Q1 (January 1 to March 31, 2018) to Board of Directors

Recommendation:

That Niagara Regional Housing Quarterly Report January 1 to March 31, 2018 be APPROVED and FORWARDED to the Public Health and Social Services Committee and subsequently to Regional and Municipal Councils for information.

Submitted by:	Approved by:
Donna Woiceshyn Interim Chief Executive Officer	Henry D’Angela Chair

Highlights:

Appliction Activity 670 received & processed	Work Orders 2,566 issued
Capital Program 8 jobs/projects ongoing 4 public tenders closed 37 contract orders issued	Rent Arrears = $48,660.91 or 4.17% of the monthly rent charges
Community Resources & Partnerships Offered supports to 305 new referrals Had partnerships with 44 community agencies	Non-Profit Housing Programs 66% deemed HEALTHY
Rent Supplement/Housing Allowance 1,273 units	Niagara Renovates inspections for 2018-2019 funding are still underway
Welcome Home Niagara 5 homeowners received assistance	Housing First Project 17 individuals / families housed
Appeals = 19 11 upheld 7 overturned 2 deferred	New Development Carlton Street, St. Catharines approx. 50% complete

As the administrator of social housing for Niagara Region, Niagara Regional Housing (NRH) works to fulfill our vision and mission through six main areas of responsibility:

1. Public Housing (NRH Owned Units)
2. Non-Profit Housing Programs
3. Rent Supplement Program
4. Affordable Housing Program
5. Service Manager Responsibilities
6. Housing Access Centre and Centralized Waiting List

DAY-TO-DAY MAINTENANCE:

In Q1, 2,566 work orders were issued, representing $1,140,348.20. $30,146 of this amount was charged back to tenants who were held responsible for damages.

	2017-Q1	2017-Q2	2017-Q3	2017-Q4	2018-Q1
# of work orders issued	1,761	1,951	3,263	2,993	2,566

Q1 saw a decrease in the number of work orders issued which may be because there were fewer vacancies. The level of work involved and costs associated with repairs/maintenance depends on the length of time the household has lived in the unit and the level of care invested by them.

CAPITAL PROGRAM:

The Capital Program is responsible for maintaining the Public Housing (NRH Owned Units) asset and planning for future sustainability.

In Q1, 37 contract orders were issued, four public tenders closed and purchase orders issued $1,382,685.

The Capital Program was responsible for five capital jobs valued at $1,400,000 and three SHAIP capital projects valued at $600,000 including:

• Parking lot replacement - one project
• Roof replacements - two projects
• Furnace replacements - one project
• Design and preparation of tender for kitchen replacements - one project
• Design and preparation of tender for parking lot replacement - one project
• Design and preparation of tender for foundation repair and dam proofing - 10 projects
• Installation of a heat control system - two projects
• Domestic hot water replacement - one project

As of March 31, 2018, $1,400,000 of the $7,000,000 budgeted (excluding emergency) has been committed and or actually spent (20%).

All assets are now populated in the new asset management software (VFA) and staff are updating capital jobs from 2016 and 2017.

The Capital Works team continues to be a part of the working group with the Region on the project management workshops and the Asset management team.

TENANT MOVE OUTS:

Move Outs By Reason

	2017-Q1	2017-Q2	2017-Q3	2017-Q4	2018-Q1
# of move outs	80	76	75	81	67

ARREARS:

Although NRH Housing Operations actively works to reduce rent arrears, there was a steady increase throughout 2017. Reasons for this may include:

1. A few tenants with substantial arrears entered into mediated repayment agreements at the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) – it will take many months for them to clear the arrears or falter on the agreement (which will result in eviction)
2. It has been taking six to eight weeks to get a hearing date at the LTB which allows arrears to grow

	Mar 31, 2017	June 30, 2017	Sept 30, 2017	Dec 31, 2017	Mar 31, 2018
Rent charges for the month	$1,099,834.60	$1,109,091.38	$1,122,027.00	$1,150,372.27	$1,167,751.69
Accumulated rent arrears	$34,724.50	$43,629.27	$44,326.67	$49,045.27	$48,660.91
Arrears %	3.16%	3.93%	3.95%	4.26%	4.17%

INSURANCE:

In Q1, one claim was settled.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND PARTNERSHIPS:

In Q1, we had partnerships with 44 community agencies across Niagara. As a result of these partnerships, more than 200 support and enrichment activities were offered to tenants at NRH sites. Each partnership contributes to tenant lives and, in turn, the success of the Public Housing community as a whole:

• Faith Welland has been delivering support and programs in NRH’s McLaughlin Street family community since it was identified as “stressed and requiring attention” in 2006. Programming has expanded and now includes NRH senior communities on Fitch and Elmview Streets and the Roach Street family community. Faith Welland and their many partners and volunteers provide activities and events that range from cooking and gardening for adults and homework help, after school programs and summer camps for children to community dinners and parties for all ages. Their work helps build community pride, develop individual skills and self-esteem and enhance tenants’ physical and mental health.

