3750.

1:54:39That's a lot of numbers but just to put that into some context needs to maybe imagine one of our users who would be a single mother of two.

1:54:49She's working part time. She uses the bus to get her kids around the city to get to work to go grocery shopping.

1:54:57She falls below the income threshold of about $26,000 and qualifies for a tier B pass.

1:55:04That extra $17.50 a month she's saving allows her to buy the pass more frequently and is able to use those additional monthly savings to help support her family.

1:55:14Next steps with the affordable bus passes will be continuing to monitor monitor the implementation of sliding scale affordable bus pass and adjust the policy to reflect the newly approved program.

1:55:32Next we'll highlight some of the other subsidy programs in our area starting with the fee assistance and recreation or sometimes called fair.

1:55:41Fair offers discounted rates of 80% for adults living with low income to access recreational programs.

1:55:49The city also works closely with the Children's Foundation through a CBA to support recreational subsidies for children.

1:55:57Adult users in the fair program they receive an annual amount that they can apply to the recreational programs that they're choosing.

1:56:04We have approximately 680 people who are currently approved in that program.

1:56:09We also administer the Welcome to Guelph program which is a program for new refugees to Guelph to access transit museums and some recreational programming for the first year that they're in Canada.

1:56:20We work in partnership with local settlement service providers to assess determining eligibility and also to work with their clients in their first language.

1:56:31Users receive access to the program for one year and there are about 750 new refugees that are approved and accessing the program.

1:56:42And finally I'll highlight the PAL program which is our personal assistant for leisure activities program.

1:56:48It supports people with disabilities to access city services with reduced barriers.

1:56:53PAL is a regional program that gives personal assistants free access to programs to ensure the individual user can be supported without any additional costs.

1:57:04We have approximately 125 individuals who use that program last year.

1:57:09The next step on our subsidies is we'll be looking at deepening the fair subsidy to further reduce income barriers and conducting outreach to equity deserving groups.

1:57:18We look forward to deepening and improving our programs in the months ahead as we adapt and respond to the changing needs of the city and the community.

1:57:30The city has a significant role to play in the quality of life of our residents.

1:57:34This is achieved through direct city services but also through the indirect supports to the community and the residents.

1:57:41And by knitting together this work, the community investment helps build a stronger future with equitable, vibrant, safe and healthy communities that foster resilience for people who live here.

1:57:53Thank you for your interest and support and the opportunity to speak with you all today.

1:57:59Thank you. That was informative.

1:58:02Are there any questions?

1:58:05See Councillor Busatel.

1:58:07Chair Downer, thank you to the presenters and I do have to also acknowledge DCAO Clack Bush who spent a lot of time helping me get my head around community investment.

1:58:24So I wanted to recognize her for all her time.

1:58:28To the presenters, I wanted to ask a question about the slide. I think it was the second one, community and neighborhoods.

1:58:37And this is a timely presentation because I obviously was thinking about the earlier one. How does or will this work scaffold a line with the earlier presentation around building grassroots community capacity equity.

1:58:54I'm not speaking about the institutions. I'm talking about the work there is, is there synergy there and then I have a follow up.

1:59:08Yeah, through the chair.

1:59:11Absolutely. So we work closely with community investments and helping build connections to some of the partners that we work with and and fund through CBAs.

1:59:22So often through that staff liaison connection to a CBA, we will work with them to help build that relationship and build that connection.

1:59:32If there is, for example, an engagement opportunity that arises in a particular neighborhood.

1:59:38Thank you. I wasn't specifically thinking about the CBA. I see that as centralization and actually not a positive thing.

1:59:46But thank you for the response. The second question is around, I wrote down about innovative funding opportunities and I did see the flow through micro grants through the arts council and through the GNSE and then team.

2:00:00up with a social media post that I saw yesterday from the clerk.

2:00:04I learned it was a report around transparency showcase from the info and

2:00:10privacy commissioners report and it talked about Guelph being highlighted for its geo data,

2:00:16which is awesome. Excellent. I've looked at that before. And that the city has teamed up with the

2:00:21GNSC to build a map that allows people to add info about events and activities in their communities

2:00:28and that the GNSC has plans to increase its use as a communication tool or to reach residents.

2:00:36And so I started to wonder about these micro grants and giving funding to, you know,

2:00:41these central organizations. And my question is, is there a master plan for community investment?

