Community Services aims to improve budget planning

P.E.I.'s Department of Community Services is seeking ways to improve its budget planning and monitoring after being criticized recently for leaving more than $5 million unspent in its budget last year.

The money from the 2013-2014 budget was earmarked for social assistance, children in care and other Islanders in need.

Budget planning improvement is just one of almost three dozen objectives in the department's new four-year strategic plan.

The P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women was one of the groups consulted by the department when preparing its plan.

Jane Ledwell, the advisory council's executive director, says she hopes the commitment means the department will use all available resources from now on to help the most vulnerable Islanders.

"Until every Islander has that opportunity to have the basic needs met. To make sure that they can cover food and shelter and all of those really basic things that are required for health, dignity and safety and security," said Ledwell.

Also in its strategic plan, the department commits to improving the food and shelter components of the social assistance program, and to increase the amount of housing available to Islanders who require supported living.

The plan covers the period up to the spring of 2018.

When CBC News contacted the department for further detail on the components of the plan, a spokeswoman said it outlines high-level priorities.

She said work is just now getting underway, and further details aren't yet available.