Evaluation of the New Horizons for Seniors Program

1. Streamline and focus the collection of project performance information in an accessible format to facilitate program monitoring and evaluation. Support the identification and dissemination of promising practices that can be replicated in other communities.

The Department agrees with this recommendation. Performance measurement is a critical part of the effective end-to-end management of publicly funded programs and executing this function well depends on the quality and accessibility of information. In addition to the value of data to inform program policy, design and delivery, evidence gathered from each project and analyzed in a collective way will inform other measures taken to identify and share promising practices with communities.

2. Recognizing the needs and preferences of seniors, leverage traditional methods of communication and external stakeholder organizations to complement Modernization efforts in support of program delivery.

The Department agrees with this recommendation. The landscape of Canada’s seniors’ population is changing rapidly, and the Department recognizes that there is a digital and urban/rural divide amongst this cohort. The nature of tailored communications to engage seniors’ communities and further tap into non-governmental networks are valuable areas for further exploration.

3. Explore ways to streamline the administration of the program and reduce processing time.

The Department is aware of challenges in program administration and agrees with this recommendation. It intends to explore ways to deliver NHSP community-based funding in a more timely fashion while being cognizant of the need to maintain sound financial stewardship and program oversight.

Continued need for the program

Seniors make up the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population. ^{Footnote 14} Over the last 30 years, the number of Canadians 65 and over has more than doubled (up from 2,563,300 in 1984 to 5,585, 300 in 2014). ^{Footnote 15} By 2033, it is projected that seniors will account for approximately 24% of the population, up from approximately 16% in 2014.

Studies indicate that volunteering and community engagement are associated with improved health and well-being, including reduced morbidity and mortality for seniors. ^{Footnote 16} Recently, the Government of Canada’s Action for Seniors (2014) report presented by the National Seniors Council also noted that active participation and involvement of seniors in their communities enables seniors to contribute to their communities and improve their overall health and well-being. ^{Footnote 17}

Through the data collected in the key informant interviews and document review, the evaluation found that funded projects are aligned with and contribute to the program’s overall objective of enabling seniors to contribute to and benefit from their communities. Most of the NHSP funded recipients indicated that their project was developed in direct response to an identified need in their community through the conduct of a needs assessment and consultations with seniors. Regional Committee members highlighted that NHSP constitutes a key source of funding for small senior-led not-for-profit groups.

As found in the previous Formative Evaluation of the New Horizons for Seniors Program Capital Assistance Component (2010), the capital assistance component of the program seeks to address concerns that new and existing community-based projects geared towards seniors are at risk from deteriorating facilities and equipment. ^{Footnote 18} Findings from a review of sampled projects conducted for this evaluation indicated a high percentage of projects being funded under the objective of capital assistance, suggesting a continued need for this objective. ^{Footnote 19} NHSP funding is also made available for community-based projects that expand awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse, which reflects the findings of a report by the National Seniors Council that identifies elder abuse as an under reported phenomenon and a priority that “has remained a largely hidden issue.” ^{Footnote 20}

Alignment with government priorities and federal roles and responsibilities

The Government of Canada has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to advancing NHSP’s objectives. Budgets 2005, 2007 and Economic Action Plans 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2014 included continued and increased funding for the program from an initial budget of $8 million ^{Footnote 21} to $50 million annually. ^{Footnote 22}

As a signatory to the United Nation’s Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, the Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that older persons “age with security and dignity, and continue to participate in their societies as citizens with full rights.” Given that the needs of seniors are complex and multifaceted, the federal government collaborates with provincial or territorial and municipal governments as well as non-government organizations and the private sector to address the needs of seniors. Delivered by ESDC, the NHSP supports the social development aspects of the Department’s strategic outcome of supporting income security, access to opportunities and well-being of individuals, families and communities.

Lessons learned in relation to projects

In synthesizing evaluation evidence that brings forth challenges which could be avoided in the future, three lessons learned are noteworthy. First, early engagement of communities by regional Service Canada staff would foster program awareness. Second, assisting organizations to develop sound applications would be of value for organizations that lack expertise. And third, timely communication with applicants to ensure an adequate understanding of NHSP requirements could contribute to stronger applications and ultimately, more effective projects.

