The legacy of FOCUS
The FOCUS Community Project: 1991 to 2010.
During its 18 years of funding, 22 FOCUS Community Project
provided Ontario communities with quality alcohol and other drug programming
based on Best Practices research.
Funded under the newly created Provincial Anti-Drug Secretariat, the
FOCUS Community Demonstration Project began on November 20, 1990 as part
of the Provincial Anti-Drug Strategy. This Project was to be grass roots
driven approach to Health Promotion. Programs were to be based on the
Planned Approach to Community Health. Nine communities across Ontario
were selected to launch comprehensive community projects; Black Creek
(North York), North Bay, Parkdale (Toronto), O’Conner (North York), Regent
Park (Toronto), Sault Ste. Marie, Vanier (Ottawa), Windsor and West Bay
First Nation (Manitoulin Island).
The FOCUS Project was to be a two year pilot project, however, by the
spring of 1993, based on early successes, and the realization that change
would require more time; the Ministry of Health extended funding to March
31, 1996, with a change in mandate to include alcohol as a risk factor.
In 1996, two additional sites funded through the Healthy Lifestyles Project
were integrated into the FOCUS Community Project, bringing the total number
of FOCUS sites to eleven. The two new sites are located in Port Colborne/Wainfleet
and Wawa. Also in 1996, Phase Two of the FOCUS Program was evaluated by
the Addiction Research Foundation, now known as the Centre for Addiction
and Mental Health. As a result of the report, the Ministry expanded the
program again in October 1997.
Once again, application guidelines were made available to assist selected
communities to prepare written submissions for funding. The new funding
period was from April 1, 1998 – March 31, 2003. Eleven new sites joined
the FOCUS Program then for a total of twenty-two. The new sites were Owen
Sound, Kingston, Ignacio, Hunstivlle/Muskoka-Parry Sound, Rainy River/Fort
Franics, Red Lake/Ear Falls, Renfrew, Thunder Bay, Simcoe County, Smith
Falls and Sudbury.
With the creation of new sites, also came the expansion of the FOCUS
mandate to include alcohol as a risk factor in injury. As part of this
expansion process the existing eleven sites that operated as an independent
programs, had to find a lead agency to sponsor them. This change in operation
was done to comply with the guidelines already set for the new sites prior
to their creation. One of the recommendations of the 1997 evaluation report
was the development of a training and support system for the FOCUS Communities.
CAMH was asked to develop and sponsor a FOCUS Provincial Resource Centre
to provide the FOCUS Communities with single portal access to information
and training based on literature which indicated that this was the best
way to provide the resources needed to build capacity in the FOCUS communities.
FOCUS Resource Centre was developed in response to this recommendation
for a centralized support system and opened it’s doors in April 2000.
In the fall of 2002, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care announced
a new funding cycle for five additional years concluding on March 31,
2008.
During this extension in funding, the mandate further evolved to include
alcohol as a risk factor in chronic disease. The goal of the FOCUS Community
Program is to prevent problems including injuries and chronic diseases
associated with alcohol and other drug use.
Beginning in the fall of 2009, the Ministry of Health Promotion moved
towards a Healthy
Communities Approach for Ontario's health promotion needs. Dedicated
FOCUS funding ends March 31, 2010.
FOCUS Timeline:
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