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Terms and Conditions
Homelessness Partnering Strategy

Class grant and class contribution program

Table of Contents

1. Program Description

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) promotes strategic partnerships and structures, including housing solutions and supports, to assist homeless persons and those at risk of becoming homeless move toward self sufficiency. The HPS recognizes that a stable living arrangement is a basic requirement for improving health, parenting, education, and employment. As a result, communities are encouraged to develop longer-term solutions to address their homelessness-related needs.

The HPS, through stabilizing the lives of homeless and at-risk individuals, contributes to Human Resources and Skills Development’s (HRSD) vision to build a stronger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives, and to improve Canadians’ quality of life.

The HPS recognizes that the first steps toward self sufficiency are to reduce individuals’ risk of homelessness, and to ensure stable living arrangements for those who are homeless. Community based projects provide support to help ensure that people who are homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless can stabilize their circumstances and move beyond emergency needs. Once in stable housing, other supports can be introduced as required to improve health, parenting, education, and employment outcomes. As a result, communities are encouraged to foster the creation of longer term solutions, especially supports and tools that help develop stable living arrangements, as well as facilitate permanent arrangements and economic integration for homeless individuals.

The first three funding streams under the HPS focus on the needs of homeless and at-risk individuals at the local level, and provide funding to help them gain and maintain a stable living arrangement.

• Designated Communities: This stream funds projects in 61 designated communities, primarily major urban centres, identified as having a significant problem with homelessness. HPS funds are targeted to local priorities identified by the community, and must be cost matched (directly or in kind) by other funding partners contributing to the community plan.
• Rural and Remote Homelessness: This stream funds projects in non designated communities in rural and remote areas of the country. This stream has adopted a two tiered approach that is based on the rural population, excluding populations in designated communities. The first tier of communities with a population of 25,000 and under is the priority. The second tier of communities of over 25,000 will receive financial support, depending on availability of funds. Projects that address prevention and reduction of homelessness are eligible for funding. This funding stream does not require cost matching, although partnerships are strongly encouraged.
• Aboriginal Homelessness: This stream funds projects delivered primarily by Aboriginal service providers, to address the specific needs of off reserve homeless Aboriginal population. It includes activities that promote inclusion within the Aboriginal community and that are congruent with Aboriginal identity and practices to ensure services are integrated and culturally-appropriate. In addition, services and supports for off-reserve Aboriginal people who are homeless or at risk may also be funded under both the Designated Communities and Rural and Remote Homelessness funding streams.

The three remaining funding streams provide the means to develop and explore innovative methods, as well as horizontal approaches to addressing issues related to homelessness including: effective reporting on the homeless population using shelters; data development and collection; evidence-based knowledge development; and the sharing of best practices. They provide a source of data and research, which lead to the continual improvement to supports and efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada.

• Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects: Under this funding stream, the Minister of HRSD is authorized to develop horizontal pilot projects between the Homelessness Partnering Secretariat and other relevant federal programs/policies whose outcomes affect or are affected by homelessness. The key objective of pilot projects is to facilitate broader involvement of the federal family in developing solutions to homelessness, recognizing the multi faceted nature of the issues. Pilot projects accomplish this by: addressing the common risk factors or client groups associated with homelessness and other policy areas; preventing homelessness by addressing its root causes; and reducing the impact of homelessness on other policy areas, and vice versa. Pilot projects under the renewed HPS will focus on key populations and policy areas of interest to the federal government.
• Homelessness Knowledge Development: This stream provides grants and contributions to stakeholders for activities related to: data development; research and analysis; the reinforcing of information-sharing networks; the sharing of best practices; identification of best practices in service delivery, including international best practices; and research partnerships with other levels of government (e.g., provinces and territories). In particular, emphasis will be placed on strengthening the relevance of research and dissemination of research at the community level in order to support communities.
• National Homelessness Information System (NHIS): This stream supports the federal government’s information and data needs to inform policy through maintenance of the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) software. This system is a data development initiative for the collection and analysis of baseline data primarily related to the use of emergency shelters in Canada. As a policy and research tool, NHIS supports the Homelessness Partnering Secretariat by providing information on the size and characteristics of Canada’s homeless population. This information contributes to: an increased understanding of homelessness in Canada; informed policy development; and improved planning and development of effective measures to prevent and reduce homelessness. Primarily used as a federal policy tool, NHIS information also serves stakeholders across the country, including service providers, researchers and multiple levels of government. In addition, NHIS provides operational support to shelters and other facilities through the provision of HIFIS software and training support, and through contribution agreements for Community Coordinators. The NHIS includes both HIFIS and non-HIFIS data sources and will be maintained and updated under the renewed HPS with a specific focus on data collection and sharing.

Transitional Provisions

In order to ensure a smooth transition for agreement holders from the current HPS to the renewed, and to allow for the necessary close-out activities required to complete existing HPS projects, Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD) will work with current HPS agreement holders to extend Grants and Contributions agreements under the renewed Terms and Conditions, where required. This will ensure existing activities are completed and clients continue to have ongoing access to services.

