Global News obtained an executive summary of the “social impact audit” produced by Alberta-based tech company HelpSeeker, which describes itself as a startup “focused on accelerating the digital transformation of the social safety net to maximize equitable outcomes of”.

		Read more: More than 1,600 deaths from illegal drugs in the first 9 months of the year 		
	read more 	


			More than 1,600 deaths from illegal drugs in the first 9 months of the year

Neither the summary nor the full 100-page report, which Global News has not reviewed, has been released. According to the summary, $5.1 billion was spent on Vancouver’s “social safety net” in 2020, which equates to about $7,200 per Vancouver resident or $14 million per day. The summary does not specifically define what is included as part of the city’s social safety net. Story continues below ad Funding provides an “abundant amount” of resources and services, he says, which “may not be properly allocated or managed,” pointing to rising overdose deaths and entrenched homelessness. 1:50 Housing For All rally in downtown Vancouver Four separate City of Vancouver departments and six provincial ministries are involved in the city’s social safety net, which is hampered by a lack of communication and coordination between these government departments and social service providers, the report argues. “With no one in charge of overseeing Vancouver’s social services sector centrally, many of the service providers operate in separate silos — meanwhile, community members involved in the health system report confusion, persistent barriers and a lack of coordination among service providers,” the report says.

		Read more: Downtown Eastside worse than ever despite spending $1 million a day, says retired officer

Story continues below ad “Better cross-sectoral collaboration and coordination is needed to minimize duplication of effort and better redirect resources currently allocated to inefficient (or even counterproductive) activities.” The report further highlighted the discrepancy between “generous funding” for social services intended to tackle the “symptoms of poverty”, while “there is comparatively little funding earmarked for preventive measures” to help young people at risk, vulnerable families and single parents or people with mental health and substance use disorders seeking immediate treatment. Of the $5 billion in 2019, $1.46 billion was spent by charities and nonprofits with a primary focus on social issues such as homelessness and poverty, $406 million of that money in the Downtown Eastside. The report found that all three levels of government spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars on a dozen properties in 2020 and 2021. The average cost to run each social housing unit in the city was more than $3,000 a month according to City of Vancouver figures. he reported. “However, there is no publicly available breakdown showing how staff costs are allocated and what services are included,” the report said. Current trend

			Canadian intelligence agencies warn PM Trudeau that China secretly funded 2019 election candidates: Sources 	   				Canada faces ‘aggressive games’ from China, others amid interference report: Trudeau

HelpSeeker data also reveals that Vancouver’s three largest social housing operators, Atira, Portland Hotel Society and RainCity, spent nearly $158 million in 2021, more than half of that money covering salaries and employee benefits. A further breakdown of the $5 billion total, including funding sources and program costs, was not included in the summary. Story continues below ad 4:18 The drug overdose and toxicity report makes dozens of recommendations The VPD declined an interview request to answer questions, including why the city’s police department outsourced control to social services. The brief, however, said the VPD “invested in the city’s social safety net” and that the audit could “promote transparency, accountability and collaboration, thereby laying the groundwork for a better, more coordinated service delivery model.” .

		Read more: Five arrested, weapons cache discovered at East Hastings Street camp

“VPD’s ambition with this report is to improve the situation for those who suffer the most,” he adds. BC Liberal Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon said it’s “shocking” that $100 million a week is being spent on social services in the city despite the worst results. Story continues below ad “I’m really concerned if this government wants to spend more money doing more of the same thing,” he said. “We need a total change of approach or we will continue to see Vancouver and the social conditions there only get worse.” The current model, he said, lacks transparency and accountability and lacks key performance indicators to demonstrate whether the money spent has achieved the desired result, he added. Janice Abbott, chief executive of Atira – the only one of three housing providers named to respond to a request for comment – disputed the report’s figures, which she said overestimated the number of units her non-profit operates by three. times. 5:26 Security concerns as DTES tent city residents ordered to evacuate “If they got some basic math wrong, what are the other problems with the report?” he said. Story continues below ad Abbott said all of Atira’s spending is documented and audited annually for its funders, and that she would have opened her books to HelpSeeker if asked. However, he said the police appeared to have commissioned the report without inviting anyone else to participate. “If they had worked with BC Housing, the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health, they might have had all that information, it sounds to me like that report was kind of done in secret,” he said. “I do not understand it. When we’re talking about a lack of transparency, why is the VPD assigning this report in secret without asking for information and trying to get information from websites … that information is there, they just haven’t asked for it or gone to the right places to get it.” Abbott said the report also appeared to have failed to consider policy decisions such as welfare rates, housing availability or the provision of a “safe” drug supply and their impact on the city’s most vulnerable. Incoming BC Premier David Eby’s office said he was not available for an interview, despite requests made last week.

		Read more: Edmonton police audit suggests spending $7.5 billion a year on social services, better collaboration needed

Vancouver is not the first city for which HelpSeeker has commissioned a social impact audit. Story continues below ad Last year, the Edmonton Police Service, under the direction of city council, hired the firm to compile a similar report. That report found about $7.5 billion goes to social assistance in Edmonton each year. — with files from Rumina Daya