2:00:49Because it seems as though there are connections already happening and I would hear on just

2:00:54discovering them. Is there a master plan? And the second part to that is, if there is a master plan,

2:01:00what is the evaluation that comes as part of that master plan? And specifically the third slide

2:01:07that the assumptions that underline community investment of working more effectively and

2:01:12efficiently and reducing barriers and access to services. And so I'm looking for, is there a master

2:01:19plan or how does this all happen? And where does the accountability come back in terms of the

2:01:26evaluation and areas that are missing? Great. Through the chair. Thank you for the question.

2:01:36So in terms of a master plan, I guess the closest we have will be the community investment strategy,

2:01:41which guides the different funding programs and subsidies that we offer in community investment.

2:01:48And in terms of evaluation, that would fall into our annual reporting. And so part of that

2:01:53reporting is gathering information from the different grant recipients, the different

2:01:59CBA holders and compiling that into a broader document that we then share back with council.

2:02:07Thank you. Just a supplement. I've looked at that. It's not a report. I'm asking about an

2:02:12evaluation against the assumptions underpinning community investment of working more effectively

2:02:19and efficiently and reducing barriers, access to services. So I'm asking about an evaluation

2:02:27and not a report because I had looked at the report. Through the chair, I will add in as well.

2:02:37Certainly there isn't a formal mechanism in evaluating what is more efficient. I don't know

2:02:44how we define that. We use it certainly in community feedback, in community response, in community need,

2:02:51where we do hit that evaluation around effectiveness is defining those goals and objectives within

2:02:57that is outlined in our legal agreement with individual organizations and associations,

2:03:04where we add that accountability lens then is in the public realm, where we share that

2:03:10information in great detail with you. We do as well now report more robustly on organizations

2:03:16that receive more than $200,000 in funding. So that information data was all counted and

2:03:23collaborated and shared certainly internally before and now we see more publicly. And our

2:03:28mechanism was within that report to add comment. So I realize that you've sort of seen that report

2:03:35if there's something specific to a specific organization or if you think there's something

2:03:39that we haven't exposed publicly, it is available and it is public information. We'd be happy to

2:03:45have a conversation with you. Thank you. Nothing specific. Again, it goes to my understanding

2:03:51and please correct me if I'm incorrect. Having followed since 2012, working more efficiently

2:03:58and effectively, my assumption is then the city of Guelph, where my understanding of the community

2:04:06investment focuses, are there organizations and this was also echoed in your presentation that

2:04:12can do it better. And so where's the evaluation? If you don't want to use the word more effectively

2:04:17and more efficiently, that can do it better. Betterly, that's not a word, but it can do it better.

2:04:24That is my question around the evaluation of this. So I think that's part of the consideration in

2:04:34terms of the intake of CBAs to determine at that staff review table, is it more effective in talking

2:04:42to the departments that are most closely affected by it? And so gathering that expertise from the

2:04:48staff in the areas that would potentially be involved in that work to have that department

2:04:55be able to say yes, that is more efficient and effective. So it is part of that assessment process.

2:05:04Thank you. I'll leave the rest for comments. Other accounts for work?

2:05:14Thanks, Chair. I'm going to start by just have two really pretty quick ones.

2:05:18Before I ran for council, I did some work with the Canadian Index of Well-Being. So I know that in

2:05:232011, Guelph was the first municipality to do the full assessment of community well-being. So

2:05:30it's a really robust model with eight domains, data-driven, designed by national experts and all

2:05:37this stuff. And so I think that was the precursor to this strategy. And so I'm going to assume,

2:05:44back in 2012, that the intent of community investment was to identify gaps in community

2:05:50well-being. So if you've never seen what that looked like, it was sliced and diced by revenue,

2:05:59by household income, by ward, by proximity that people live to a park. I mean, there's tons and

2:06:06tons and tons of detail there. So we've moved away from the community well-being, Canadian Index of

2:06:12Well-Being model. And so do we still have that sort of robust ability to see, oh, this initiative

2:06:21will actually help meet two or three of the policy objectives? There was, I think at the time,

2:06:28a clear expectation to be able to measure improvement over time on some of these things.

2:06:33So I'm just wondering, what's the driver of the strategy now and how do we measure progress?

2:06:49Through the chair. Yeah, it's a great question. So currently, we're looking at a few different

2:06:57pieces in terms of measurement. Primarily with the grant program, for example, we look at

2:07:05the community plan and some of the goals that are in that plan as a driving force.

2:07:11Going forward, we're looking to the strategic plan and making connections directly with those city

2:07:16goals to measure the impact. Thanks. And through you, Chair Downer, my next question is really

2:07:26technical. So I'm going to ask you about the fee assistance and recreation program.

