Red Deer council calls for advocacy to increase support for FCSS

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She explained that part of the problem is the inability to fund programs that address both preventative and intervention-based needs, as FCSS funding is exclusively based on prevention.

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She said many in smaller communities will seek resources where they get several needs addressed at once.

Curtis added that in larger cities, they might be able to meet both prevention and intervention needs through navigation centres.

However, she said this leaves mid-sized to smaller cities behind.

“This advocacy resolution would support the continued care so that someone requiring intervention-based supports along with prevention-based supports will not be left behind,” Curtis said.

According to council documents, FCSS was established in April 1966 and has, for 60 years, operated through a u0/20 cost-sharing partnership between the Government of Alberta and municipalities, expanding to include Métis Settlements in 1981.

It supports more than 200 programs in over 300 municipalities and Métis settlements across Alberta and is often the only community-based social service agency physically present in rural, small and remote communities.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who was in Red Deer on Wednesday, was asked what she thinks about providing more funding to give flexibility.

She said it’s worth having those conversations and that she’ll tell Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture, and Status of Women, to watch what the debate is like and see what level of interest there is.

“We cost-share with the municipalities, so if we increase, it means that we’re obligating the municipalities to increase,” she said. “If it does go up, we want to make sure that it does have support, so we’ll look at that.

“We also want to understand a little bit more about how they would like to expand it. We have used FCSS to expand programs before, but it’s been at that same level for a pretty long time. We are very supportive of the program, so it’s probably worth it to have another look at it to see if we can increase the amount to go through to cost share and also increase the number of options that it can be put towards.”