Q3 (July 1 to September 30, 2020) to Board of Directors

Recommendation:

That Niagara Regional Housing Quarterly Report July 1 to September 30, 2020 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 604 received & processed	Work Orders 2,656 issued
Capital Program 52 purchase orders issued 4 public tender closed 12 project ongoing	Rent Arrears = $113,204.57 or 8.70% of the monthly rent charges
Community Resources & Partnerships Offered supports to 534 new referrals Had partnerships with 6 community agencies	Non-Profit Housing Programs 63% deemed HEALTHY
Rent Supplement/Housing Allowance 1,663 units 3 new landlords	Niagara Renovates Inspections are ongoing 15 homeowners approved for funding
Welcome Home Niagara 7 homeowners received assistance	Housing First Project 7 Individuals / families housed
Appeals = 15 12 upheld 3 overturned	New Development Hawkins/Dell approximately 20% 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 Q3, 2,656 work orders were issued, representing $1,850,535.80. $42,806.95 of this amount was charged back to tenants who were held responsible for damages.

	2019-Q3	2019-Q4	2020-Q1	2020-Q2	2020-Q3
# of work orders issued	3,111	3,675	2,575	2,303	2,656

Work orders continue to be lower due to COVID-19; regular maintenance has resumed within COVID guidelines.

CAPITAL PROGRAM:

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

In Q3, 52 contract orders were issued and four public tenders closed.

The Capital Program was responsible for 12 capital projects and 52 purchase orders valued at $1,825,000:

• 12 projects
  • Carlton Street – replacement of balconies and railings
  • 4900 Buckley – exterior insulation and finish system – canopies
  • 52 Ormond – building renovations
  • 10 Old Pine Trail – bathroom replacements (currently on hold)
  • Powerview/Galbraith/Wallace – bathrooms
  • 12 St. David’s Road East – building renovations
  • Various locations - upgrading heating systems
  • 300 Davy Street – parking lot replacement
  • 3874 Portage Road – parking lot replacement
• 49 RFPs and RFQs – various consulting services, elevator investigations, health and safety repairs, structural repairs (roofing) and pavement retrofits

As of September 30, 2020, $2,144,800 of the $8,454,858 budget (excluding emergency) has been committed and or actually spent (25%%).

TENANT MOVE OUTS:

Move Outs By Reason

	2019-Q3	2019-Q4	2020-Q1	2020-Q2	2020-Q3
# of move outs	57	71	62	57	90

ARREARS:

NRH Housing Operations actively works to reduce rent arrears but saw a continued increase in 2020-Q3 due to COVID-19 and tenants not paying rent due to the provincial no eviction order.

	Sept 30, 2019	Dec 31, 2019	Mar 31, 2020	Jun 30, 2020	Sept 30, 2020
Rent charges for the month	$1,267,460.00	$1,286,793.00	$1,302,721.00	$1,289,907.00	$1,295,815.00
Accumulated rent arrears	$35,549,21	$36,134.21	$71,135.25	$110,958.69	$113,204.57
Arrears %	2.80%	2.81%	5.46%	8.60%	8.74%

INSURANCE:

Nothing to report for Q3.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND PARTNERSHIPS:

Due to COVID-19, in Q3, we had partnerships with only six community agencies across Niagara. As a result of these partnerships, 15 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:

• RAFT summer camps began in four NRH Public Housing communities (Old Pine Trail/Manchester/Rykert in St. Catharines and Warden and Waters in Niagara Falls) in July. They had 152 children attend and reported that there were no issues with adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.
• Faith Welland opened After School programs in Welland’s McLaughlin community in September, with scheduled in-person homework help for a maximum of three children and the delivery of craft/recipe kits
• There was a dramatic increase in social issues attributed to anxieties and lack of supports related to COVID-19. Some communities experienced such disturbing social issues that NRH had to transfer several tenants and request that hearings to evict the perpetrators be prioritized at the Landlord Tenant Board, which reopened virtually in September.
• Common Rooms were only open during High Heat alerts, with guidelines posted and increased cleaning.

Also during Q3, NRH Community Programs Coordinators (CPCs) offered supports to 534 new referrals of tenants in need of assistance. Of those new referrals, 35% were considered medium-high need, (e.g. child safety concerns, eviction, social issues, cognitive concerns). In particular, there was a continued increase in the number of tenants needing help with social issues, supports and referrals to other agencies, however most of these agencies were either virtual or unavailable due to COVID-19. CPCs reported that many tenants were uninterested or unable to access virtual supports.

Eviction Prevention and supports have been extended to Housing Providers and the Rent Supplement program on a pilot basis through Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) funding. There is one full-time Community Program Coordinator (CPC) for Non-Profits/Co-operatives and one dedicated half to Rent Supplement and half to assisting with NRH-Owned units.

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.

	2019-Q3	2019-Q4	2020-Q1	2020-Q2	2020-Q3
Healthy	40	39	37	37	38
Routine Monitoring	17	18	21	21	18
Intensive Monitoring	1	1	0	0	2
Pre-PID (Project in Difficulty)	1	1	1	1	1
PID (Project in Difficulty)	1	1	1	1	1
TOTAL	60	60	60	60	60

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

Rent Supplement/Housing Allowance

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. In Q3, there were 1,663 Rent Supplement/Housing Allowance units across Niagara.

Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)

The COHB is a portable rent benefit that helps applicants on the Centralized Waiting List pay their rent to their current landlord in the private market. In Q3, 230 applications for were sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on behalf of Niagara residents in need of housing. To date, 206 have been accepted.

In-Situ Rent Supplement

An In-Situ Rent Supplement 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 Q3, NRH initiated new agreements with 3 new landlords.

