Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister and the deputy minister for their answers. I guess my last question in regards to this area here: how are the community wellness authorities being consulted and worked with so that they can promote the information as well? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is early days for the individual regional wellness councils across the Northwest Territories, and we have been focusing on training them on different programs, services, their role. As time rolls out, we will be providing them with briefings on all the different files that are under their jurisdiction or under their purview, and they will certainly be encouraged to distribute information but also provide feedback and input on how to customize or modify.
Can I say that they have had a presentation on this particular topic in the Deh Cho? No, I can't say that at this point because there are so many presentations and so much information that have to be brought to them. The intent is to make sure they are always up to speed on those types of things. It will take us a bit of time to get there so that everybody has got all the information they need, but they will be sought for helping us get that information out there but also providing guidance on how to tailor and custom per region and community.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
No, I thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for his answers, and the deputy minister has helped clear this up, so thank you very much. No further questions.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Next, I have Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I just have a couple of more questions on Child and Family Services programs. One of the things that keeps coming up with me in my riding is that, if there are issues with children and then the relatives intervene and end up taking control of the children, they are not eligible to have any support unless it goes through the court system. I understand that they are also not an approved foster home, and I know that is what the issue is.
I am wondering if the Minister could tell me if there has been any work done towards approving the approval process of foster homes in this type of situation, where an uncle or an aunt take control of the children to save them from apprehension, actually, if there was a quick method the department has to approve those particular homes as foster homes. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, we have heard an awful lot over the last number of years of the importance of grandparents and extended families and trying to get children placed with grandparents and extended family first as opposed to, say, necessarily going into the foster care system.
In order to get grandparents and extended family members compensated for when they do take a child, we have put in an expedited referral process, so an expedited assessment process, for family members so that we can consider them foster parents and place the children with extended family, e.g. grandparents. This can be done through voluntary agreements, as well, so it doesn't have to go to court. It might, if it is an apprehension, but if it is a voluntary service agreement, it would not.
We have got evidence. We have been able to do this for some clients, and we are looking at continuing to do that to make it easier for grandparents and extended families to be part of the solution and help keep kids in their communities, in their regions, living their culture. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have recently encountered a situation like this, and the individual was not able to get support for him and his wife taking three children, so I would like to maybe find out I will do this separately. I don't think we need to talk about that here. If there is an expedited approval process, I will go to the Minister privately to get that so that these individuals can get hold of the proper officials. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The Minister would like to respond.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it is important that we don't talk about individual or specific cases, so I appreciate the Member is going to come, and we can try to work on the resolution for his constituent.
Having said that, there is still an approval process and there are reasons that an individual or family may not be approved. At the end of the day, we have to focus on the best interests of the kids. So, although we have an expedited approval process, it doesn't mean everybody is approved every time. We still have to focus on the best interests, safety, health, well-being, of the child, just so we are all aware that it does not mean it is guaranteed every time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, one more question: are individuals living in public housing eligible to be foster parents?
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, they are eligible. I am not 100 per cent certain whether it actually impacts the rent that they might pay, because they are paid some money. I don't believe it does, but I would really need to verify that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, can the Minister provide that information on whether or not they can go in, considering the occupational standards that the Housing Corporation uses to house their people and also if there is any impact on that on rents?
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister.
Thank you. Yes, absolutely, Mr. Chair. I will get the committee that information. The reason I am not saying hard and fast is I remember us having a discussion around this in the past, and I am pretty sure that we dealt with it so that foster support wouldn't be counted against rent, but I honestly can't remember what the resolution on that was. So I will get the committee and the Member that information. I am pretty sure we dealt with it, but let me get it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Seeing nothing further from Mr. Beaulieu, I believe I have Mr. Vanthuyne next on my list.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am just wondering, on page 172, the program detail entitled Adult Support Services for the amount of $1.287 million, we describe the adult support services as programs such as the day shelters, transitional housing, life and career development skills for adults. I wonder, maybe, can the Minister provide some explanation as to where the $1.287 million is being expended in the expenditure category below? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Some of those dollars are going to a number of different group homes around the Northwest Territories. Some of it is compensation. I can certainly get the Member the specific detail on which group homes and which areas those dollars are going into. I will commit to getting that to committee. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Just for the future consideration of all of these documents, it might be a good idea for the departments to have this type of information on hand because, so far, we have had to set aside a few discussion items because that information wasn't available and it was promised at a later date. Just a note for the future. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. To be fair, and with respect to the point you are raising, that is not information that I am going to require, just so the Minister is aware; that is not what I am asking. Further to my point that I was raising, I don't require that information at this point, but I am just wondering, maybe, is this the pot then that we have Housing First as an initiative that we are supporting as a government along with the City of Yellowknife? To my understanding, now they are up to 10 people enrolled in the Housing First program. The territorial government has advocated in the past that we will support on an as-and-when-needed basis wraparound services for those who are in Housing First. I am just wondering: is this adult support services pot the pot where those as-and-when-needed support services for Housing First would come from? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister.
Thank you. Adult support services is basically the opposite of public guardian, and some group homes are basically what those dollars are being spent on. We don't have a budget for Homes First. Any clinical support work we are providing is provided through on clinical lines, not allocated in this particular area. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Vanthuyne.
That is good. I appreciate the explanation. No further questions. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. I have no one further on my list. Mr. Thompson.
I apologize, Mr. Chair. My colleague from Yellowknife talked about in regards to adult services, if we could actually get that information to committee so we can have that. Can the Minister make that commitment, please? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have already made the commitment. I am happy to live up to that commitment. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson, anything further?
Thank you. Mr. Vanthuyne said he didn't want it, so I just wanted to make sure it didn't go away to the side. I thank the Minister for his commitment and look forward to that information. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a follow-up: can the Minister indicate to us whether there has been any requirement to date for support services for Housing First for those who have been housed in the Housing First program? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I can't say. We have clients who are accessing services. Some of those clients may indeed be accessing Homes First and they may have had appropriate referral from Homes First to access those services, but I can't tell whether client X, Y, or Z was referred by Homes First, but if they are, they will receive the services that are available. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Nothing further. Thank you.
Thank you. Seeing no further questions or comments, I will call this activity. Health and Social Services, community social programs, operations expenditure summary, $27,522,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. We will continue on to activities beginning on pages 175 to 177, diagnostic and therapeutic services. We will consider the activities as a whole. Please indicate which page you are commenting or questioning on. Do I have comments or questions? First on my list is Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In regard to diagnostic services on page 176, we see an increase in there. Can the Minister explain what the increase is, or why we have this increase on it? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair that is as a result of forced growth on different supplies that are needed to provide services in this area. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Thompson.
