Deputy Mayor O'Leary elaborated on a report that notes that End Homelessness St. John's has reported that during the past year EHSJ has been undergoing a transition from being under the umbrella of the City of St. John’s into a standalone nonprofit organization. Several key steps have taken place to enable this change:
- In 2019, EHSJ secured status as a registered corporation in Newfoundland and Labrador
- EHSJ (via the City of St. John’s) engaged a new Executive Director position, hired in March 2019, to support the transition and lead the new nonprofit organization
- An independent board of directors was created for governance purposes (announced January 2019), and a new Community Advisory Board (CAB) formed of community members was appointed for advisory purposes (announced August 2019)
- While the City of St. John’s will retain Community Entity status for 2019-2020, with the support of the community and the City of St. John’s, EHSJ has applied for this status from 2020-2021 onward.
- Office space was secured, the City of St. John’s will provide EHSJ in kind space at the St. John’s Recreation Centre, 25 Buckmasters Circle.
- A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the CSJ and EHSJ in January 2020 outlining financial matters until federal funds are expended.
As of April 1st, 2020, the transition of EHSJ into a standalone nonprofit organization has formally taken effect. Moving forward, the City’s partnership with End Homelessness St. John’s will be defined by the City’s Affordable Housing Strategy.