Q4 (October 1 to December 31, 2019) to Board of Directors

Recommendation:

That Niagara Regional Housing Quarterly Report October 1 to December 30, 2019 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 Chief Executive Officer	Walter Sendzik Chair

Highlights:

Appliction Activity 741 received & processed	Work Orders 3,675 issued
Capital Program 8 projects ongoing 51 contract orders issued	Rent Arrears = $36,143.21 or 2.81% of the monthly rent charges
Community Resources & Partnerships Offered supports to 144 new referrals Had partnerships with 43 community agencies	Non-Profit Housing Programs 65% deemed HEALTHY
Rent Supplement/Housing Allowance 1,441 units	Niagara Renovates Inspections are complete 55 homeowners will receive 2019/2020 funding
Welcome Home Niagara 7 homeowners received assistance	Housing First Project 16 Individuals / families housed
Appeals = 11 6 upheld 5 overturned	New Development Carlton & Roach - complete Hawkins/Dell demo Jan 2020 construction spring 2020

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 Q4, 3,675 work orders were issued, representing $1,004,181. $65,866 of this amount was charged back to tenants who were held responsible for damages.

	2018-Q4	2019-Q1	2019-Q2	2019-Q3	2019-Q4
# of work orders issued	3,203	2,500	3,084	3,111	3,675

CAPITAL PROGRAM:

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

In Q4, 51 contract orders were issued and purchase orders issued $2,788,400

The Capital Program was responsible for 7 capital projects valued at $2,788,400 including:

• 2 projects - pavement retrofits
• 2 projects – fencing replacements
• 1 project – window and sealant replacements
• 1 project – curtain wall and sealant replacements
• 1 project – shingle roof replacement
• 1 project – window replacements
• 22 RFP's and RFQ's - various investigations, health and safety repairs, emergency repairs, structural repairs and pavement retrofits

As of December 31, 2019, $9,800,000 of the $11.7 budgeted (excluding emergency) has been committed and or actually spent (85%).

TENANT MOVE OUTS:

Move Outs By Reason

	2018-Q4	2019-Q1	2019-Q2	2019-Q3	2019-Q4
# of move outs	65	51	86	57	71

ARREARS:

NRH Housing Operations actively works to reduce rent arrears, which remained consistent throughout 2019.

	Dec 31, 2018	Mar 31, 2019	Jun 30, 2019	Sept 30, 2019	Dec 31, 2019
Rent charges for the month	$1,187,770.00	$1,203,317.00	$1,257,090.00	$1,267,460.00	$1,286,793.00
Accumulated rent arrears	$24,135.76	$35,736.89	$34,004.39	$35,549,21	$36,134.21
Arrears %	2.03%	2.97%	2.71%	2.80%	2.81%

INSURANCE:

Nothing to report in Q4.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND PARTNERSHIPS:

In Q4, we had partnerships with 43 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:

• NRH launched a new partnership with Niagara College in the integrated (non-family, aged 16 and over) buildings on Scott Street in St. Catharines. Scott Street has been a challenging community for a number of years, housing many tenants with mental health and addiction issues. At times, these vulnerable tenants were targeted by drug dealers and had to choose between nefarious friendships or isolation within their units. NRH worked with Niagara Regional Police to stop the criminal activity at the building and is now working with Niagara College to provide support and positive activities. Niagara College provides a supervisor for the Recreation and Social Service Worker students who are gaining valuable experience working with low-income, often vulnerable, populations. NRH tenants benefit from life skills workshops and positive interactions with each other. Together, NRH, Niagara College and the Scott Street tenants are rebuilding Scott Street into a safe, pleasant place to live.

Also during Q4, NRH Community Programs Coordinators (CPCs) offered support to 144 new referrals of tenants in need of assistance. Of those new referrals, 65% were considered medium-high need, (e.g. child safety concerns, eviction, social issues, cognitive concerns). In particular, there was an increase in the number of tenants needing help with clutter and bed bugs.

As administrator of social housing for Niagara Region, NRH provides legislative oversight for 60 Non-Profit Housing Programs (non-profit and co-operative). Operational Reviews are conducted to determine the overall health of each.

	2018-Q4	2019-Q1	2019-Q2	2019-Q3	2019-Q4
Healthy	40	40	40	40	39
Routine Monitoring	17	18	17	17	18
Intensive Monitoring	2	0	1	1	1
Pre-PID (Project in Difficulty)	1	1	1	1	1
PID (Project in Difficulty)	1	1	1	1	1
TOTAL	61	60	60	60	60

NRH Housing Programs staff continue to work with Federal Housing Providers as they move toward End of Operating Agreements (EOA).

In Q4, there were 1,441 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.

	2018-Q4	2019-Q1	2019-Q2	2019-Q3	2019-Q4
Fort Erie	28	26	32	32	30
Grimsby	26	34	26	24	22
Lincoln (Beamsville)	11	11	11	11	13
Niagara Falls	230	235	239	240	239
Niagara-on-the-Lake	--	4	5	5	5
Pelham	21	20	19	19	19
Port Colborne	53	67	62	65	64
St. Catharines	732	741	780	773	778
Thorold	53	57	61	56	57
Welland	201	209	203	200	198
West Lincoln	15	15	15	15	16
TOTAL	1,370	1,419	1,453	1,440	1,441

Variance in the Rent Supplement program are a reflection of fluctuation between agreements ending and new agreements taken up with landlords.

An In-Situ Rent Supplement Program Program has been developed to engage new landlords and offer applicants on the Centralized Waiting List an opportunity to receive Rent-Geared-to-Income assistance where they currently live. This removes the need for moving related expenses and broadens the network of landlords in business with NRH.