Also during Q1, NRH Community Programs Coordinators (CPCs) offered support to more than 305 new referrals of tenants in need of assistance. Of those new referrals, 51% were considered medium-high need. In particular, there was an increase in the number of tenants needing help resolving social issues with fellow tenants as well as private neighbours.

As administrator of social housing for Niagara Region, NRH provides legislative oversight for 62 Non-Profit Housing Programs (non-profit and co-operative). Operational Reviews are conducted to determine the overall health of each.

	2018-Q1	2017-Q2	2017-Q3	2017-Q4	2018-Q1
Healthy	44	43	42	43	41
Routine Monitoring	18	18	18	18	18
Intensive Monitoring	1	2	2	1	1
Pre-PID (Project in Difficulty)	1	1	1	1	1
PID (Project in Difficulty)	1	1	1	1	1
TOTAL	65	65	64	64	62

By the end of 2017, four former federally funded projects came to the end of their operating agreements. NRH was able to preserve 39 Rent-Geared-to-Income units through the successful negotiation of Rent Supplement agreements with three of the Non-Profit Housing Programs. NRH Housing Programs will continue to work with former Federal Non-Profit Housing Programs as they near the expiry of their operating agreements.

In Q1, there were 1,273 Rent Supplement/Housing Allowance units across Niagara. In the Rent Supplement program, tenants pay 30% of their gross monthly income directly to the private landlord and NRH subsidizes the difference up to the market rent for the unit. The Housing Allowance program is a short term program that provides a set allowance to help applicants on the wait list.

	2017-Q1	2017-Q2	2017-Q3	2017-Q4	2018-Q1
Fort Erie	23	24	26	26	27
Grimsby	24	24	25	26	26
Lincoln (Beamsville)	2	2	2	2	13
Niagara Falls	177	183	200	219	228
Niagara-on-the-Lake	--	--	--	--	--
Pelham	28	26	24	24	23
Port Colborne	34	40	44	47	51
St. Catharines	513	525	567	600	657
Thorold	20	21	24	29	32
Welland	183	181	189	199	202
West Lincoln	15	15	15	14	14
TOTAL	1,019	1,041	1,116	1,186	1,273

Variances in the number of Rent Supplement/Housing Allowance units reflects the general management of the program and required take-up/deletion of units due to End of Operating Agreements (EOA), move out of tenants, and/or new units/landlords. Totals will be increasing in the future as some Non-Profit Housing Programs transition into a Rent Supplement agreement upon expiry of their operating agreement. It is unknown which areas will be affected.

NIAGARA RENOVATES PROGRAM:

The Niagara Renovates program provides assistance to low-to-moderate income homeowners for home repairs, accessibility modifications and the creation of secondary suites in single family homes.

Niagara Renovates inspections for 2018-2019 funding are now underway. Inspections include all areas inside and outside of the home to ensure compliance with program guidelines. Issues are identified and a detailed Inspection Report is completed for review before a decision is communicated to the homeowner.

NRH received $500,000 through the Investment in Affordable Housing - Extension (IAH-E) program for homeowner and secondary suite repairs and $626,300 for multi-unit repairs, totaling $1,126,300 for the 2018/2019 period.

HOMEOWNERSHIP PROGRAM – “WELCOME HOME NIAGARA”:

The Homeownership program assists low-to-moderate income rental households to purchase their first home by providing a down payment loan.

In Q1, five homeowners received assistance through Welcome Home Niagara. One of these was an NRH tenant.

HOUSING FIRST PROGRAM:

The Housing First program helps people move quickly from homelessness to their own home by providing supports to help difficult to house individuals find and keep housing.

In Q1, 17 individuals/families were housed through the Housing First program.

	2017-Q1	2017-Q2	2017-Q3	2017-Q4	2018-Q1
# individuals/families housed	13	15	10	22	17
# of Housing First units (at quarter end)	116	136	131	148	165

Since 2012, Housing First has helped 321 individuals/families.

RENTAL HOUSING (NEW DEVELOPMENT):

NRH New Development

	Amount	Units
Carlton Street, St. Catharines
Investment in Affordable Housing-Extension (IAH-E), Year 3	$5,806,000	45
Investment in Affordable Housing-Extension (IAH-E), Year 4	$2,387,817	17
Social Infrastructure Fund (SIF), Year 1	$2,888,000	23
TOTAL	$11,081,817	85

At the end of Q1

• Site services – transformer installed, main gas line installation scheduled this month
• Superstructure – 100% complete, Mechanical Penthouse is framed, cladding is outstanding
• Masonry structural walls – 100% complete, exterior envelope installation underway
• Interior and exterior steel stud framing – 95% complete
• Electrical rough-in in progress on all five floors
• Above ground mechanical rough-in in progress on 1st to 3rd floor
• Fire sprinkler system rough-in in progress on 1st to 5th floor
• Overall progress – approximately 50% complete