2:07:33What happens if somebody doesn't know about going through the Children's Foundation? So I think we're

2:07:39seeing, well, you hear a lot of families where suddenly there's a divorce. It's a family that

2:07:44appears to be doing really well. There's a separation of some kind. Suddenly, they need to pay for two

2:07:50apartments and wealth. And suddenly, people can find themselves in pretty dire straits or a family

2:07:55that appears to be doing really well and there's a job loss. And suddenly, their whole world's

2:08:01upside down. So if people don't know about these programs or aren't already associated with the

2:08:07Children's Foundation, what's the mechanism for them to find out about fee assistance programs?

2:08:17Yes, we look to a number of different ways to share that information across different

2:08:25platforms with our communications department. And so that is something that we'll be looking at

2:08:31going forward, is much more wanting to reach maybe different populations than before,

2:08:39some equity deserving groups that we know are gaps in the service. And so we'll be working with them

2:08:43to identify new promotional opportunities to make sure that the work gets out. Thanks. So through

2:08:48your Chair Downer, I would just make comment. It would be helpful if we had that information,

2:08:52because increasingly, I'm hearing from people who are saying I'm trying to find a job,

2:08:56increasing them. And it's not necessarily in the neighborhoods you would suspect,

2:09:02but I think that, well, I know a lot goes on behind closed doors and a lot of families are

2:09:09struggling. So if you can share that with us increasingly, I'm trying to direct people to

2:09:13places where they can have some additional support. So we appreciate that. Okay.

2:09:25They're ready to get Councillor Cajun. Thank you. Through your Chair Downer. I was just interested

2:09:34in terms of the income structure that we're using for things like the Affordable Bus Passes,

2:09:41because I know as a single parent of only one child, I just thought about 42,000 with four kids,

2:09:51and think as a single parent, there's a gap there that we're missing in terms of people

2:09:58that could probably use a discount in some of those services. Is there an opportunity to maybe

2:10:03expand that a little bit in terms of what the income level that we're supporting looks like?

2:10:16Through the Chair. Thank you for the question. We're always looking for

2:10:24new challenges, new barriers that maybe haven't been identified previously,

2:10:30and that is something that we could look at in the future. There was a time a few years ago where

2:10:37we did come forward looking at a different scale, and the decision at that time was to

2:10:43stay with the scale that we have now. But that is something that we're constantly

2:10:49checking on and looking at and consulting with different experts in the field as well to understand

2:10:54if we're meeting the need. If I may add through the Chair, ultimately our subsidy programs are all

2:11:03funded to sort of right size the original costs. So we see and understand how much funding is

2:11:13required to help support. It's not a sort of in-kind model. So when the original or the

2:11:19alternative scale from the sort of LIKO scale was presented, it just wasn't able to be funded. So

2:11:26these are things that can certainly come through the budget process. We review all these programs

2:11:31on a regular basis, if not annually. And so any recommendations we would have, you'll see come

2:11:36forward as a part of budget as well. Great. I would love to see some more options. I think that

2:11:43would be great. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any more questions or comments? Councillor Boussadio?

2:11:55Yes, thank you. I think Councillor Ororok's question was getting at the crux of what I was

2:12:00trying to get around the evaluation. And I understand and I've seen the reporting,

2:12:05but it's more the tangible measurements of whether or not we're making a difference and

2:12:13is there progress. And that self-reflection in slide number six of approving the funding envelope

2:12:20and so on, and I assume the staff reflect back and bring it back to the department and say,

2:12:27are we at a point where this is something that is more efficient and more effective to bring in,

2:12:33especially in consideration of the presentation we had earlier on the One City One Voice and

2:12:38around communication and engagement. That is a question that I have. And so I'd really like to

2:12:45see some kind of an evaluation within a framework in there. And I'm concerned that it's not there.

2:12:52And at the same time, I'm hearing of community benefit agreements as a place where agencies

2:13:00feel that they can come and get funding for things that are kind of outside of our mandate.

2:13:07And I'm a little bit concerned around the sustainability of that.

2:13:12Thank you. Are there any more questions or comments?

2:13:23Pretty good. Thank you. Thank you for that presentation. And I get another interesting

2:13:30point raised around those issues around the community investments. Is there anything else

2:13:36anybody would like to add or question? Okay. I'm going to ask for a motion to adjourn.

2:13:47Councillor Richardson and seconded by Councillor Klassen.

2:13:51Anyone opposed? Okay. We're adjourned. Thank you.