Agreement extensions and/or renewals will be provided for a period of up to one year, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure the provision of one of the following:

• The proper close-out of current agreements, including capital projects, where time is required beyond March 31, 2011, to ensure the sufficient completion of planned agreement activities;
• Where the Shared Delivery model is used, CABs will recommend renewal of eligible ongoing service projects for up to one year, without using a Call for Proposals process;
• Where the Community Entity model is used, CABs will recommend the continuation of eligible activities where required (this may include capital investments that need to be completed as well as ongoing client services);
• Current national funding stream projects where it is ascertained that the additional time provided by the extension would mitigate delays and facilitate more comprehensive research findings or more robust project evaluation results (Homelessness Knowledge Development and Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects).

2. Objectives and Expected Results

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) aims to prevent and reduce homelessness across Canada. It does so by developing partnerships that contribute to a sustainable and comprehensive continuum of supports to help those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness move towards self-sufficiency. It mobilizes partners at the federal-provincial/territorial and community levels to address barriers to well-being faced by homeless individuals and those at risk.

These objectives support Human Resources and Skills Development’s (HRSD) strategic objective in the Program Activity Architecture: “income security, access to opportunities and well-being for individuals, families and communities,” by facilitating greater social and economic integration of homeless individuals and those at risk of homelessness. The HPS promotes the November 19, 2008 Speech from the Throne commitment to help Canadians who face barriers to participation in the economy and society, and the March 3, 2010 Speech from the Throne commitment to support communities in their efforts to tackle local challenges through a community-based approach.

For the purpose of these Terms and Conditions, the HPS is a class contribution and class grant program. The objectives of the HPS will be achieved through the following funding streams:

• Designated Communities (class contribution);
• Rural and Remote Homelessness (class contribution);
• Aboriginal Homelessness (class contribution);
• Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects (class contribution);
• Homelessness Knowledge Development (class contribution and class grant);
• National Homelessness Information System (class contribution); and
• Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative (under separate Terms and Conditions, with outcomes rolled up into HPS).

By March 31, 2014, the HPS will contribute to the achievement of the following direct outcomes:

• Partners are engaged: Through community and strategic partnership development, as well as knowledge development and dissemination, the HPS serves as a catalyst for partnerships at the community level, between governments and across the federal government. Through its role as a catalyst, the HPS increases partners’ involvement in HPS-related activities, aligns efforts and priorities, and maximizes the contributions of all stakeholders. Through the engagement of partners, the HPS facilitates the development of a seamless continuum of supports and services. Partners include key stakeholders within communities, municipalities, Aboriginal organizations, provincial and territorial governments, federal government departments and agencies, and research bodies, among others. This is measured through:
  • Level of federal-provincial/territorial (F-P/T) engagements;
  • Number of partners at the community-level on Homelessness Knowledge Development projects;
  • Number of other federal government partners on Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects;
  • Amount of funding leveraged in support projects under the Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative; and
  • Number of funding partners at the community level (in communities delivering the HPS under the Community Entity model).
• Communities have the means to address homelessness: Through the HPS support of community planning and priority setting, data development and coordination, partnership development, as well as through ensuring that funded projects meet identified priorities, communities have the resources and understanding to target homelessness supports and services to the areas of greatest need based on local circumstances. This is measured through:
  • Number of different rural/remote communities receiving HPS funding;
  • Amount invested by external partners in HPS-funded projects for every dollar invested by HPS; and
  • Number of properties transferred under the Surplus Federal Real Property for Homelessness Initiative.
• Investments are strategic and aligned: Through the administration of grants and contributions, development of partnerships and associated tools, the HPS invests funds in a manner that targets the greatest needs and affected client groups while ensuring that those investments complement those of other stakeholders and partners. This is measured through:
  • Number of Community Advisory Boards (CABs) with P-T representation;
  • Percentage of HPS funding focused on capital investments or services that address longer-term solutions to homelessness;
  • Percentage of HPS funding spent on capital investments in supportive and transitional facilities relative to capital investments in all residential facilities;
  • Percentage of HPS client service projects that provide employment development services; and
  • Percentage of community planning priorities addressed by projects at the community level.
• Enhanced understanding of homelessness: Through results reporting and analysis, and knowledge development and dissemination, communities, partners and stakeholders, as well as all orders of government, will have access to the information required to: increase understanding of the causes of homelessness; the increased capacity to correlate factors impacting housing stability; a better understanding of the services required and available to address homelessness; and innovative approaches and best practices to address the unique needs of homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. This is measured through:
  • Number of Data Sharing Protocols signed;
  • Number of shelters exporting data to the National Homelessness Information System;
  • Number of completed Homelessness Knowledge Development projects; and
  • Number of knowledge transfer events.

3. Legislative Authority

On December 19, 2006, the Government of Canada announced the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), which provided $269.6M over two years (April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2009), to help prevent and reduce homelessness.

On September 4, 2008, the Government of Canada extended the HPS for two years, until March 31, 2011, including an additional $269.6M for that period.

The HPS was renewed from April 1, 2011 until March 31, 2014, at the same funding level of $134.8M per year.

