St. John’s – Canadians deserve to age with dignity. For many seniors, staying connected and active in their community is a big part of that dignity. Every year, the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) funds community projects that tackle the issues facing Canadian seniors, including loneliness, elder abuse and adapting to an everchanging technological world.
Minister of Seniors Steven MacKinnon announced that the Seniors Resource Centre Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc. (SeniorsNL) has been selected to advance to the final stage of the application process under the pan-Canadian stream of the 2023-2024 NHSP call for concepts. The Minister made the announcement alongside representatives from SeniorsNL while visiting Chancellor Park Senior’s Home in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The pan-Canadian stream of the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) supports multi-year projects that use innovative approaches to meet the growing social needs of seniors, such as loneliness.
SeniorsNL’s application proposes to work with local organizations in St. John’s to raise awareness of available resources and develop a more seamless approach of directing vulnerable seniors to support systems in their community.
The most recent call for pan-Canadian concepts, which launched in October 2023, is a two-step application process. In the first step, interested organizations had to submit a concept for a proposed collective impact plan focused on the social inclusion of vulnerable seniors. Successful applicants have now been invited to develop a full project proposal in this second and final stage.
Selected organizations are eligible to receive between $1 million and $5 million for projects lasting four to five years that create a significant impact in communities by using collaborative and innovative approaches to increase social inclusion and benefit the lives of vulnerable seniors.
Since its inception in 2004, the NHSP has funded over 39,000 local and national projects in hundreds of communities across Canada, investing more than $850 million in local senior-serving organizations.
“The New Horizons for Seniors Program helps seniors be more connected and active in their communities. The Program works best because it supports the local organizations that understand the needs of local seniors. Supporting these organizations is how we help Canadian seniors age with dignity.” – Minister of Labour and Seniors, Steven MacKinnon