July 8, 2020
Province Calling for Expressions of Interest for Social Impact Bond to Reduce Youth Recidivism
The Manitoba government is seeking a service provider to deliver a social impact bond that will help to reduce recidivism among youth and prevent further involvement with the justice system, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen announced today.
“Our government is committed to reducing the recidivism rates of youth as part of our Criminal Justice System Modernization and Policing and Public Safety strategies, and it’s clear a new, more effective approach is needed to deal with the issue,” said Cullen. “This social impact bond is an innovative way for us to work with the private sector and community groups to find new solutions to this pressing challenge.”
A social impact bond is a social policy tool that brings together government, the private sector, not-for-profits and other stakeholders to deliver effective and prevention-focused solutions. Private investment is used to fund the programs initially, and then is repaid if social outcomes and cost savings are realized. These types of programs allow the government to explore more innovative solutions without financial risk, with the ultimate goal of delivering better outcomes for Manitobans.
In this case, the social impact bond is intended to reduce recidivism in youth between the ages of 12 to 18 who are currently involved with restorative justice, community supervision orders and/or are in custody. The resulting programming will use a holistic approach grounded in Indigenous traditions and knowledge, and will seek to include the youths’ natural and found families. The skills, education and mental health needs of youth will also be supported.
The province will provide up to $460,000 for a site in Winnipeg and up to $230,000 for a site in Thompson for each of the three years of the project, inclusive of program and evaluation costs.
The Manitoba government will select one or more service providers from among those that submit ideas and the successful proponent will work with the province to develop a business case to promote the project with potential investors. The minister noted the province will provide oversight, and the successful proponent will be expected to report regularly on implementation, progress and outcomes.
The request for expressions of interest has been posted on MERX at www.merx.com. The deadline for application is Aug. 10.
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