The HPS is delivered under the authority of Section 7 of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Act, which provides that the Minister may, in exercising the powers and performing the duties and functions assigned by the Act, establish and implement programs designed to support projects or other activities that contribute to the development of human resources of Canada and the skills of Canadians, and the Minister may make grants and contributions in support of the programs.

4. Class of Recipients

The following class of recipients is eligible for both grant and contribution funding for all HPS funding streams: not-for-profit organizations; individuals; municipal governments; for-profit enterprises; research organizations and institutes; public health and educational institutions; Band/tribal councils; and other Aboriginal organizations. These groups are eligible to receive funding and act as coordinators for activities. Health and Social Services Agencies are eligible for funding consistent with a formal Canada-Quebec agreement.

For-profit enterprises are eligible for funding provided that the nature and intent of the activity is non-commercial, does not generate profit, and fits within the community plan or identified local need where community plans are not required. Individuals, for-profit enterprises and research organizations and institutes may also receive funding to carry out research that aims to help communities understand and address homelessness issues.

Where municipalities serve as a Community Entity, concurrence from the province or territory should be sought.

4.1. Eligible Communities

Designated Communities
Activities in designated communities are not eligible for funding under the Rural and Remote Homelessness funding stream. There are two classes of communities that receive funding from the Designated Communities funding stream: “most affected”, and “other affected”.

Currently, 61 communities are eligible for Designated Communities funding.

Most Affected Communities
The communities currently identified as most affected are Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Québec City and Halifax. These ten communities receive 80% of the Designated Communities allocation; activities in these communities are also eligible for funding under the Aboriginal Homelessness funding stream.

Other Affected Communities
In addition, other communities or a group of communities working jointly in a single geographic area, with demonstrable homelessness problems are eligible for funding under the Designated Communities stream. These communities were specifically identified based on demonstrated need. This identification was done in consultation between the federal and provincial or territorial governments. Currently, 51 communities fall under this category and receive 20% of the Designated Communities allocation. Activities in these communities are also eligible to receive funding under the Aboriginal Homelessness funding stream.

A list of these 51 communities is attached as Annex A.

Rural and Remote Homelessness Eligibility
Organizations in non-designated communities are eligible for the Rural and Remote Homelessness funding stream funding through a tiered approach based mainly on the rural population size. The first tier of communities with a population of 25,000 and under is the priority for funding. The second tier will be directed to communities over 25,000 that are non-designated communities, subject to the availability of funding.

5. Eligible Projects

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) funds activities that contribute to its objectives, while reflecting local realities. Projects must focus on activities that help ensure people who are homeless and/or at risk of becoming homeless are able to stabilize their living arrangements and circumstances and move beyond emergency needs. A strong emphasis is placed on supporting the coordinated delivery of services to prevent and break the cycle of homelessness and on establishing sustainable, longer-term solutions. Federal funds are targeted, but not limited to services that support employment readiness, transitional and supportive housing and related services to help homeless individuals gain and maintain stable living arrangements.

In designated communities, community plans are expected to identify the proportion of the HPS allocation the Community Advisory Board intends to devote to specific priorities. This may result in caps on project amounts to ensure funds are available to address other priorities.

5.1 Community Plan

Designated communities are required to develop a comprehensive community plan which identifies local needs and funding priorities. Community plans, developed through an inclusive community process and endorsed by a Community Advisory Board (or appropriate forum pursuant to a formal Canada-Quebec Agreement), ensure a coordinated response to address the needs of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The funding priorities for the HPS are submitted to Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD) for review and approval by the appropriate authority, and are to provide a long-term vision to respond to these identified needs. Projects funded through the Designated Communities stream must address one or more priorities identified in the community plan. If requirements change, communities may update their HPS funding priorities and resubmit to HRSD for approval by the appropriate authority.

Activities funded by the HPS in designated communities must be sustainable, and recipients must provide a sustainability plan that demonstrates ongoing funding to maintain the activities after the HPS funding ends. Where this is not possible, service projects must have an exit strategy in place before a recommendation for funding can be made. In particular, in order to ensure project sustainability, new major capital projects may require formal concurrence of the province or territory prior to commencement of construction.

The community plan is expected to be an evolving document, focused on the long-term, changing over time to respond to changing community needs, and not focused solely on federal funding.

The community plan should capture the priorities of all affected populations within that community, including Aboriginal people, youth, and Official Language Minority Communities. Each Community Advisory Board is responsible for allocating a level of funding for Aboriginal homelessness that is representative of the percentage of the Aboriginal population in that community. Where feasible and appropriate, Aboriginal groups working with people who are homeless should be considered as the preferred funding recipients to deliver services to homeless or at-risk Aboriginal people. Communities must also consider the applicable requirements of the Official Languages Act in their planning and decision-making processes supported by the HPS.

Community Advisory Boards in designated communities are required to assess and update their community plans to ensure that investments are recorded, and that the plan continues to address the community’s needs. The Community Advisory Board is also responsible for promoting arrangements whereby shelter data is collected and shared, and that Community Performance Indicators, once developed and implemented, are tracked and reported on. In order to meet data collection requirements at the community level, designated communities may use a proportion of their funding allocation for data development and coordination activities.

