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A Winnipeg organization that has supported older victims of crime for more than two decades is asking the city to reverse a decision denying its program funding.
The older victims services program, operated by the non-profit A&O: Support Services for Older Adults (formerly known as Age and Opportunity), was designed to help vulnerable adults 60 and older who have been victims of crimes or elder abuse.
Amanda Macrae, the chief executive officer of A&O, says a funding arrangement with the city preceded her joining the organization in 2003. In the most recent year, it provided approximately $95,000 in annual funding for the program.
“The agency has received this funding for well over 20 years, so it’s a legacy program, definitely not a project, not a discrete, one-time initiative,” Macrae said.
Under a previous community grant framework, the city provided operational funding to certain organizations annually through expected line items in its budget. That’s the arrangement A&O relied on for more than 20 years.
In 2024, council changed the setup so that any money organizations receive through the community and neighbourhood grant program must be tied to a specific project. The new model explicitly prohibits using the funding for core operations and staffing.
The new structure “really didn’t fit [the program] that has always been in place, that many older Winnipeggers have come to rely on,” Macrae said.
In a letter to her organization dated April 23, City of Winnipeg community development manager Chris Brens wrote that after “a thorough review and evaluation process, we regret to confirm that your application was not selected for funding.”
Brens goes on to explain in the letter that the intake process was “highly competitive” and although A&O’s application “received a competitive score, funding limitations required difficult decisions.”
The program received 167 applications for funding, and the decision “reflects the competitive nature of the program rather than the merit or potential impact of your project,” Brens wrote.
CBC requested an interview with the city, but no one was available prior to publication.
Appeal hearing
A&O is appealing the city’s decision. An administrative body made up of the city’s chief financial officer, the manager of financial planning and review, and the director of community services will hear that appeal on July 9.
Without the city funding, Macrae said A&O will be forced to stop one-on-one support for older victims of crime, discontinue case collaborations with the Winnipeg Police Service and cancel public safety education.
Through the program, registered social workers provided emotional support, counselling, information about police investigations and court proceedings, assistance with victim impact statements, referrals to other services and advice on personal safety.
Because the funding was not renewed, those services have already stopped, Macrae said.
“The Winnipeg Police Service is no longer able to connect with our social work staff,” she said.
“This is a huge loss. It’s not sort of a nice-to-have program. It’s a need-to-have program.”