The data tells the story
What is your Social Impact Audit telling you?
A Social Impact Audit gives you the information you need to allocate resources effectively, take action and maximize impact.
The SIA follows the money. It gives you the insights you need to better understand funding gaps and areas that resources could be allocated more equitably and effectively.
In-depth analysis on funding flows.
An in-depth analysis of revenues and expenditures in the social safety net based on curated datasets. This can be focused on specific social issues, or for specific communities and jurisdictions.
Insights on investment gaps and overlaps.
A flow-through analysis of how funding moves across organizations and into service delivery. This can highlight opportunities for streamlining investments and addressing service gaps.
Funding coordination solutions.
Explore solutions to enhance transparency and coordination for impact based on the analysis. This includes access to solutions and tools for integrated funding strategies, coordinated funding tables, innovative procurement, like outcomes purchasing, and performance management processes.
How is the money working for you?
CASE STUDY 1
Edmonton Police Service
The Edmonton Police Service saw an opportunity under the leadership of a new Chief of Police, Dale McFee to tackle responses to social issues in a more coordinated and proactive way. In June 2020, the City of Edmonton asked the Edmonton Police Service to probe the response to mounting social, community safety, and health issues, and the current approach to these challenges.
To fully understand the local social safety net, the EPS worked with HelpSeeker to undertake a Social Impact Audit and identified the key funding and service stakeholders operating in Edmonton
As COVID impacts and the defunding the police conversations ensued in Edmonton, the information became a key source of input to support the calls for increased coordination, better accountability for resources overall.
Benefits
The findings reinforced the need to change siloed, uncoordinated, and reactive approaches to social issues. In this manner, the SIA reinforced the call for full systems transformation to maximize positive social impact and return on investment.
The EPS released all of the data and information collected in the SIA in support for the call for enhanced transparency. This information continues to be a key input in discussions on the role of policing, charities, government and health systems in addressing community social challenges.
See Chief McFee’s press conference here – and the full slate of reports and interactive data dashboard.
Key Learnings
- The SIA found $7.5B/year moving through different components of the social safety net in Edmonton.
- This included $2.B going to community and social services charities, $1.3B on addictions and mental health services, and $782M on police, fire, and ambulance.
- About $3B was direct government cash transfers to individuals as financial supports.
- Over 2,000 entities were providing about 12,900 service elements in the city.
“ This is a systemic issue, even the public is asking for systemic change so let’s start looking at it that way. It’s not just police, it’s not just addictions, it’s not just housing, it's all of us.”
“ Because there are billions of dollars already invested in the human services ecosystem, the commission believes that funding is not the primary issue so much as aligning and integrating services…(this) would allow a greater focus on the systemic causes (such as poverty, housing and social service needs) which create so many of the current pressures on the Edmonton Police Service.”
