HOUSINGAGAIN-L Housing Again Bulletin Number 12

[Catherine Nasmith <cnasmith@sympatico.ca>]

HOUSING AGAIN - Bulletin Number 12
May 17, 2000

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

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In this bulletin
1. Ernie Eves' First Balanced Budget
2. Housing the most vulnerable
3. Visit our site.
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1. Ernie Eves First Balanced  Budget

In its recent budget the Ontario government trumpeted the success of the
booming housing industry. Housing starts soared 24.9% in 1999,and 67,235
new units were under construction. In the first quarter of this year the
news is apparently even better.

Best of all, the Ministry of Finance asserts, housing remains very
affordable. The monthly carrying cost for an average-priced home in
Ontario, is $970, only 21.2% of average after-tax household income.

Making the picture even rosier, according to the government was the help
provided by the Land Transfer Tax rebate for first time buyers. It
helped sell new houses, with rebates averaging about $2000 per house, as
reported in Bulletin No. 6. As promised, the government is now making
the temporary rebate, a permanent subsidy.

Not only does the government give money directly to taxpayers(that $200
cheque you've heard about), it has money to spend -- on more parole
board officers, on an infant hearing screening programme, on
underprivileged youth to encourage participation in sports. There's $1
billion for Ontario's highways this year and a new OPP team to protect
seniors from crime. Tax breaks will spur on Northern Ontario to full
potential, down to and including Muskoka. There's even $25 million over
three years for the Enhancing Arts Endowment Fund.

The homeless and those on low income don't appear in the budget, nor on
the provincial Conservative's unique radar screen- not the 1000 children
a night sleeping in winter shelters; or the 300,000 tenant households
paying over half their income on rent. The poor appear to be invisible
to the Harris government.

2. Housing the most vulnerable

There is a lot of talk about "all those schizophrenic homeless people on
the streets" but the Ontario government is giving some money to address
this particular problem. Looking at how these funds are being used
reveals a lot about conditions facing the mentally ill and the
necessarily inventive, determined workers serving them. 

As reported here previously in Bulletin No. 3, the Ontario government
has promised funds to house about 3000 individuals with psychiatric
problems. But those apparently good intentions are running into
difficulties though they vary from place to place. Agencies in Toronto
experience one set of bureaucratic problems; those in Thunder Bay others.

Phase 1 of The Mental Health Homelessness Initiative promises $44
million a year for the most severe cases: 962 people from the streets
and hostels will be provided a stable roof and given substantial support
services for the first time in years. Houselink, Ontario's second
largest supportive housing organisation with 40 workers and 300 clients
in Toronto, is actively involved in the program, but director David
Defoe is finding it difficult to put the Initiative to work.

"They're giving money away like water but they won't let you spend it!"
he said. "The Ministry of Health only knows how to run hospitals.
They're not equipped to deal with housing." A tender for renovation
estimates of a duplex purchased by Houselink has been waiting for
approval from the Ministry of  Health for seven weeks--on an assistant
deputy minister's desk.

On the other hand, a duplex that was being converted into four units was
purchased by Houselink last summer. Now it houses four small families,
about 10 residents in all, and didn't displace any previous tenants.
Several agencies usually co-operate with Houselink to provide the
support residents need, agencies such as Shared Care from the Queen
Street Mental Health Centre, and Sistering. Support includes help with
household care, economical shopping and nutrition guidance, as well as
helping clients learn to advocate for themselves and keep a roof over
their heads.

Defoe thought Houslink buying seedy hotels to obtain housing stock
without up-rooting other people sounded straightforward. He should have
known better in this grief-ridden field. Toronto councillor Kyle Rae,
for instance, provided initial support for the idea of purchasing the
old Isabella Hotel but then changed his mind, complaining there is too
much public housing and low rental lodgings in his downtown ward. 

Rae feels the rest of the city should start to take some of their fair
share. "He just doesn't want homeless people with issues in his ward,"
complains Defoe, "even though they would be housed and fed in a highly
staffed residence with intensive special programmes."

Defoe is also planning to participate in the recently announced Phase 2
of the Mental Health Homelessness Initiative, a less intensive, wider
spread program.

"Phase 2 will be very flexible, "says Debbie Babington of the Ministry's
Health Care Programmes. "It will support basically the same people,
although this time we will also include people 'at risk of homelessness'
like people displaced by hospital closures. We will be adaptable for
different regional conditions."

In Thunder Bay, Alpha Court Non-Profit Housing Inc. is busy drawing up
an application for Phase 2. Although the government only met interested
parties in early May and wants applications by the end of June, Alpha
Court director Brian Thomson had been preparing for this for almost a year.

"Phase 2 restricts us to housing mentally ill residents alone-- just
like the institutions the government is closing down!" he says. "But I'm
hopeful the Ministry will listen to our problems. After all, Alpha Court
is the first group the Ministry has consulted before closing a
psychiatric hospital." Thomson convinced them to delay the closure until
other programs are in order. He also points out that the Ministry of
Health has seconded experts from the housing field to help launch this
housing unique initiative.

Ontario needs more organisations with Alpha's approach. Alpha Court's
Community Mental Health Program has 18 case workers for those living in
the community, and runs nine buildings with 59 units. Seventy percent of
residents have severe mental illness and need a case worker. The
remaining residents have geared to income accommodation to ensure a
mixed population.

"For the majority of our clients," Thomson says, "it is the first place
they have lived independently. Most of them stay about 5 years. In other
words, our program works." 

Alpha Court also initiated special aboriginal programs with a strong
cultural awareness, incorporating the wisdom of elders, the help of
healing circles, and native traditions like feasts, crucial if half
Thunder Bay's population becomes First Nation people in forty-five years
as has been predicted. "It sounds like we have a well-rounded program,"
says Thomson, "but it is like a stool with one leg missing. That leg is
housing. We've been waiting a long time for Phase 2 to start." Though 93
units are insufficient, he hopes the federal government and the Ontario
District Housing Authorities may join in with similar programs later.

Thunder Bay has the questionable honour in the affordable housing
business of being the `Toronto of the North’. The black humour of winter
desperation produced the one-liner that the only difference between
Toronto and Thunder Bay is ... Toronto has hot air vents! Many clients
turn up at Alpha Court after surviving outside for weeks at 40 below,
sometimes patching together bivouacs in culverts.

Thunder Bay also has many migrants-again, like Toronto. People come
there for treatment and often have problems when returning back to their
small town or reserve so they end up homeless back in Thunder Bay.
Thomson hopes new drop in centres in places like Red Lake and Kenora
will be a partial solution.

Finding affordable housing in Thunder Bay is only slightly easier than
in Toronto. Vacancy rates are around 8%, although lower for cheaper
lodging. Aroom in a boarding house can cost nearly $300 a month. While
larger apartments sit empty and  landlords are desperate for tenants, a
one-bedroom apartment can easily rent for $800-just like Toronto. The
three to five year leases available under the Phase 2 program, with up
to $18,000 a unit from CMHC for renovations, must sound good to worried 
landlords.

Alpha Court continues to introduce other solutions to problems
particular to northern, often isolated people with mental illness, but
the stool will tip over unless they can house their clients safely and
cheaply. 

Since this is virtually the provincial government's only affordable
housing initiative, the Mental Health Homelessness Initiative should be
watched carefully as one awaits a similar federal assistance plan that is
rumoured to be in the works.

3. 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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