COVID-19: CDN-NDG provides support for organizations

To help cope with the challenges associated with the measures taken to protect people from the spread of COVID-19, the borough has set up a $200,000 Emergency Fund.

Regional and local crisis management units have been organized in order to assess residents’ most urgent needs, identify potential solutions and ensure that resources are pooled. The crisis management units consist of: 

• The Centre-Sud Integrated Health and Social Services Centre (CIUSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal)
• The Neighbourhood Round Tables
• Food banks associated with several other nonprofit organizations
• Professionals from the Department of Culture, Sports, Recreation and Social Development

Before filling out the form, please read the eligibility criteria below.

Keeping in mind the various programs that have already been initiated by federal and provincial ministries, the Ville de Montréal and the borough, the borough’s crisis management units have identified the three following objectives:

1.     To bolster the capacity of helplines and assistance and referral services

Such services would target people who are vulnerable and isolated and those in distress or suffering from anxiety due to the current social situation (seniors living alone, victims of domestic violence, those with mental illness, family caregivers, single-parent families, etc.).

2.  To support initiatives to strengthen the capacities of organizations working in housing sanitation

These would target tenants who are dealing with:

• Difficulty paying rent (illegal evictions)
• Sanitation problems (isolation measures force tenants to stay home)
• Rent increases
• Moving or visits for future renta

3.  To improve the processing of requests and expand delivery services for food and personal hygiene provisions

While respecting the distancing measures set out by public health, the Fund can help support nonprofits that:

• Receive and validate requests from residents who need aid in the form of food or personal hygiene products
• Offer delivery services

The organizations that are eligible, with regard to each of the Fund’s objectives, are:

• For objectives 1 and 3 - social and community organizations that are recognized by the borough and whose mission and objectives cover the appropriate services
• For objective 3, exceptionally through this Fund, in order to reach isolated clients, nonprofit organizations that have a business address within the borough,

• Increase in human resources to work with vulnerable persons in order to offer helpline, assistance and referral services in keeping with the three fund objectives
• Acquisition of equipment, goods or services (protection equipment, telephone equipment, gas, etc.)

The emergency fund cannot be used to compensate for loss of income due to the current crisis.

So that targeted services can be implemented quickly, all organizations that wish to respond to this offer must fill out the Application for Financial Support – CDN-NDG COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

Projects will be assessed by borough administration staff, who will request input from institutional partners as needed and will provide a recommendation to elected officials. The elected officials will approve and disburse the funding as soon as possible at a regular or a special meeting.

If there is an urgent need and the elected officials give prior authorization, a project may be presented for retroactive approval.

The duration of the projects is to be around 8 weeks, which means until mid-June, or depending on the way in which the situation evolves.

In return for the funding granted by the borough, the organization undertakes to respect each of the following conditions:

• The money granted can be used only to carry out the project as submitted. If the organization wishes to modify the concept, such changes must be approved by the authorized representative managing the Fund.
• The project must be carried out in accordance with all the applicable laws and regulations.
• A final report must be submitted at the end of the project.
• For each project selected, the organization must have the Chair of its Board of Directors send an email attesting that the Board understands the project and that it will endeavour to support its implementation.