The majority of regional Service Canada staff indicated that adequate monitoring of projects and continuous engagement with applicants and funded recipients throughout the lifecycle of the project is necessary to effectively oversee and support the successful outcome of projects. Related to the importance of Service Canada being able to provide timely advice to projects, engaging organizations in the lead up to the call for proposals to foster awareness was found to be a lesson learned from the perspective of multiple key informant groups.

Some key informants (Regional Committee members, regional Service Canada staff) expressed that NHSP should engage organizations (in particular those that lack sufficient capacity) to a greater extent in order to better support the development of sound applications and promote new and innovative project activities. While regional Service Canada staff as a part of their community engagement strategy offer workshops to assist potential applicants with the development of project applications, a key informant with significant knowledge of the program identified community engagement as an “area for improvement.” See Annex F for additional details regarding lessons learned in relation to community-based projects.

Lessons learned in relation to partnerships

For community-based organizations, the development of partnerships prior to project start-up and the ongoing nurturing of partnerships were cited as key lessons learned. Findings from the document review and key informant interviews indicate that most partnerships are with the non-profit sector, with the most prevalent type of support garnered from partners being in-kind support, in the form of time, meeting space, volunteers and resources (e.g. equipment).

Approximately half of regional Service Canada respondents who were able to identify lessons learned in relation to partnerships identified the importance of developing and nurturing partnerships prior to the start of the project, as well as the important role of partners in facilitating linkages between organizations and the community. Linkages between recipient organizations, their partners and the community were found to generate greater awareness of project activities within the community, as well as the exchange of ideas, both of which ultimately benefit the project. A few additional regional Service Canada respondents pointed out that partnerships are often “informal” and that the organizations “tend to go to people they know.”

In a similar vein, organizations reported that having an open communication platform to discuss expectations and commitments was one of the more important lessons learned since “informal partnerships are based on trust.” Similarly, from the perspective of Regional Committee members, open communication in order to foster shared commitment and expectations in advance of the project start-up was the most frequently cited lesson learned.

It was noted that a key factor that may hinder the success of partnerships is the lack of organizational expertise and resources on how to establish and nurture partnerships on the part of community-based organizations. See Annex G for additional lessons learned in relation to partnerships.

Promising practices

In addition to lessons learned, findings from the document review and key informant interview process identified project approaches and activities that were found to be related to achieving project aims in particular contexts. Replicating these promising practices across a broader context, while yet to be determined, holds potential for further improving the program.

For community-based projects, improved accessibility for volunteers, projects that are targeted to vulnerable segments and needs of the project target population, training seniors in the use of technology and social media and use of video and audio media to enhance the reach of project activities were found to be promising practices. For regional Service Canada staff, community engagement and promotion strategies that are focused on geographical areas with low program uptake were noted as a promising practice.

Success factors

Overall among projects, strong administrative capacity and project management skills on the part of community-based organizations and sufficient level ^{Footnote 23} of senior involvement in project activities were found to constitute key factors of project success. ^{Footnote 24} In contrast, the timing of project activities, adequacy of the maximum project funding amount and restrictions regarding transportation costs were found to detract from successful project outcomes across the board.

Citing the quality of applications as a proxy for gauging the administrative capacity and project management skills of applicants, regional Service Canada respondents noted sound administrative capacity (e.g. realistic project outcomes), partnerships (e.g. in-kind support) and sufficient involvement of seniors, and in particular those most in need, as conducive to the successful outcome of projects. ^{Footnote 25} Similarly, a review of previously funded projects found that those with focused and concrete objectives were more likely to achieve their intended outcomes. The review also noted that for projects that target a relatively small segment of the senior population (e.g. ethno-cultural groups), funded recipients enlisted the aid of community organizations with existing networks to better reach the project target population.