Provincial/territorial priorities and programs are also to be considered during the community planning process to ensure alignment of federal, provincial/territorial, and local efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness. To achieve alignment, Community Advisory Boards should include provincial/territorial representatives; provinces and territories may have a formal role in community priority setting.

The nature and level of provincial/territorial involvement will be determined based on discussions between federal and provincial/territorial officials. In some instances F-P/T arrangements that formally provide for collaboration in achieving HPS objectives may result in alternative collaboration processes and delivery models. This may include combinations of roles and responsibilities that result in the concerted action of governments and communities for community planning and the selection of projects to be funded by the HPS.

Community plans and cost-matching are not required for the Rural and Remote Homelessness and Aboriginal Homelessness funding streams. Applicants must demonstrate: how their projects meet the overall objectives of the HPS; a need for a particular client group or service; community support; and, where possible, the inclusion of other partners in the project.

5.2 Delivery Models

All three regionally-delivered funding streams use one of two delivery models—the Community Entity model or the Shared Delivery model:

• Community Entity Model – Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD), based on a recommendation from the Community Advisory Board, entrusts a community body, often the community’s municipal government, with the ability to select and manage Homelessness Partnering Strategy projects in their area. A Community Entity is normally an incorporated organization that is responsible for the implementation of a community plan, in whole or in part. Under the Community Entity model, all requests for funding must go through the Community Entity, which is responsible for: publishing Calls for Proposals; approving projects recommended by the Community Advisory Board; contracting and monitoring all agreements they hold with third-party service providers; reporting on its activities and disbursements; data and information collection and sharing; and reporting on the results and outcomes for these agreements.
• Shared Delivery Model – Where a Community Entity does not exist, HRSD works in partnership with the community to support funding priorities, resulting in a joint selection and decision-making process. Where appropriate, partners also include the province/territory. HRSD is responsible for project approval, negotiation and preparation of the contribution agreement, as well as monitoring and results reporting.

When planning project selection processes outside the designated communities where there are no community planning and Call for Proposals requirements, Service Canada and Community Entities develop other mechanisms to engage stakeholders such as Regional Advisory Boards (RABs), or call on appropriate existing mechanisms.

Communities will be strongly encouraged to move towards the Community Entity model, with the goal of phasing out the Shared Delivery model, where feasible, for all three regionally-delivered funding streams, by March 31, 2013.

5.3 Eligible Activities

Below are the key activities eligible for funding under the Homelessness Partnering Strategy:

1. Capital Investments (e.g., pre-development, purchase, construction, renovation and purchase of appliances and furniture)
   • emergency shelter facilities
   • transitional housing facilities
   • supportive housing facilities
   • non-residential facilities
2. Client Services Activities may include:
   • assistance to address basic needs such as shelter and food services;
   • Individual support services and other case-managed support services (including referrals to treatment or health services);
   • assistance with housing placement and housing retention e.g., services to transition people out of homelessness, or help those at imminent risk of homelessness to remain housed;
   • bridging to existing employment programs or removing barriers to employment or skill enrichment to facilitate labour market readiness.
3. Community Coordination, Partnership Development and Data Management Activities may include:
   • coordination of community consultation; community planning; and needs assessment
   • local research and information collection and sharing (specific to the particular community);
   • partnership and network development; and coordination of service provision; and
   • emergency shelter usage data collection activities; data development; data coordination activities; and reporting on, for example, progress against Community Performance Indicators, once developed and implemented.
4. Administrative Activities
   • For projects at the national level only:
5. Homelessness Knowledge Development Activities may include:
   • research, dissemination, analysis and studies, including those on: best practices; regional, national and international experiences; and the feasibility of adopting specific approaches
6. Horizontal Pilot Projects
   • Activities may include any of the above, including pilot project evaluation activities.

5.4 Ineligible Activities

All Homelessness Partnering Strategy funding streams:

• activities and supports taking place on-reserve;
• software development and/or the purchase of hardware for the collection and/or management of homelessness data that results in an inability to participate in the National Homelessness Information System initiative; and
• software development and/or the purchase of hardware for the collection and management of homelessness data that constitutes a redundant use of funds and duplicates activities already offered through the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) software.

For example: purchasing alternative software that performs similar functions to the HIFIS software

Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects:

• capital investments over $25,000

Homelessness Knowledge Development:

• capital investments
• Client Services
• Community Coordination, Partnership Development and Data Management

National Homelessness Information System projects:

• capital investments
• Client Services

6. Eligible Expenditures

Financial assistance may be provided to cover such costs as presented in sections 6.1.1 and 6.1.2 below.

