The 17-year-old Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region made the decision this week, citing lack of funding
The Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region will wind down its operations and cease to exist by the end of this year.
The 17-year-old organization, which brings together a variety of groups, governments, private-sector entities and individuals to address the needs of those experiencing homelessness and advocate for more resources to tackle the issue, made the decision at a board meeting this week.
Chief executive Sylvia Ceacero said Friday the decision has been a long time coming, and is tied directly to funding partners either scaling back their financial commitments or pulling out completely.
“There is not enough funding for the organization to continue at its current capacity with the work that we were foreseeing ahead. The board had no choice but to agree that wind down was the only thing we could do.”
Ceacero said she warned her board of directors a couple of years ago that the alliance would no longer be viable without an increase in funding.
Since then, Island Health has pulled its $100,000 commitment, the Capital Regional District scaled back its commitment to $225,000 per year, and the City of Victoria reduced its commitment to $100,000.
Ceacero said the organization started looking at other sources of funding, and while some did pan out, “to a small degree,” others didn’t.
“I honestly have done everything that I could in my power to find different sources of funding,” she said. “The reality is government has become very clear about wanting to fund things that are direct services rather than advocacy organizations.”
Ceacero said she expects the organization will need until the end of this year to wind down completely, which will include laying off six staff.
She said the organization will leave a hole, as the alliance was the glue that held together the groups and governments working on the homelessness file.
Without it, “it will also be more difficult for collaboration, more difficult for community input,” she said.
“I predict a future where, in a few years, somebody will say: ‘My goodness, we are all working in silos. Let’s have a coalition that will bring this forward and make us work together.’ ”
Last year, with the organization on shaky financial ground, the Capital Regional District started looking into the possibility of taking on some of its responsibilities.
CRD board chair Cliff McNeill-Smith said the board is expecting a staff report this fall on the potential or opportunities for the board to take on some of the work.
He said there are a lot of variables to consider, including how the City of Victoria implements its newly released wellness and safety plan.
Since 2008, the CRD has provided $4.23 million to the alliance, previously called the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness.
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