Organizations also cited project specific factors that make it easier for potential project participants to access project activities. These included delivering activities in the preferred language of participants, especially in areas where the majority or a large portion of participants are from ethno-cultural minority communities. Delivering the project in a location that is convenient for participants, such as a public library or a religious institution (e.g. Church, Temple) where the target population is used to attending, was also found to contribute to the successful outcome of the projects.

Beyond controlling for the aforementioned factors of project success, the evaluation also identified factors that generally detract from the successful outcome of projects, including the timing of project activities (e.g. winter). Related to this issue, the National Seniors Council also identified project accessibility and transportation for those with disabilities or living in rural and remote areas as key factors that contribute to seniors’ volunteer involvement. ^{Footnote 26} Program funding restrictions with respect to transportation costs were noted by some respondents as potentially detracting from project success. ^{Footnote 27} Similarly, the literature review found that successful volunteer programs address impediments to civic engagement, including life circumstances, of which access to transportation is one of the most important. ^{Footnote 28}

Related to the adequacy of the $25,000 maximum funding amount for community-based projects, some key informants noted that for projects that exhibit unique or higher costs such as those in rural or remote areas (e.g. high cost of renting space in northern communities), the funding limit of $25,000 is often insufficient and may detract from its capacity to fully address the needs of seniors in remote and rural communities. It was suggested that increasing the funding amount a project receives may enhance the quality and impact of projects. Moreover, the absence of NHSP funding was cited by the majority of respondents from recipient organizations as a key factor that could have detracted from their capacity to support seniors’ initiatives in their communities. See Annex E for a list of key factors of project success.

Sharing what works

The evaluation found that although sharing of success stories takes place on an on-going basis, the community-based project component of NHSP could benefit from a more systematic process for identifying and sharing lessons learned, promising practices, and success factors as these are seen to hold value for program stakeholders.

From the perspective of regional Service Canada staff, key informants noted that the process for identifying success stories is ad hoc and starts with a request from national headquarters that is relayed through the Senior Development Officers and Business Expertise Consultants, who in turn solicit examples from the Project Officers. It is worth noting that the identification of a success story does not necessarily correlate with identifying lessons learned, promising practices, or success factors. ^{Footnote 29} Requests to identify success stories do not include formal criteria or standardized processes (e.g., definitions, criteria, measures) for selecting a project. Moreover, given that the request pertains to identifying success stories at the end of the project life cycle, Project Officers reported relying on their memory with respect to projects that stood out to them.

Once stories are collected, the NHSP makes use of the ESDC success stories website as the primary means of sharing them. Additionally, key program documents (e.g. applicant guide, factsheets) are used to inform potential applicants and internal personnel of key aspects of strong applications and projects (for a full list of the types of mechanisms employed, see Annex D).

While currently not in use, regional Service Canada staff noted that the departmental Common System for Grants and Contributions (CSGC) Project Life Cycle module has screens for recording “success stories” and “best practices.” ^{Footnote 30} Using these two fields could be one way of increasing the extent to which success stories and best practices are documented and used to inform policy and program development. ^{Footnote 31}

Systematically identifying and disseminating key factors of project success (including lessons learned and promising practices) in a format that is accessible to program stakeholders holds potential for scaling up elements of previously funded projects and contributing to future projects achieving their goals.

Availability and quality of performance data

The NHSP Performance Measurement Strategy identifies, by program outcome, key performance indicators and data sources that are used to systematically collect information in support of departmental program monitoring, assessment and evaluation activities. The final reports for community-based projects ^{Footnote 32} constitute a key source of information ^{Footnote 33} for measuring program performance and effectiveness. ^{Footnote 34} Final reports from NHSP community-based project funded recipients are self-reported and submitted in paper format; these are subsequently scanned and uploaded to the CSGC Project Life Cycle module as PDFs and word documents. In addition, the CSGC Project Life Cycle module is intended to document “all phases of the project life cycle from application to close-out.” ^{Footnote 35}