6.1.1. Direct costs of activities

Specific costs may include, but are not limited to:

• rented space to hold consultations or public meetings;
• costs associated with conducting focus groups to inform research or the planning or assessment process;
• the hiring of a consultant to facilitate the planning process and to draft the plan under the community’s direction;
• costs associated with publication and distribution of the community plan (e.g., layout, printing, postage, translation, etc.);
• architectural costs for new buildings or construction;
• property zoning and/or property assessment activities;
• wages and mandatory employment-related costs (MERCS) for staff directly involved in project activities;
• purchase or lease of land;
• purchase or lease of buildings;
• capital assets, furniture, appliances, fixtures;
• honoraria;
• costs of building, buying, renovating or making additions to shelter space, supportive or transitional housing;
• supplies and equipment required to carry out an approved project;
• food, clothing, personal and household items to help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless;
• costs associated with the provision of emergency assistance to assist homeless people or those at risk of homelessness to secure housing or housing-related services. These funds are not to be disbursed directly to individuals, but used for costs and services associated with their needs;
• costs associated with conferences;
• disbursements for research or technical studies;
• research materials;
• costs for continuum of support activities and services such as interpersonal support, outreach support activities and enhancing the skills of the front-line staff of service organizations that work directly with the homeless population; and
• costs associated with emergency shelter usage data collection activities; data development; data coordination activities; and reporting on progress against community performance indicators.

6.1.2 Administrative Costs

Eligible administrative costs include, but are not limited to:

• wages and MERCS for administrative staff;
• fringe benefits;
• administrative support and supplies;
• licenses, permits and fees for professional service;
• disability needs;
• banking fees and interest charges;
• utilities, office supplies, travel, insurance, rental of office space, leasing or purchase of office equipment, costs of audits, evaluations and assessments; and
• administrative costs incurred by Community Entities in the delivery and management of contribution funds under the Homelessness Partnering Strategy to a third party.

Note: Administrative costs should not normally exceed 15% of the Human Resources and Skills Development contribution.

6.2 Ineligible Costs

The following costs are not eligible under the following Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) funding streams:

All HPS funding streams:

• costs associated with activities or supports that take place on-reserve;
• software development and/or the purchase of hardware for the collection and/or management of homelessness data that results in an inability to participate in the National Homelessness Information System; and
• software development and/or the purchase of hardware for the collection and management of homelessness data that constitutes a redundant use of funds and duplicates activities already offered through the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) software.
  For example, costs for purchasing alternative software that performs similar functions to the HIFIS software

Homelessness Knowledge Development and National Homelessness Information System:

• architectural costs for new buildings or construction;
• property zoning and/or property assessment activities;
• environmental assessments (in accordance with the Canadian Environmental Act);
• purchase or lease of land;
• purchase or lease of buildings;
• costs of building, buying, renovating or making additions to shelter space, supportive or transitional housing;
• food, clothing, personal and household items to aid people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless;
• costs for continuum of support activities and services such as interpersonal support, outreach support activities (although costs of skills enhancement for service organization staff are eligible under the National Homelessness Information System).
• the hiring of a consultant to facilitate the planning process and to draft the Community Plan under the community’s direction;
• costs associated with publication and distribution of the community plan (e.g., layout, printing, postage, etc.);
• costs associated with the provision of emergency assistance to assist homeless people or those at risk of homelessness to secure housing or housing-related services; and
• administrative costs incurred by Community Entities in the delivery and management of contribution funds under the Homelessness Partnering Strategy to a third party.

Homelessness Knowledge Development:

• capital investments, furniture, appliances, fixtures.

7. Funding Formula 

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) uses a funding allocation model to determine the total envelope of funding for each of the funding streams. The Designated Communities funding stream has a set allocation for each of the 61 designated communities, based on historical allocations. For the Aboriginal Homelessness and the Rural and Remote Homelessness funding streams, allocations to the regions are set by the Homelessness Partnering Secretariat. For the remaining funding streams, allocations are set by the Homelessness Partnering Secretariat based on plans and priorities, and in the case of Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects, based on the partnering opportunities that arise.

The Department reserves the right to make adjustments to the third-year allocations of Designated Communities, based on actual level of commitments and expenditures in years one and two of the Strategy.

Exceptional/Emergency situations
Situations outside the control of a community may arise, that could not have been reasonably foreseen when a community revised or developed its community plan. In such exceptional cases, the community may revise its community plan priorities to address the situation and, if all funding allocated to that community for the current fiscal year has already been expended, an appropriate incremental federal contribution may be made to address the emergency, based on demonstrated financial need, the availability of funds, and approval by the Minister. All other provisions in these Terms and Conditions would continue to apply.

Funds from Other Sources
Coordinated efforts of multiple partners are required to address homelessness. In addition to stakeholders jointly identifying priorities and strategies, the community planning process in designated communities also involves identifying the sources of funding for each community priority. The sum of all the resources committed to implementing the community plan is called the “community contribution”. This “community contribution” may include funding from other partners such as provincial/territorial and municipal governments, donations from private foundations or corporations, charitable donations and in-kind services. All resources making up the “community contribution” must be targeted to activities that address the community plan priorities, and include contributions made to specific projects funded by the HPS. An estimate of all the funding sources making up the community contribution is indicated in the community plan, and a minimum of $1 must be identified for every dollar of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy allocation to the designated community.

