HOUSINGAGAIN-L Housing Again Bulletin 7

[Catherine Nasmith <cnasmith@sympatico.ca>]

HOUSING AGAIN -  Bulletin Number 7*
Amended version, February 10, 2000 

This is a slightly amended version of Bulletin 7 to correct an editorial
mistake ($940,000 in the London budget, not $94,000), and to clarify the
opinions of George Devine. We apologize for the inconvenience this might
cause. 

A twice monthly electronic bulletin published on what people are doing
to put housing back on the public agenda in Ontario, across Canada and
around the world. Our web site is http://www.housingagain.web.net
* * * * * * * * * *
In this bulletin:

1. Finding Money for Housing in London
2. New Housing for Aboriginal Seniors in Ottawa
3. Pre-Budget Hearings in Ontario
4. Visit our site
* * * * * * * * *

1. Finding Money for Housing in London

"I'm clergy, you know," says London councillor Susan Eagle. "One always
lives in hope."

Surprisingly, she has found good news for affordable housing. Eagle may
live in hope, but she's no blind optimist and doesn't leave anything to
chance. Despite her disadvantage as a rookie councillor, she started
almost a year ago trying to convince the London municipality to put
money into housing even though the province still controlled housing
funds. By the end of the year, London had $940,000 remaining from the
province’s allocation to the city for social housing.

Her battle began with convincing the city treasurer to identify how much
money was earmarked specifically for housing. Once she won that
skirmish, Eagle set about insuring that it would remain in housing, such
as that $94,000, and unspent money budgeted for administration of co-op
and non-profit housing.

"This would be true in all municipalities," Eagle emphasizes, "because
we were not required to fulfill all the provincial orders last year." 
And there may be more surpluses in 2000, if the province doesn't require
all the projected housing implementations.

Working with another first time councillor, lawyer Russ Monteith, Eagle
convinced council to put the surplus aside for additional affordable
housing. While Monteith has been an active Conservative in his day, he
hopes the Monday March 4th public meeting of the city's Affordable
Housing Task Force, which he co-chairs with Eagle, will develop
sufficient practical criteria for creating new affordable housing that
council will support. (See Alerts section of the web site for hearing details.)

Mayor Diane Haskett endorsed the establishment of the task force and the
designated reserve. "In her last term," Eagle explains, "she had a task
force on poverty, so she does have a record of social concern."

How the money will be used to create housing will depend on task force
recommendations. The group will consider criteria for a capital
revolving loan fund from the surplus, and other financing tools to
helppeople with an income of $20,000 to $30,000 rent-to-buy. This was
suggested by a London developer who would build low cost new homes,
"with a yard front and back" Monteith points out. Renovating older
houses that are on the free market now is another possibility. Money
could be loaned from the reserve fund, perhaps, and repaid in rent,
though there would be some expenses that could not be retrieved.

"We know we can't directly provide the 1,400 additional affordable units
that London requires every year,' says Eagle. "We're also looking at
municipal incentives," many inspired by the Golden Report. "We also want
a policy of housing first for surplus land," she continues, as she
ferrets out new possibilities, the most recent being trying to buy
provincial lands put up for sale in November. When asked about the
possibility of below market value price from the provincial government,
that's when she confessed to being an optimist.

Russ Monteith worries about people earning less than $20,000. "This is
the real problem for housing. There's a terrible scarcity of units in
their price range. If we could get them into more expensive housing with
rent supplements that would help, but that would require federal
assistance. It would be difficult to get council to agree to subsidies.
It's a hard argument for taxpayers too. And I don't see the province
helping until the Ontario deficit is gone.

"I hope Claudette Bradshaw, the federal minister responsible for
homelessness, will come to London. She says money is available, and I
hope there will be more housing money in this month's budget."

Meanwhile, Monteith worries about the closing of two large mental
institutions, with no preparations for shelter. "The homeless men we
have pretty well covered, in London, but not the women. And now, with
more coming, and no federal or provincial help, it's an issue that won't
go away."

2. More Housing for Aboriginal Seniors in Ottawa

Eleven new units of housing for aboriginal seniors are on the way in Ottawa.

It sounds like - and it is - a small number, but it represents a
significant accomplishment. As is increasingly the case, a large part of
the initiative rests with the municipal government.

This is the first increase of units for aboriginals in an urban area in
Canada since the 1993 cancellation of the federal Urban Native Housing
Programme. Guignul Non-Profit Housing Corporation will be building these
affordable apartments after complicated funding negotiations with the
federal government. Guignul is one of the largest urban Aboriginal
housing providers in Canada, and this new project will add to the 162
units in its portfolio in Ontario.

Although more status Indians live off reserve than on, the federal
government has refused to take responsibility for any shelter assistance
to those living off reserve for the last seven years. For families in
the same income group, fewer natives are in subsidized housing than
their non native counterparts.

George Devine, a veteran of twenty-eight years with the federal
government's Social Housing Portfolio (until his 1997 resignation as
national manager) and author of the National Aboriginal Housing
Strategies paper, is aware of the difficulties Aboriginals face. 

"Aboriginal people are reluctant to seek subsidized housing in
non-Aboriginal run housing projects Housing is strongly linked to
aboriginal culture, and it is important that housing providers
understand and recognize this." Devine says. "But the for subsidized
housing  need is extremely high, especially among the lowest income
groups." Aboriginal peoples are migrating to cities in record numbers,
to be close to educational and employment opportunities, families and
closer to medical care, Devine believes, but there is insufficient
housing for them  when they arrive. Many Aboriginal seniors have the
added challenge of finding physically-accessible accommodation.

The housing initiative this time was provided by the Region of
Ottawa-Carleton's Homelessness Initiatives call for proposals.

The new units are supported by a grant from the regional government for
design and development,  CMHC's Residential Rehabilitation Programme
(RRAP), the federal Human Resources Development Corporation (HRDC) and
the Ottawa Community Foundation. Providing promised funding comes
through, units will be rented for less than $350 a month. The units will
be constructed in an existing building in the Ottawa community of
Vanier, near other native housing.

Over 60% of Guignul's families have incomes of less than $13,000
annually. Of the fourteen senior families housed by Guignul in Ottawa,
57% have annual incomes below $9,000. The twenty-four families on
Guignul's  waiting list for these units are all equally needy.

3. Pre-budget hearings

Pre-budget public hearings for  the Ontario legislature took place in
Toronto this past week and continue around the province. Several housing
group presentations including partners of Housing Again, and repeated
the plea for provincial support for affordable housing. It was
distressing to note that the media left after presentations on education
and before the housing discussion. Full texts of several presentations
are available on the Housing Again website in Resources, 
http://www.housingagain.web.net
 
4. Visit our Site: Fresh news, right away!

Check out the "Alerts" section of the Housing Again web site for fresh
news posted right away. The section is updated daily and contains
important and interesting information. Point your browser to
http://www.housingagain.web.net then click on "alerts". Make sure to
check regularly for new information. If you have a news release or other
news, you can post it to the site by clicking on "post".

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