Additional New Development

Investment in Affordable Housing-Extension (IAH-E), Year 2 funding has been allocated to three non-profit organizations and will result in the creation of 40 units for seniors and mental health consumers in Niagara:

	Amount	Units
Gateway Residences of Niagara, Huron Street, Niagara Falls	$720,000	9
Thorold Municipal Non-Profit, Ormond Street, Thorold	$1,228,912	14
Stamford Kiwanis, Barker Street, Niagara Falls	$1,089,088	17
TOTAL	$3,038,000	40

At the end of Q1:

• Gateway Residence of Niagara – complete and operational
• Thorold Municipal Non-Profit – complete and operational
• Stamford Kiwanis – construction is still on hold pending financing. Financing is delayed pending further discussion with financial institution. Project is approximately 60% complete.

APPEALS:

In Q1, 19 appeals were heard, This is more than two and a half times the number heard in 2017-Q1.

Breakdown:
• Seven related to ongoing RGI eligibility
  • Six for failure to provide information – one deferred, five overturned (two with conditions)
  • One for overhoused household failure to accept final offer – overhoused status returned, loss of subsidy overturned
• One related to review of overhoused status for NRH tenant – deferred
• 11 for decisions made by Housing Access (e.g. requests for priority status or an additional bedroom) – ten upheld, one overturned

	2017-Q1	2017-Q2	2017-Q3	2017-Q4	2018-Q1
# of appeals	7	15	15	9	19

INVESTMENTS:

See Appendix A – Investment Report

APPLICATION ACTIVITY:

CENTRALIZED WAITING LIST:

		2017- Q1	2017- Q2	2017- Q3	2017- Q4	2018- Q1
		# of households
A	Rent-Geared-to-income (RGI) waiting list:
	Niagara resident RGI waiting list	4,067	4,226	4,282	4,344	4,287
	Applicants from outside Niagara	548	603	641	657	639
TOTAL RGI waiting list:		4,651	4,829	4,923	5,001	4,926
	Housing Allowance: a set allowance to help applicants on the waiting list with affordability in the private market until housed in an RGI unit	311	344	428	505	569
A1	RGI waiting list demographics:
	Seniors	1,924	1,973	2,038	2,061	2,064
	Adults no dependents	1,619	1,614	1,652	1,703	1,630
	Adults with dependents	1,108	1,242	1,233	1,237	1,232
A2	RGI list further segmented (#’s included in A & A1):
	SPP – Special Provincial Priority (Ministry Priority): helps victims of violence separate permanently from their abuser	100	115	114	101	122
	URG – Urgent (Local Priority): for applicants with mobility barriers and/or extreme hardship where their current accommodation puts them at extreme risk and/or causes hardship	93	98	105	99	104
	UHML – Homeless (Local Priority): provides increased opportunity for placement to homeless households	653	748	821	832	842
	SUP – Supportive/Transitional: provides targeted, provisional services to assist individuals to transition beyond basic needs to more permanent housing	31	29	26	19	17
B	In addition, NRH manages:
	Overhoused: households who are living in subsidized accommodation with more bedrooms than they are eligible for	126	133	111	143	152
	Transfer: households who are currently living in subsidized accommodation and have requested a transfer to another provider	434	437	499	513	518
TOTAL RGI households on waiting list managed by NRH:		5,211	5,399	5,533	5,657	5,596
C	NRH maintains a waiting list for market rent units (62 Non-Profit Housing Programs):
	Market: applicants who have applied for a market rent unit in the Non-Profit Housing Programs portfolio	546	569	592	591	578
TOTAL households on waiting list managed by NRH:		5,757	5,968	6,125	6,248	6,174
TOTAL individuals on waiting list managed by NRH:		9,602	10,031	10,217	10,449	10,380

Note: the above chart includes only those who apply to the Centralized Waiting List and does not capture the full number of those in need of affordable housing in Niagara.

ESTIMATED WAIT TIMES:

CITY	SENIORS Age 55 and older		SINGLES Age 16-54		HOUSEHOLDS WITH DEPENDENTS
	Bachelor	1 Bed	Bachelor	1 Bed	2 Bed	3 Bed	4 Bed	5 Bed
	YEARS
Forst Erie	-	9	2	8.5	2	1	5	-
Grimsby	-	4	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lincoln	-	4.5	-	12	9	8	-	-
Niagara Falls	4	6	-	16	5	3	7	14
Niagara-on-the-Lake	-	6.5	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pelham	-	3.5	-	-	-	-	-	-
Port Colborne	-	4.5	-	13	3	3	3	-
St. Catharines	-	6.5	9	13	3.5	3	9	12
Thorold	-	6.5	-	10	6	8	-	-
Welland	-	5	6	15	5	2.5	7	2
West Lincoln	-	4	-	-	5.5	7	-	-

- no units of this size available in this community
January 2018

Please note:

• wait time information can fluctuate and is an approximation only
• wait times may not reflect the actual time one may wait for affordable housing