Findings from the data review identified that while various final report templates employed over the evaluation reference period reflect continued changes to simplify and clarify questions in order to secure more relevant project result data, variations between final report templates make it difficult to compile and compare project performance data over time. Moreover, the manual process of extracting final reports and the corresponding performance information is resource intensive (labour and time) with respect to the accessing and analyzing of performance information. Self-reported results and errors in the entry of this information hindered the quality of available performance data. Furthermore, the percentage of missing final reports from the CSGC Project Life Cycle “Supporting Documents” screen (25% over the evaluation reference period) is noteworthy, in that it potentially represents a large amount of performance information that could better inform an understanding of program effectiveness. ^{Footnote 36}

Lastly, the review confirmed that much of the current NHSP CSGC Project Life Cycle data are not relevant for reporting on program effectiveness and more broadly, management decision-making. However, through the analysis of Project Life Cycle data, it was found that CSGC Project Life Cycle data captures accurate applicant project information such as organization name, address, proposed budget, funding recommendation, dates of key milestones in the application process and decision.

Progress towards direct outcomes

The program’s logic model identifies the intermediate and ultimate outcomes of the program as “shared outcomes,” on the basis that “attribution [is] distributed across a range of stakeholders,” including recipient organizations, other ESDC programs and different levels of government. ^{Footnote 37} Accordingly, the program’s four direct outcomes and associated indicators were used to gauge the extent to which the program is contributing to the ultimate outcome of having “individuals, facilities and communities mutually benefit from the participation of seniors.” ^{Footnote 38}

Overall, from the perspective of key informants and based on the findings from the document review as well the analysis of a sample of previously funded projects, NHSP is making progress towards achieving its direct outcomes. ^{Footnote 39} That is, organizations are reporting adopting approaches to engage with volunteers, sharing of knowledge and experience between different generations are taking place, and NHSP funding is enhancing the capacity of recipient organizations to support seniors’ initiatives. Summary findings by direct outcome are identified below: ^{Footnote 40}

Program uptake

The program’s level of reach with respect to its target population was assessed. ^{Footnote 43} Premised on a need to respond to a number of far reaching societal trends, the NHSP targets a broad base of potentially eligible beneficiaries that reflects the broad scope of the program’s five objectives. Information with respect to program demand (i.e. applications received) and program expenditures shows that the demand for projects exceeds available funding. ^{Footnote 44} Between 2011 and 2014, 58% ^{Footnote 45} of applications submitted were approved for funding. ^{Footnote 46} Figure 1 below shows the regional distribution of projects (both received and funded) on a percentage basis. Some evaluation evidence (e.g., document review, key informant interviews) indicates regional differences between percentages of seniors, applications received and funded may be due to factors such as the quality of applications received and program awareness; however, a review of this trend may be beneficial for program monitoring purposes.

Source: CSGC Project Life Cycle Module and Statistics Canada 2014 Annual Demographic Estimates

Text Description of Figure 1

Figure 1 is a bar graph that shows the regional distribution of projects received and funded, relative to the regional distribution of seniors. Data used to construct the bar graph was extracted from the Common System for Grants and Contributions as well as Statistics Canada’s 2014 Annual Demographic Estimates.

• The graph shows that Ontario has the highest concentration of seniors with 38% of the overall senior population, followed by the Western and Quebec provinces with 25% and the Atlantic Provinces with 8% of the senior population.
• The regional distribution of projects received and funded is shown as a percentage of the total number of applications to the program and total number of applications funded.
• Between 2011 and 2014, the Western provinces received the highest number of application with 32% and funded the highest number of projects with 33%. Over the same period, Ontario received the second highest number of projects, at 28% and funded the second highest number of projects, at 31%.
• Quebec received 27% of the total number of applications over this period and funded 25% of the total number of projects funded. Lastly, the Atlantic Provinces 14% of the total number of applications and funded 12% of the total number of funded projects.

Slight differences in the regional distribution of applications received and funded relative to the percentage of seniors may be due to regional variations in the level of program awareness and quality of applications received (which result in applications being screened out, thereby reducing the overall pool of applications).