Project Funding Level
Following the external review and recommendation for project funding, the internal assessment of the amount a recipient will be eligible to receive is completed by experienced and trained staff, including financial advisors. This ensures that an informed assessment of the proposed budget is carried out. To ensure staff have the abilities to adequately assess the financial aspect of proposals, Human Resources and Skills Development provides standard project officer training on budget development and assessment related to grants and contributions. These courses provide detailed information about cost categories and eligible expenses, assessment of relevance of expenditures to program activities, and use of benchmarks to assess fair market values. Staff also have access to tools to assist in financial assessment, including guidelines, templates and financial assessment grids.

Agreement amounts are determined based on estimated expenditures submitted by the applicant and the availability of funds. Both an internal and external review committee evaluate if proposed costs are reasonable. The amount recommended is determined based on a balance of factors which may include:

• community priorities or demonstrated need;
• available funds in the relevant stream;
• number and cost of other projects being recommended for approval;
• scope and duration of activities to be carried out;
• number of individuals the project proposes to assist;
• reasonableness of proposed costs; and,
• fair market value of expenditures.

8. Proposal Information Required and Criteria for Assessment 

All application processes will ensure fairness and transparency. Each project funding proposal will be reviewed, at a minimum, on the degree to which it directly contributes to the priorities established in each community’s plan and/or the broad Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) objectives where there is no requirement for a community plan, and its eligibility for HPS funding. All proposals must comply with the requirements of the Policy and Directive on Transfer Payments that, in most circumstances, funding will be awarded through a Call for Proposals process.

Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD) provides standard project officer training for departmental officials who deliver grant and contribution programming. This training includes the planning, development, assessment and recommendation phases of the project life cycle to ensure officials have the ability to adequately assess these proposals and applications against program objectives and the available budget. Departmental officials are provided with information and tools such as guidelines, checklists and assessment grids to assess proposals based on approved criteria. Each proposal must be assessed by a review committee according to the proposal’s dollar value.

Project proposals to support projects or activities must, at a minimum:

• demonstrate that the proposed project is aligned with the objectives of the HPS, and meet expected program outcomes;
• demonstrate tangible benefits to homeless individuals or those at risk of homelessness;
• describe the activities to be undertaken;
• identify the expected and measurable results within a specified timeframe as well as the intended impact on homelessness and how the expected results will be measured;
• provide an estimate of expenditures to be incurred;
• demonstrate the sustainability of the activities proposed after HPS funding ends, or provide an exit strategy (for service projects only), if they will not be completed by March 31, 2014, or if there are ongoing costs associated with the project (e.g., ongoing costs of providing support services for residents of a new facility);
• disclose the involvement of former public servants as per the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service;
• in designated communities, address one or more of the community plan priorities;
• under Rural and Remote Homelessness and Aboriginal Homelessness funding streams, where there is no community plan, demonstrate a need within the community, support from the community, and a written demonstration of a clear linkage to HPS objectives;
• require that any person lobbying on behalf of the applicant is registered pursuant to the Lobbying Act; and
• respect any arrangement between the HPS and provinces and territories, including arrangements regarding capital projects.

Proposals or applications received can be considered for the duration of the program.

9. Stacking Limits

Where possible and appropriate, the costs of an eligible activity will be shared with the recipient and/or with government and/or the private sector. However, where the sharing of costs with the recipient and private sector are not feasible, Total Government Assistance (federal, provincial/territorial or municipal) may total 100% of eligible costs.

The Department shall ensure that the amount of the contribution it makes is appropriate where funding or in-kind contributions in support of the costs for the eligible activity from more than one program in the Department; from more than one federal department; or from more than one level of government or from the private sector is anticipated.

In the event that Total Government Assistance, as defined in the Treasury Board Directive on Transfer Payments, received by a recipient in respect of an eligible activity exceeds the amounts of such assistance declared, the Department has the right to: reduce its contribution by the amount of any additional assistance that is to be received; increase deliverables towards the achievement of project outcomes; or to require repayment of an amount equal to the amount of such assistance if the Department’s contribution has already been paid.

10. Basis of Payments 

Contributions
Eligible recipients will receive financial assistance in the form of a contribution for the following five funding streams under the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS):

• Designated Communities
• Rural and Remote Homelessness
• Aboriginal Homelessness
• Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects
• National Homelessness Information System

Grants and Contributions
Eligible recipients of Homelessness Knowledge Development funds will receive financial assistance in the form of a grant or contribution. The choice of funding vehicle will be dependent upon the dollar value of financial assistance requested, the level of project risk, and conditionality. Research projects over $250,000 must be in the form of a contribution. Research projects up to and including $250,000 will be either in the form of a grant or a contribution; this will be determined upon the risk assessment, and conditionality of each proposed project.

The two-stream approach will provide a balance between flexibility and accountability in order to support the desired outcomes of the research agenda. The aim is to facilitate research partnerships, to ensure a deeper understanding of homelessness, and to help guide effective solutions to the issue while ensuring the administrative requirements for the recipient are proportionate to their risk. It should be noted that grants cannot be re-distributed or used for capital investment purposes. Payments to all recipients must be made in accordance with the policy and procedures established in Treasury Board’s Policy on Transfer Payments and the Directive on Transfer Payments, as follows:

1. monthly or quarterly progress payments and a final payment of any sums due following receipt of the final claim; or
2. advance payments based on demonstrated need.