In Q4, NRH initiated new agreements with 12 new landlords.

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 2019-2020 funding are 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 provided to the homeowner.

NRH received $600,000 through the Investment in Affordable Housing - Extension (IAH-E) program for homeowner and secondary suite repairs and $311,015 for multi-unit repairs, totaling $911,015 for the 2019/2020 period.

NRH received an additional $376,370 through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) for homeowner and housing provider renovations and repairs for the 2019/2020 period.

55 homeowners have been approved for funding.

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.

NRH received $180,000 through the Investment in Affordable Housing - Extension (IAH-E) program for the 2019/2020 period, with $100,000 of that allocated to Habitat for Humanity Niagara.

In Q4, seven homeowners received assistance through Welcome Home Niagara. One of these was an NRH tenant.

	2018-Q4	2019-Q1	2019-Q2	2019-Q3	2019-Q4
# of homeowners assisted	19	0	4	6	7

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 Q4, 15 individuals/families were housed through the Housing First program. Since 2012, Housing First has helped 438 individuals/families.

	2018-Q4	2019-Q1	2019-Q2	2019-Q3	2019-Q4
# individuals/families housed	27	10	23	15	16
# of Housing First units (at quarter end)	184	189	198	197	202

17 of these Housing First units were created with NRH’s new development at 527 Carlton Street in St. Catharines.

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	$2,888,000	23
Social Infrastructure Fund (SIF), Year 1	$2,387,817	17
Roach Avenue, Welland
Social Infrastructure Fund (SIF), Year 1	$1,200,000	8
Hawkins Street/Dell Avenue, Niagara Falls
Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI)	$3,000,000	20
Regional Development Charges / NRH Reserves	$17,090,000	53
TOTAL	$32,371,817	166

Roach Avenue
• Project substantial completion on October 28
• Facility has been turned over to operations November 1
• Tenants started moving in November 1

Hawkins Street/Dell Avenue
• Public Information Session was held November 12, 2019
• Second submission of Site Plan Drawings submitted to the City of Niagara Falls
• Site Plan Agreement scheduled for approval in January 2020
• Development meeting scheduled for January 7, 2020
• Class B Cost Report for development scheduled to commence mid-January
• Six of 12 housing units have been demolished, removal of debris in progress – scheduled to be complete at the end of January 2020
• Detail development of drawings are approximately 60% complete
• Construction of project is scheduled to begin in spring 2020

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

Stamford Kiwanis
• Substantial completion November 22, 2019

APPEALS:

In Q4, 11 appeals were heard (one less than in 2018-Q4).

• Seven related to ongoing RGI eligibility
  • Two Housing Provider appeals for failure to notify of changes (guests) – one UPHELD, one OVERTURNED
  • Four for failure to provide information – three UPHELD (one with conditions), one OVERTURNED
  • One overhoused household for refusing final offer – OVERTURNED
• Four for decisions made by Housing Access
  • One Urgent Status – OVERTURNED
  • One overhoused household (Market-RGI policy) – OVERTURNED
  • Two extra bedroom – UPHELD

	2018-Q4	2019-Q1	2019-Q2	2019-Q3	2019-Q4
# of appeals	12	10	12	10	11

APPLICATION ACTIVITY:

CENTRALIZED WAITING LIST:

		2018- Q4	2019- Q1	2019- Q2	2019- Q3	2019- Q4
		# of households
A	Rent-Geared-to-income (RGI) waiting list:
	Niagara resident RGI waiting list	4,616	4,715	4,926	5,012	5,154
	Applicants from outside Niagara	761	793	849	897	977
TOTAL RGI waiting list:		5,377	5,508	5,775	5,909	6,131
	Housing Allowance: a set allowance to help applicants on the waiting list with affordability in the private market until housed in an RGI unit	639	704	742	747	742
A1	RGI waiting list demographics:
	Seniors	2,218	2,257	2,344	2,362	2,455
	Adults no dependents	1,761	1,805	1,881	1,922	1,979
	Adults with dependents	1,398	1,446	1,550	1,625	1,697
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	131	128	148	165	148
	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	116	117	109	130	142
	UHML – Homeless (Local Priority): provides increased opportunity for placement to homeless households	954	971	1,012	1,007	1,075
	SUP – Supportive/Transitional: provides targeted, provisional services to assist individuals to transition beyond basic needs to more permanent housing	13	15	11	12	16
B	In addition, NRH manages:
	Overhoused: households who are living in subsidized accommodation with more bedrooms than they are eligible for	168	180	176	181	174
	Transfer: households who are currently living in subsidized accommodation and have requested a transfer to another provider	535	564	573	603	613
TOTAL RGI households on waiting list managed by NRH:		6,080	6,252	6,524	6,693	6,918
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	647	667	723	752	784
TOTAL households on waiting list managed by NRH:		6,727	6,919	7,274	7,445	7,702
TOTAL individuals on waiting list managed by NRH:		11,488	11,884	12,577	13,059	13,587

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	-	10	3	10	2	2	5	-
Grimsby	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lincoln	-	4	-	9	10	9	-	-
Niagara Falls	5	6	-	17	8	3	11	15
Niagara-on-the-Lake	-	5.5	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pelham	-	10	-	-	-	-	-	-
Port Colborne	-	5	-	11	4	4	3	-
St. Catharines	-	6.5	9	13	3.5	4	10	11
Thorold	-	9	-	11	6	10	-	-
Welland	-	5.5	6	15	7	2.5	7	6
West Lincoln	-	4.5	-	-	7	5	-	-

- no units of this size available in this community

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