	2019-Q3	2019-Q4	2020-Q1	2020-Q2	2020-Q3
Fort Erie	32	30	32	31	31
Grimsby	24	22	18	22	21
Lincoln (Beamsville)	11	13	14	14	12
Niagara Falls	240	239	237	226	220
Niagara-on-the-Lake	5	5	5	4	4
Pelham	19	19	17	17	17
Port Colborne	65	64	67	64	61
St. Catharines	773	778	798	751	712
Thorold	56	57	61	61	61
Welland	200	198	192	259	302
West Lincoln	15	16	16	16	16
COHB Region-wide					206
TOTAL	1,440	1,441	1,457	1,465	1,663

Variance in the Rent Supplement program are a reflection of fluctuation between agreements ending and new agreements taken up with 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 new applicants for the 2020-2021 funding cycle have been placed on hold due to COVID-19. Inspections of completed work are being verified by homeowner photographs and formal inspections will take place as soon as possible and will include all areas inside and outside of the home to ensure compliance with program guidelines. Issues will be identified and a detailed Inspection Report provided to the homeowner.

NRH received $545,920 through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) for all 3 streams of the program

15 homeowners have been approved for funding at this time and NRH is working toward re-opening these programs as we become more proficient at working under the COVID-19 rules.

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 April 2020, NRH received $100,000 through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) program.

In Q3, seven homeowners received assistance through Welcome Home Niagara.

	2019-Q3	2019-Q4	2020-Q1	2020-Q2	2020-Q3
# of homeowners assisted	6	7	4	5	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 Q3, seven individuals/families were housed through the Housing First program. Since 2012, Housing First has helped 467 individuals/families.

	2019-Q3	2019-Q4	2020-Q1	2020-Q2	2020-Q3
# individuals/families housed	15	16	13	9	7
# of Housing First units (at quarter end)	197	202	199	201	195

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

Hawkins Street/Dell Avenue, Niagara Falls
Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI)	$3,600,000
NRH Reserves	$3,061,500
Regional Development Charges	$14,132,500
Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation Seed Funding	$106,000
TOTAL	$20,900,000	73

Building A - 55 units
• Masonry completed on 1st level
• Structural steel installed for 1st level
• Mechanical and electrical rough in work ongoing
• 2nd floor Coreslab installed and grouted up to Gridline H (half of the building)

Building B - 18 units
• Foundations completed and site backfilled for concrete slab
• Underground plumbing completed and inspected by city of Niagara Falls
• Main level concrete slab poured
• Masonry block installation started

Affordable Housing Unit #'s by Municipality

	NRH Owned	Housing Providers	Rent Supplement	New Development
Fort Erie	116	389	31	0
Grimsby	55	0	22	0
Lincoln (Beamsville)	61	41	12	0
Niagara Falls	884	828	239	140
NOTL	40	0	5	0
Pelham	0	0	19	0
Port Colborne	88	139	64	35
St. Catharines	1,017	1,666	775	346
Thorold	29	85	57	46
Welland	394	425	194	167
West Lincoln (Smithville)	0	86	15	0
Region-wide	2,684	3,659	1,433	734*

Note: there are no affordable housing units in Wainfleet
*166 New Development units are NRH Owned

APPEALS:

In Q3, NRH began hearing appeals virtually. Adapting to this new process went well and 15 appeals were heard (12 upheld, 3 overturned).

	2019-Q3	2019-Q4	2020-Q1	2020-Q2	2020-Q3
# of appeals	10	11	11	0	15

APPLICATION ACTIVITY:

CENTRALIZED WAITING LIST:

		2019- Q3	2019- Q4	2020- Q1	2020- Q2	2020- Q3
		# of households
A	Rent-Geared-to-income (RGI) waiting list:
	Niagara resident RGI waiting list	5,012	5,154	5,322	5,264	5,296
	Applicants from outside Niagara	897	977	1,045	1,078	1,129
TOTAL RGI waiting list:		5,909	6,131	6,367	6,342	6,425
	Housing Allowance: a set allowance to help applicants on the waiting list with affordability in the private market until housed in an RGI unit	747	742	739	723	702
A1	RGI waiting list demographics:
	Seniors	2,362	2,455	2,514	2,487	2,506
	Adults no dependents	1,922	1,979	2,041	2,026	2,049
	Adults with dependents	1,625	1,697	1,812	1,829	1,870
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	165	148	146	142	128
	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	130	142	152	144	135
	UHML – Homeless (Local Priority): provides increased opportunity for placement to homeless households	1,007	1,075	1,145	1,119	1,134
	SUP – Supportive/Transitional: provides targeted, provisional services to assist individuals to transition beyond basic needs to more permanent housing	12	16	23	10	11
B	In addition, NRH manages:
	Overhoused: households who are living in subsidized accommodation with more bedrooms than they are eligible for	181	174	176	173	157
	Transfer: households who are currently living in subsidized accommodation and have requested a transfer to another provider	603	613	635	637	660
TOTAL RGI households on waiting list managed by NRH:		6,693	6,918	7,178	7,152	7,242
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	752	784	810	805	808
TOTAL households on waiting list managed by NRH:		7,445	7,702	7,988	7,157	8,050
TOTAL individuals on waiting list managed by NRH:		13,059	13,587	14,197	14,180	14,429

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	-	11	3	7	2	2	6	-
Grimsby	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lincoln	-	6	-	10	6	10	-	-
Niagara Falls	5	7	-	18	5	5	12	16
Niagara-on-the-Lake	-	6	-	-	-	-	-	-
Port Colborne	-	8	-	12	5	3	4	-
St. Catharines	-	5	9	16	3	3	3	11
Thorold	-	7	-	13	3	11	-	-
Welland	-	6	7	16	7	3	8	7
West Lincoln	-	5	-	-	10	6	-	-

- 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