Seniors group denied second chance to ask for funding

A local seniors group can no longer appeal the city’s decision to deny funding for a program that helps older victims of crime.

Last week, the city scheduled an appeal hearing for Thursday, when A&O Support Services for Older Adults could challenge the city’s denial of its application for a $150,000 community and neighbourhood grant.

The city said this week the appeal was scheduled in error and has been cancelled.

“It has been determined that the decision is not subject to appeal under section 189 of the City of Winnipeg Charter,” wrote city spokeswoman Tamara Forlanski, in an email.

A&O’s chief executive officer called the cancellation disappointing, since some clients were prepared to share their experiences using the support program after becoming victims of crime.

“Having to cancel with them and say, ‘I’m sorry we don’t have this opportunity anymore’ … is hard. I feel bad that we’ve taken all this time. We had a very strong appeal, so I’m disappointed we didn’t have that opportunity,” said Amanda Macrae.

The program provided one-on-one supports to seniors, including counselling, to help them navigate the justice system and safety education.

Macrae said that work is “in limbo” and the organization will seek options to apply for the funding through other means, potentially still at the city level.

“The nature of older victim services is not a one-year-term funding situation. So maybe it needs to be looked at completely differently … We just have to keep trying because our city’s going through a tough time right now, with issues around crime and safety,” she said.

When the appeal agenda was posted, city documents indicated the grant was rejected due to steep competition for limited funding.

“Having to cancel with them and say, ‘I’m sorry we don’t have this opportunity anymore’ … is hard. I feel bad that we’ve taken all this time. ”

“Funding limitations required difficult decisions. As such, this outcome reflects the competitive nature of the program rather than the merit or potential impact of your project,” it notes.

In February, the city noted it had received 167 applications for $15 million of community and neighbourhood grants but awarded just $2.5 million to 60 non-profit organizations.

The appeal was slated to be heard by an “administrative appeal body,” which included the city’s chief financial officer, manager of financial planning and director of community services.

Coun. Jeff Browaty, chairman of finance, said he’s not sure what led to the misunderstanding.

“Obviously, it’s unfortunate that a group that does good work for the community was led to believe that perhaps there was another avenue (to appeal this). For that, on behalf of council, I’m sorry,” said Browaty (North Kildonan).

The councillor said the mixup may reflect a learning curve in adopting a new process to assess this type of grant. The city implemented a points-based formula to prioritize applications that best match city priorities this year.

“The funds allocated by city council … are finite so the committee has no ability to overturn the decision … There is always going to be more need than available funds,” said Browaty.

A request to ask a city official for more details about why the appeal was scheduled and then cancelled was not granted Wednesday.

“We just have to keep trying because our city’s going through a tough time right now, with issues around crime and safety.”

In an email Wednesday evening, Forlanski said funding decisions are not eligible for appeal.

“With respect to the appeal, we recognize that our communication has caused some confusion and apologize for that,” wrote Forlanski.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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