MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - County council has received and reviewed a report on 2023 Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) grants recently approved by the multi-stakeholder grant review committee.
The update came during the Feb. 22 council meeting.
FCSS is a partnership between the provincial government and participating municipalities, with the municipalities covering 20 per cent of total costs.
“It sees communities design and deliver social programs that are preventative in nature, to promote and enhance well-being among individuals, families and communities,” chief administrative officer Jeff Holmes said in a briefing note to council.
“The programs developed are intended to help individuals within their communities to adopt healthy lifestyles, thereby improving the quality of life and building the capacity to prevent and/or deal with crisis situations should they arise.”
Municipal council has the final authority and responsibility for how local FCSS programs are administered and delivered, he said.
The grant review committee met on Feb. 6 and recommended a total county contribution of $130,000.
Those receiving funding in 2023 include the Chinook’s Edge School Division Family School Wellness Program ($50,000), the Chinook’s Edge Youth Empowerment and Support Program ($10,000), Chinook Arch Victim Services CAVSS volunteer training ($11,000), Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society outreach programs and services ($10,000), and Olds & District Hospice Society for advertising and volunteer development ($5,000).
Reeve Angela Aalbers commended committee members for their work in allocating the funds.
Coun. Peggy Johnson said, “This is money well spent.”
A total of $218,462 was requested in 2023 from 21 community groups and organizations, three of which did not receive any funding.
Council carried a motion accepting the grant allocation report as information.
