The Alberta government is changing how it funds social agencies working on homelessness, saying it hopes to improve accountability and address new challenges like rising rural homelessness and the drug crisis.
The province will now fund service providers directly, rather than handing the funds over to community-based organizations in large cities that distribute and administer them on behalf of the province, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon said at a Dec. 20 press conference.
“This decision to have the province fund service providers directly will increase accountability and oversight of supports for Albertans experiencing homelessness,” Nixon said. “It will not result in funding reductions, but will result in more money going to front-line services and less red tape in the grant process.”…