Payments made to the recipient may be based on a combination of the following three options:

1. actual expenditures as claimed by the recipient;
2. an organizational-specific flat rate for administrative costs – a negotiated percentage based on (and not higher than) the highest annual administrative expenditures of the past three years (option only available for Community Entities); and/or
3. achievement of predetermined milestones, such as receipt of: results reports; methodology and/or final reports for research projects; community plans and project recommendations for Health and Social Services Agencies in Quebec; and community plans, projects, project recommendations and community plan assessments.

Regardless of the basis of payment, expenditures must be eligible as per these Terms and Conditions, and not exceed the amount agreed to by the Government of Canada. All expenditures are subject to monitoring to ensure they meet the terms of the agreement.

Method of payment will be determined based on risk, as per the Department’s Risk Assessment, Management and Mitigation strategy.

The Department may hold back a portion of the maximum contribution toward the project based on the risk assessment. In addition a portion of the agreement may be held back pending receipt of performance information.

The amount of money remaining from an advance payment at the end of a contribution agreement and the amount of any disallowed disbursements are debts due to the Crown and must be recorded as receivables and recovered. Where a recipient has failed to provide an accounting or has not used the contribution for authorized purposes, a demand for an accounting or repayment may be issued pursuant to sections 76(1)(b) and (c) respectively of the Financial Administration Act. As stipulated in HPS contribution agreements, all payments are subject to Parliamentary Appropriation and the continuing allocation of funds by Treasury Board.

11. Maximum Amount Payable

Maximum agreement duration under all streams is three years, covering the period of the renewed Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

Designated Communities funding stream
Notional allocations have been determined for all designated communities, and are publicly available. HPS funding for specific projects will not exceed the equivalent of the confirmed maximum community allocation. Under the Designated Communities funding stream, cost-matching is required at the community level.

The maximum contribution per recipient will not exceed $75M of HPS funding for the period of April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

Rural and Remote Homelessness funding stream and Aboriginal Homelessness funding stream only
There is no cost-matching requirement under these two funding streams, although partnerships are strongly encouraged.

The maximum contribution per recipient for each of these funding streams in total will not exceed $10M of HPS funding for the period of April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects
There is no cost-matching requirement under this funding stream, although partnerships are encouraged.

The maximum contribution per recipient will not exceed $2M of HPS funding for the period of April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

Homelessness Knowledge Development
The maximum contribution and/or grant per recipient will not exceed $3M of HPS funding for the period of April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

National Homelessness Information System
The maximum contribution per recipient will not exceed $3M of HPS funding for the period of April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

12. Intellectual Property

The recipient will grant to Canada a non-exclusive, irrevocable and royalty-free license and right to use, translate, adapt, record by any means or reproduce, (except commercial sale in competition with the recipient), any work subject to copyright which is produced by the recipient in carrying out the project. The license granted shall be for the duration of the copyright.

The license granted to Canada will include:

1. the right to sub-license the use of the work to any contractor engaged by Canada solely for the purpose of performing contracts with Canada; and
2. the right to distribute the work outside the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development as long as the distribution does not undermine any commercial use of the work intended by the recipient.

The recipient will execute any acknowledgements, agreements, assurances or other documents deemed necessary by Canada to establish or confirm the license referred to in this section.

13. Multi-Year Funding

If applicable, both annual and multi-year grants and contributions can be provided to recipients.

Contributions will not be used to provide up-front multi-year funding.

14. Other Conditions

This transfer payment program is one of non-repayable contributions.

However:

Where the recipient receives any additional financial assistance from outside of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) after the contribution agreement is in place, the contribution will be reduced by an appropriate amount, or if the contribution has already been paid, the recipient will be required to repay this amount.

Where a project involves building, buying, renovating, or making additions to a facility in order to provide shelter space, transitional or supportive housing or other services for homeless people and the project is not completed, the contribution received will need to be repaid.

Upon expiry of the project period or upon termination of the Agreement, the contribution together with any interest earned will need to be repaid. Interest shall be charged on overdue repayments in accordance with the Interest and Administrative Charges Regulations made pursuant to Canada’s Financial Administration Act. All HPS funding agreements contain clauses addressing the repayment issue as per the Directive on Transfer Payments and the disposition and monitoring of properties clause of HPS contribution agreements.

15. Information Required for Financial and Performance Reoporting

Financial and performance reporting requirements will be determined on a project-by-project basis in accordance with the Department’s Risk Assessment, Management and Mitigation strategy. Information requested would include, for example, copies of general ledgers, activity reports, audit reports, and/or invoices or receipts if required.

In addition, projects funded through community funding streams will be required to submit Expected and Annual Results Reporting forms, per the terms of the contribution agreement. Community Advisory Boards in designated communities will be required to export emergency shelter usage data, and to report on Community Performance Indicators, once developed and implemented, per community plan requirements, consistent with any applicable F-P/T arrangement.

