POLICY STATEMENT
Added: Added: Added:OSCA supports access to its recreation programs and activities by offering subsidies to eligible households and individuals.
Added: Added: Added:INTENT
Added: Added: Added:The purpose of the subsidy policy is to reduce financial barriers for individuals and households in Ottawa who wish to participate in OSCA programs and activities. We are required under the terms of our Program Delivery Agreement with the City of Ottawa to have a subsidy program for program registrants.
Added: Added: Added:MAXIMUM SUBSIDIES WITHIN PROGRAMS
Added: Added: Added:The maximum Program Subsidy that will be provided is 40% of the cost of a program, up to a total of $800.00 annually in the case of a family, or a maximum of $500 annually in the case of an individual. Subsidies for the “After 4” program are set at a maximum of 40% of the costs of the program per child. There is no dollar limit, but After 4 subsidies are applicable for the 10 months of the program only.
Added: Added: Added:Individuals applying for a subsidy need to do so before they register for any program.
Added: Added: Added:The Managing Director may exercise discretion and waive these limits in exceptional circumstances, within the overall budgetary cap set by the Board in the annual OSCA Budget.
Added: Added: Added:ACCOUNTING FOR SUBSIDY COSTS AND ALLOCATING SUBSIDIES AMONG PROGRAMMING CATEGORIES
Added: Added: Added:The true costs to OSCA of offering a subsidy vary according to the type of program under consideration. Generally, for most of our programs, both for children and adults, providing a subsidy is equivalent to forgone revenue and needs to be accounted for by recording the amount of the subsidy within a set budget. This is because most of our programs have relatively small enrolments and to cover the fixed costs of the program (instructor and staff costs, supplies and materials) and the necessary contribution to our operating overheads, we need to have fairly high minimum levels of enrolments in order to justify offering them. As such, if we accept a subsidized program participant into the program, we must make up the lost revenue in the program. This is why we set a budgeted cash limit on program subsidy expenditures.
Added: Added: Added:However, with some of our bigger programs, such as After 4 and summer camps, we hire large numbers of staff to supervise program participants which creates certain “economies of scale” in managing the staffing of these programs so that it is possible, in effect, to add a few additional participants at effectively very little cost (simply the additional costs food and supplies). In accounting for these subsidies, it is best to put a cap on the number of subsidized positions we would permit to control costs, particularly as these programs run for long periods.
Added: Added: Added:Given the above, OSCA will allocate $3500.00 in 2022 to cover the potential demand for subsidies for regular programming for adults and children. In the case of summer camps and the After 4 program and the Breakfast Club, staff will limit the number of participants in the programs at the 40% subsidy level each year that can be accommodated without increasing budgeted staffing levels and cap them at 2 full-time equivalent participants in After 4, Breakfast Club and summer camps.
Added: Added: Added:The subsidy cap will be adjusted as necessary in future years, based on staff assessment of demand for the subsidy, changed economic circumstances, and changes in program prices, through the regular annual budget setting process involving the Treasurer and Finance Committee.
Added: Added: Added:OSCA Program Subsidy:
Added: Added: Added:Information for Applicants
Added: Added: Added:What is an OSCA Program Subsidy?
Added: Added: Added:Subsidies are available to help pay for the costs of subscribing to a program run by the Old Ottawa South Community Association. They are designed to reduce the cost of a program but do not pay for the full cost of any program. They must be applied for in advance of registering for a program in any program season, or in the case of After 4 and the Breakfast Club, during September of the school year.
Added: Added: Added:All applications are considered confidential.
Added: Added: Added:Who qualifies?
Added: Added: Added:If you are an individual or live in a household, that comes under the definition of low income as defined by Statistics Canada (see table at the end of this document), or receive any of the following benefits:
Added: Added: Added:- Added:
- in receipt of Ontario Works; or Added: Added: Added:
- in receipt of a Child Care Subsidy; or Added: Added: Added:
- in receipt of Essential Health and Social Supports; or Added: Added: Added:
- in receipt of Ontario Disability Support Pension; or Added: Added: Added:
- in receipt of Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD/MCSS); or Added: Added: Added:
- in receipt of a Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS); or Added: Added: Added:
- in receipt of a student loan and of full-time student status; if the individual is applying for a subsidy for their child/children. Added:
You can qualify for a program subsidy.
Added: Added: Added:In addition, if you or your family, does not qualify under the above criteria, but are facing a temporary hardship such as loss of employment, serious family illness or other situation which places significant burdens on your personal financial circumstances, or those of your immediate family, you may also be considered for a subsidy by applying for special consideration.
Added: Added: Added:You must also be an adult and a resident of the City of Ottawa. If you are an adult applying for a program subsidy for a child you must be that child’s parent or official guardian.
Added: Added: Added:What is the amount of the subsidy?
Added: Added: Added:Generally, those approved for a program subsidy receive a 40% reduction in the cost of the program, up to a limit of $500.00 in the case of one individual, or $800.00 in the case of a family, during any calendar year. In the case of the After 4 program or the Breakfast Club, there is no limit on the dollar value of the subsidy provided over the 10 months (school year) that the programs operate, either for a single child or a family. The program is capped at an annual amount in the OSCA budget; for 2022 that amount is $3,500. Applications for a subsidy are treated on a “first-come, first-served basis”, until the subsidy budget for the year is exhausted.
Added: Added: Added:What supporting documentation do I have to submit?
Added: Added: Added:Please provide supporting documentation on your initial application, to ensure a quicker assessment.
Added: Added: Added:If you are applying for a subsidy on the basis of living on a low income (see table below) you may be asked to submit, and for others in your household, your/their most recent Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency stating your annual income, or a Child Tax Benefit Statement showing the family’s Net Income, or three (3) recent pay stubs from all those employed in the household.
Added: Added: Added:If you are applying because you participate in any of the above programs listed (items 1. – vii.) you may be asked to provide documentary evidence you receive benefits from these programs or are enrolled as a full-time student and in receipt of a student loan.
Added: Added: Added:If you are applying for special consideration, you are asked to either: a) attach a single-page written explanation of why you would request special consideration with your initial application. Staff assessing subsidy requests will contact you if they need additional information. Or, b) request an interview with the staff member administering the program to explain your circumstances.
Added: Added: Added:How do I apply?
Added: Added: Added:Fill in the Application form online.
Added: Added: Added:Alternatively, you can submit a paper copy in-person or by mail. Attach a one-page explanation, or request an interview, if you are applying for special consideration, submit it in a sealed envelope marked confidential and addressed to OSCA Managing Director and give it to one of the Customer Service Representatives at the Front Desk at the Firehall, or mail the application to:
Added: Added: Added:OSCA Managing Director
260 Sunnyside Avenue
Ottawa ON K1S 0R7
How and when will I get a response?
Added: Added: Added:You will be contacted by email no later than two weeks after applying for a subsidy with a decision on whether it is approved or not.
Added: Added: Added:Last modified on Friday, 19 May 2023 10:17
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