Government of Canada launches the New Horizons for Seniors Program 2021-2022 call for proposals for community-based projects across Canada

Office of Terry Sheehan

Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie

Grand opening Alzheimer Society on Great Northern Road.

(from left) MP Terry Sheehan, Chairperson Judith Gough, CEO Terry Caporossi

December 1, 2021  News Release

For Immediate Release

The Government of Canada launched the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) 2021-2022 call for proposals for community-based projects across Canada. Organizations in Sault Ste. Marie are encouraged to apply for funding through this program as many local organizations have benefitted greatly and have contributed critical and well-designed programming to area seniors in previous years.

Application details:

Please note that the online application and applicant guide will only be available on the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) web site. Please consult the ESDC Funding Programs page. The deadline to submit applications is December 21, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time. The information on the NHSP web pages will help you learn more about this funding opportunity.

Scope:

The New Horizons for Seniors Program is a federal grants and contributions program that supports projects designed by and for seniors. Through the NHSP, the Government of Canada encourages seniors to share their knowledge, skills, and experiences to the benefit of others. The NHSP supports this objective through two funding streams - Community-based projects and pan-Canadian projects.

Community-based funding supports projects in communities across Canada, such as intergenerational projects where seniors are trained by students on how to use social media, and projects that create volunteer opportunities such as creating a community garden and donating the fruits and vegetables harvested to communal kitchens. Since 2004, the NHSP has funded over 33,500 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada, with a total Government of Canada investment of approximately $667 million.

Objectives:

Through the NHSP, the Government of Canada encourages seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experience to the benefit of others. The objectives of the NHSP are:

• Promoting volunteerism among seniors and other generations;
• Engaging seniors in the community through mentoring of others;
• Expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse;
• Supporting social participation and inclusion of seniors; and
• Providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and programs for seniors.

Priorities:

For 2021-2022, the Department updated the National Priorities to reflect the new issues and priorities facing seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic:

1. Priority 1: Supporting healthy ageing including:

• addressing social isolation, including through supporting seniors’ digital literacy;
• addressing ageism;
• mental health and dementia; and
• by developing and delivering virtual programming for the above.

2. Priority 2: Preventing senior abuse including:

• helping seniors navigate access to government benefits and providing support to file their taxes;
• supporting financial empowerment of seniors; and
• measures to reduce crimes and harm against seniors.

3. Priority 3: Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion including:

• promoting intergenerational mentoring and engagement; and
• serving members of the following vulnerable groups: Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of racialized and newcomer groups, members of LGBTQ2+ communities, low-income seniors and veterans.

4. Priority 4: Helping seniors to age in place including:

• Providing practical support to seniors to help them remain in their homes longer.

Local Organizations Supported in 2021:

Last year, organizations in Sault Ste. Marie received funding for the following organizations: SSM Engaging Seniors Through Virtual Programming, Seniors Perform for Seniors, YMCA Bikes and Fitness Equipment, SSM Police Partnerships, Elder Abuse & Fraud, Alzheimer's Society Minds in Motion Program, AFS Nutritious Food for Seniors, Ontario Finnish Rest Home, Garden River FN Empowering Elders

Quote:

“Last year, Sault Ste. Marie was able to benefit from projects supporting our seniors through 9 organizations. Seniors are vital to our community and have supported our community’s growth and prosperity for decades. The New Horizons Program is an opportunity for Sault Ste. Marie to return them the support and create meaningful programming that will have a positive impact on our seniors for years to come. I look forward to seeing what our 2022 seniors programming can offer seniors and now it is more important than ever to continue our support for seniors during the pandemic.”

-Terry Sheehan, MP for Sault Ste. Marie

Quick Facts:

• The allocation of funding is designed to take into consideration provincial/territorial demand and geographic distribution.
• Each province and territory are allocated a base amount of $325K, and the balance of funds is allocated based on their proportion of seniors
• For the 2021 CFP, the Department is using Statistics Canada’s Dissemination Areas, which represent approximately 411 communities across Canada, each with a population of approximately 25,000 seniors, (except for the Territories). Each application’s postal code will identify its Dissemination Area.
• An estimated total of 2.5M community members, half of them seniors, benefited from project activities;
• About 85,000 volunteers, more than half of them seniors, were engaged to plan and organize NHSP projects in their communities;
• Most of the funded organizations worked in partnership with various stakeholders, who provided them with additional resources such as knowledge and expertise as well as financial support;
• Close to 37,000 seniors were mobilized to act as mentors to over 196,000 community members;
• An estimated 190,000 community members benefitted from elder abuse awareness and prevention activities.

Associated link:

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC): Funding Programs page

Media:

Office of Terry Sheehan, MP

[email protected]