Under certain conditions, major capital projects will be subject to monitoring for up to 15 years after the project end-date to ensure recipients are compliant with Human Resources and Skills Development’s disposition and monitoring of properties requirements.

16. Official Languages Act

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) at Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD) is committed to respecting its obligations under the Official Languages Act. Specifically, the Program will provide the following bilingual services to facilitate access to both linguistic communities:

• Application forms for all program components will be available in both official languages on the HRSD public Web site;
• General information about the program, and any notice, advertisement or other matter relating to the program and communicated by or on behalf of HRSD will be available in both official languages;
• Applicants can communicate with and receive services from the Program in their official language of choice through the program’s head office, from offices in the National Capital Region and from designated bilingual offices; and
• All HPS-funded research and publications are made available in both official languages.

The Program will also ensure that recipients of the Program offering services to the public on its behalf offer such services in both official languages, when there is significant demand from the minority language community in accordance with Section 25 of the Official Languages Act. Where applicable, the Program will require (through a clause in the contribution agreement) that the recipient provide the following bilingual services to the public and project participants:

• Will make project-related documentation and announcements (for the public and prospective project participants) in both official languages;
• Will actively offer project-related services in both official languages;
• Will encourage members of both official language communities to participate in the project; and
• Will conduct project activities including services, where appropriate, in such a manner as to address the specific needs of both official language communities.

17. Disposal of Capital Assets

As per the Operations Guide of Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD), a capital asset is defined as any single item or composite asset with a purchase value of more than $1,000 not physically incorporated into another product and that remains functional at the end of the project. Any capital asset greater than $1,000 as identified by and purchased with Homelessness Partnering Strategy funds, which has not been physically incorporated into a project, may be disposed of in a manner determined by HRSD (in accordance with the Grants and Contributions Operations Guide). The governing considerations will be to encourage the continued use of assets in support of strengthened community capacity to prevent and reduce homelessness and to ensure that assets are not redirected for HRSD’s own use. Assets should not be given away or sold to any third party, without the prior written approval of the appropriate delegated authority.

18. Redistribution of Contributions

Where contribution agreements allow for the further distribution of funds by the recipient, the agreement includes clauses acknowledging that the recipient has independence in choosing the third party recipient, subject to eligibility criteria. The contribution agreement stipulates that the recipient is not acting on behalf of, or as an agent of, the Government of Canada.

Under the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, only Community Entities have the authority to further distribute contribution funds. The Community Entity distributes funds based on priorities and recommendations determined by Community Advisory Boards. The Government of Canada reviews and approves priorities but in no way influences or dictates priorities. Once funds are distributed to Community Entities, the Government of Canada monitors the agreement between Canada and the Community Entity and collects results reports, Community Performance Indicators, and emergency shelter usage data, and has no direct involvement in monitoring the sub-project activities and costs.

19. Audit

Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD) will determine the internal audit requirements for the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) based on a departmental risk assessment.

Contributions
Each agreement will specify that HRSD retains the right to audit the records of the recipients and, if it is determined that the amount paid exceeds the amount payable, the difference will be considered as a debt to the Crown.

Grants (for Homelessness Knowledge Development only)
The recipient of a grant is not required to account for the type of expenditures for which the grant is used. Where a grant is paid in instalments, the recipient is not required to meet any conditions other than continuing eligibility for and entitlement to the grant. Because a grant is unconditional, there is no unexpended balance to return unless the grant is of a type that requires continuing eligibility and the recipient ceases to be eligible. Amounts paid after the expiry of eligibility or paid on the basis of fraudulent or inaccurate application or in error are subject to recovery action.

20. Performance Management Strategy

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy’s (HPS) Performance Management Strategy – including performance indicators, expected results and outcomes, methods for reporting on performance and evaluation criteria to be used in the assessment of the effectiveness of the transfer payments – covers the duration of the HPS.

Each contribution agreement will specify that Human Resources and Skills Development will develop and conduct an evaluation and that the party signing the agreement is prepared to actively participate in the evaluation process as needed.

21. Duration of Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions are in effect from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

In order to support the transition to a renewed Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS), the 2009–2011 HPS Terms and Conditions will be used to honour existing agreements that were originally signed under the previous HPS Terms and Conditions, and extended past March 31, 2011.

22. Ongoing Eligibility Requirements

Grant recipients will be required to provide a statement of continued eligibility and entitlement on an annual basis.

Annex A
List of 51 Other Affected Designated Communities

British Columbia / Yukon: Kelowna, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Nelson, Prince George, Victoria, Whitehorse

Alberta / NWT / Nunavut: Grande Prairie, Iqaluit, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Wood Buffalo, Yellowknife

Saskatchewan: Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon

Manitoba: Brandon, Thompson

Ontario: Barrie, Belleville, Brantford, Dufferin, Guelph, Halton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, North Bay, Peel Region, Peterborough, Region of Durham, Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines-Niagara, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Windsor, York Region

Quebec: Drummondville, Gatineau, Saguenay, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières

New Brunswick: Bathurst, Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John

Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown, Summerside

Nova Scotia: Sydney (Cape Breton)

Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's

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Date Modified:

2011-08-26