Raw Data

Applications Received versus Funded by Region (2011-2014)

Region	Population 65+	Percentage Received	Percentage Funded
Ontario	38%	28%	31%
Western	25%	32%	33%
Quebec	25%	27%	25%
Atlantic	8%	14%	12%

The broad base of potentially eligible NHSP recipients makes it difficult to ascertain the program’s potential reach; however, as shown above the allotment of NHSP funding is aligned with the regional distribution of the older population within Canada. Of note, the absence of information on project participants or beneficiaries in the performance data collected on NHSP funded community-based projects poses limitations, most notably the inability to capture the number of project participants and/or beneficiaries. Overall, recognizing that the demand for the NHSP funding far exceeds available funds, an assessment of the extent to which the program is targeting seniors most in need of NHSP funding (e.g. communities with higher proportions of isolated seniors) would inform a fuller understanding of program reach.

Project Screening and Assessment Process

During the key informant interview process, the majority of regional Service Canada respondents identified the presence of duplicate steps in the screening and assessment process. Among these respondents, the majority cited the two-pronged assessment stage involving both the Project Officers and Regional Committee members as leading to a repetition of steps. Respondents also felt that the use of paper applications and uploading the findings from the screening and assessment of applications into the CSGC Project Life Cycle module added to the degree of administrative burden.

Capturing the overall sentiment of regional Service Canada key informants, one respondent stated that “the way we presently do it, there is a great deal of duplication. Internally, staff fully assess these applications. And then we take a large number of them to Regional Committee members who then in turn also fully assess and rank these applications. One would think that there is a way to be more efficient.” The screening and assessment of NHSP projects entails the following three stage process to determine if a project should be recommended for funding:

• Screening
• Assessment by Project Officers
• Assessment by Regional Committees

Referring to a verification checklist and a screening grid used in application screening, regional Service Canada staff expressed concerns regarding the repetition of steps. Upon completion of the checklist, Project Officers are instructed to place a copy in the paper file and an electronic version in the CSGC. While the screening stage is meant to ensure that the applicant meets the basic program eligibility criteria, the nature of the questions that are to be assessed requires a sufficient level of knowledge of the project applications, with emphasis placed “on not screening out applications without fully understanding the proposed project activities.” ^{Footnote 49}

In comparison to the screening stage, where applications are reviewed to determine if applications meet individual program eligibility requirements, the “assessment” stage entails a greater level of effort on the part of Project Officers. Subsequently, preparations are made for the next stage of the assessment process, which involves Regional Committee members. ^{Footnote 50} Project Officers prepare “three separate lists [A, B, C] of projects identifying eligible projects by a suggested score range” as derived through the application assessment criteria. ^{Footnote 51} Next, Regional Committee members are “asked to review and concur with the results of the assessment of the Projects on the A and C lists” and are to “focus their attention on the group of applications, which are middle range (B List).”

Throughout the screening and assessment of applications, Project Officers are to document the process in the CSGC Project Life Cycle Module for all applications, including those screened out and not recommended for funding. ^{Footnote 52} Findings from the key informant interviews as well as the document review indicate that Regional Committee members play a key role in the delivery of the program by providing a regional perspective, given their expertise and knowledge as well their ties to their communities. ^{Footnote 53} However, to a large extent, the assessment that is conducted by Regional Committees represents a repetition of the work that was already performed by the Project Officers.

Operational Directives

ESDC provides guidance to regional Service Canada delivery personnel through operational directives and ad-hoc support, as required. The majority of Service Canada respondents cited a lack of clear and updated operational directives as an issue that can lead to inconsistencies in the assessment of applications. These include inconsistencies across the provinces with respect to the treatment of applications with missing information and the timeliness of directives on changes to the program such as eligibility criteria. For instance, a Service Canada respondent indicated that directives are not received “until at a very late stage of the assessment period. It will be very helpful if, [for] the [up] coming call for proposals, we are provided with the operational directive ahead of time, like at the beginning of the assessment period. This will help the program officers to become more efficient when we are assessing the files.”

Operational Timelines

From the perspective of some regional Service Canada respondents, tight timelines during the application screening and assessment period were thought to detract from the quality of the application assessment process. For example, a respondent stated that, during the last call-for-proposals, “a challenge we faced was the tight timeframe and deadlines during the assessment period…we are trying to get done a lot in a short amount of time.” In the same vein, another respondent suggested that short timelines are potentially a reflection of inadequate resources and of the timing of the screening and assessment period, which usually takes place during the summer when staff are more likely to be on vacation. ^{Footnote 54}

Among the community-based organizations, the timeliness of the application approval process was noted as an area that could benefit from improvement. The vast majority of respondents who identified an issue with the timeliness of the application process cited the length of time between the submission of applications and receipt of funding as “somewhat long.” Analysis of CSGC Project Life Cycle applicant information found that, on average, the application assessment and approval process can extend up to seven months.

Program Awareness and Community Engagement

Related to program awareness and community engagement, ^{Footnote 55} regional Service Canada key informants cited the use of regional community engagement strategies to increase program awareness. Noting that each region is responsible for developing a promotion and engagement plan that “responds to their specific needs,” key informants from regional Service Canada and national headquarters highlighted that program promotion is limited and noted that the program could benefit from increased awareness and diversity of recipients in order to encourage the development of new and innovative projects. ^{Footnote 56} Indicative of this, a respondent tasked with assessing applications from remote and rural communities pointed out that whereas in the previous years on average nine proposals would be submitted from the region, this had dwindled to three proposals during the most recent fiscal year.

To better reach underserved segments on the seniors population, it was noted by key informants that a potential solution may be to focus on areas where “weaknesses lie” such as remote and rural areas where take up or awareness of the program may be low.

Communicating with Seniors: A Mixed Method Approach

As part of ESDC’s modernization efforts, the Department is extensively making use of information technologies and the Internet in order to modernize and improve service delivery. ^{Footnote 57} The ability for a program to communicate to and fully reach its intended participants is an important consideration, which, for example, can affect a range of program activities, including program awareness, program application, reporting on program performance, and sharing of relevant program information. Multiple lines of evidence pointed to the merits of incorporating seniors’ preferred modes of communication, recognizing that projects are often seniors led and include community groups that contain various concentrations of seniors. Research has shown that when seniors seek information, they are more comfortable using radio, television or print media and are likely to approach friends and family. ^{Footnote 58} However, personal, face-to-face contact was regarded as integral to how they accessed information. ^{Footnote 59}

The seniors population depends far less on the Internet and modern technologies to communicate, which has resulted in a digital divide in Canada. ^{Footnote 60} While ESDC’s move to modernization is responsive to future senior demographics, particularly the more technologically savvy baby boomers, ^{Footnote 61} it is important to recognize that the current cohort of seniors is not a homogenous group and, for some seniors, their preferred mode of communication, as indicated by the above research, continues to be traditional methods. In addition to a digital divide between the seniors and other segments of the population, there is also an urban/rural digital divide. ^{Footnote 62} The urban/rural divide is an important issue for seniors and community groups because roughly one quarter of seniors in Canada live in rural or remote areas. ^{Footnote 63}

The exclusive use of the Internet or automated mechanisms could ignore a large contingent of seniors and community groups with large concentrations of seniors who may be more responsive to traditional means of communicating such as print, telephone or face-to face contact.

Demonstration of Economy

The nature of NHSP’s objectives and community-based approach to delivering the program presents significant challenges for estimating program cost-effectiveness. However, an examination of program budgetary and expenditure data can provide insights with respect to the utilization of resources. With the exception of fiscal year 2011-2012, when project payments were issued in 2012-2013 due to delays resulting from administrative challenges, the program’s operating costs as a percentage of total program expenditure averaged about 10% annually. ^{Footnote 64}

Text Description of Figure 2

Figure 2 is a line graph that shows program operating costs for fiscal years 2010-2011 to 2014-2015 as a percentage of overall program expenditure. Data used to construct the line graph was sourced from Employment and Social Development Canada’s Chief Financial Officer Branch.

• Total program expenditure and operating costs encompass both the community-based and pan-Canadian components of the program.
• For fiscal year 2010-2011, operating costs were 11% of the total program expenditure, in 2011-2012 it was 62%, in 2012-2013 it was 6%, in 2013-2014 it was 10% and in 2014-2015 it was 12%.
• With the exception of fiscal year 2011-2012, when project payments were issued in 2012-2013 due to delays resulting from administrative challenges, the program’s operating costs as a percentage of total program expenditure averaged about 10% annually.

Raw Data

Program Operating Expenditure

Fiscal Year	Percentage of Total Program Expenditure
2010-2011	11%
2011-2012	62%
2012-2013	6%
2013-2014	10%
2014-2015	12%

As shown in Figure 3, the regionally allocated funds for fiscal year 2014-2015 are roughly proportional to the regional distribution of seniors in 2014.

Text Description of Figure 3

Figure 3 is a line graph that shows the regional distribution of seniors vs the amount of money allocated to each region for fiscal year 2014-2015. Data used to construct the line graph was sourced from Employment and Social Development Canada’s Chief Financial Officer Branch as well as Statistics Canada’s 2014 Annual Demographic Estimates.

• The regionally allocated funds for fiscal year 2014-2015 are roughly proportional to the regional distribution of seniors in 2014.

Raw Data

Regional Distribution of Seniors versus Allocated Regional Amounts

Region	Percentage of Funds Allocated	Percentage of Population 65+
Atlantic	15%	8%
Quebec	23%	25%
Ontario	31%	38%
Western	31%	25%

Based on analysis of program expenditure data, it was found that on average the program spent 99% of the regionally allocated funds for community-based projects for fiscal years 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. ^{Footnote 66} However, according to ESDC’s 2013-2014 Departmental Performance Report, as a whole (for both the community-based and pan-Canadian components of the program) the program underspent planned expenditure for that fiscal year by approximately 6%. ^{Footnote 67}

Given the high demand for the community-based project component of NHSP, the assessment of proposed projects, with respect to value-for-money, is a likely area for greater focus in ensuring that program resources are optimized. In line with ESDC’s Grants and Contributions Operations Guide, the principal method whereby the program ensures a measure of value-for-money is through the application assessment process, where Project Officers are advised to consider the extent to which the projects “use resources efficiently and effectively” along with the feasibility and sustainability of projects. ^{Footnote 68} Related to the cost-effectiveness of community-based projects, key informants suggested that clustering similar projects in small geographic areas may potentially reduce the number of similar projects that are funded.

1. Streamline and focus the collection of project performance information in an accessible format to facilitate program monitoring and evaluation. Support the identification and dissemination of promising practices that can be replicated in other communities.

Currently, the means by which performance data are collected and reported on (i.e. scanned PDF’s, hand written final reports), is a highly resource intensive process (e.g., time and labour) that often yields performance data that is difficult to use and of uncertain reliability for monitoring, assessment and evaluation purposes.

While success stories are showcased on the ESDC website, the process by which these are identified could be more standardized (e.g., criteria, measures, etc.). Moreover, these success stories could be better aligned with lessons learned, promising practices and success factors.

2. Recognizing the needs and preferences of seniors, leverage traditional methods of communication and external stakeholder organizations to complement Modernization efforts in support of program delivery.

While ESDC’s move to modernization is responsive to future demographic trends, it is important to recognize that seniors and community groups who represent them are not a homogenous group. In addition, there is also an urban/rural digital divide. This is an important issue for seniors and community groups with large concentrations of seniors as about one quarter of seniors in Canada live in rural areas and small towns.

3. Explore ways to streamline the administration of the program and reduce processing time.

Findings from all lines of evidence confirm the need for ESDC to reduce the degree of administrative burden associated with application screening and the assessment process on the part of regional Service Canada staff, as well as to reduce the length of time between the submission of project applications and receipt of funding on the part of recipient organizations. On average, the application assessment and approval process can extend up to seven months.