Report to/Rapport
au:
Health, Recreation
and Social Services Committee/
Comité de la santé, des loisirs et des services
sociaux
and Council/et au Conseil
22 February 2002/le 22 février 2002
Submitted
by/Soumis par: Dick Stewart, General Manager/Directeur général
Contact/Personne-ressource: Ken Foulds, Manager,
Housing Policy and Programs/Gestionnaire, Programmes et politiques de logement
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Ref N°:
ACS2002-PEO-HOU-0002 |
SUBJECT: SOCIAL
HOUSING DEVOLUTION
OBJET: TRANSFERT
DES RESPONSABILITÉS
EN MATIÈRE DE LOGEMENT SOCIAL
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee
recommend Council receive this report for information.
Que le Comité
de la santé, des loisirs et des services sociaux recommande au Conseil de
prendre connaissance de ce rapport à titre d’information.
The Joint Local Transfer Plan (JLTP) for the City of Ottawa was approved by Council in May of 2001 and was subsequently approved by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. This Plan outlined the City’s approach, as Service Manager, to assuming the program administration responsibilities for social housing being devolved by the Province.
Under the Social Housing Reform Act, the transfer is mandated to occur in two stages. Stage One of this transfer was effected on January 1st of 2001 and primarily involved the transfer of program responsibility for public housing (i.e., Ottawa Housing Corporation). The Stage Two transfer is scheduled to occur on April 1st of 2002 and involves the transfer of responsibility for program administration of provincial and federal/provincial non-profit housing programs, as well as responsibility for administering agreements for a number of federal non-profit housing programs.
This report is provided to update Council on the implementation status of the JLTP as well as next steps in assuming the program administration role being devolved from the Province. In addition, the report confirms Service Manager capacity to assume these responsibilities as the point of transfer for Stage Two draws near.
DISCUSSION
In accordance with the approved JLTP, the Housing Branch has actively moved forward over the past nine months to design and implement systems which will enable the City to assume its role as the designated Service Manager by the April 1st transfer date. Some of the key events undertaken to date include:
· execution of a Reasonable Efforts agreement with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) which resulted in the hiring of experienced Ministry staff in key positions within the Housing Branch;
· substantial completion of staffing for permanent positions directly related to social housing devolution and training of these staff through sessions offered by MMAH;
· reviewing and assessing Regulations issued under the Social Housing Reform Act;
· completion of a study on strategic directions for Ottawa Housing/City Living and based on Council's subsequent decision to merge these organizations, developing an action plan to effect the merger which staff are currently implementing;
· establishing the Housing Stakeholders Advisory Group (HSAG), comprised of members drawn from housing providers, sector organizations and community groups, in order to provide consultative feedback on devolution issues during the transition period;
· undertaking an initial assessment of the Rent Supplement Program;
· defining key business processes and administrative requirements to enable development of interim operating framework approaches;
· pursuing acquisition/development of an integrated information management system (SHIMRS), and concurrently developing an interim system to cover the transitional period;
· establishing interim operating agreements for providers; and
· commencing a number of consultative studies to determine appropriate service delivery mechanisms and local standards for social housing.
During this period, staff have worked closely with Area Transition Team staff from the Ministry as well as internal staff from other departments within the City to prepare for the Stage Two transfer. Despite cooperation in progressing to this point, meeting timelines as prescribed in the JLTP has been hampered by;
· Delays by MMAH in issuance of key requirements such as regulations to implement legislation, benchmarks necessary for financial reform (still not issued) and implementation guidelines;
· Delays by MMAH in establishing key infrastructure defined under the Social Housing Reform Act (i.e., the Social Housing Services Corporation, etc.);
· Added work program requirements for addressing Ottawa Housing/City Living merger and age-mix issues for Ottawa Housing;
· Delays arising from internal processes (staffing, accommodations, financial reporting, etc.)
Stage Two Transfer
As noted earlier, the Stage One transfer occurred in January 2001, with the devolution of program administration responsibilities for public housing (Ottawa Housing Corporation) to the City. Effective April 1st of this year, the point of transfer for Stage Two, the City as the Service Manager will become responsible for the administration of those social housing programs formerly administered by the Province, or by CMHC on behalf of the Federal government. It should be noted that administration for certain of these federal-only programs will not be transferred. As such, Stage Two responsibilities will involve administration of more than 50 housing providers, representing over two hundred project sites across the City.
As Service Manager, the City will be obliged to administrate existing social housing programs.
The primary function as Service Manager is to disburse subsidy dollars on a monthly basis and ensure compliance with the legislation and associated regulations through monitoring. In addition, it is the Service Manager's responsibility to reconcile annual audited financial and program information remitted by housing providers, perform operational performance reviews consistent with past practice and with the new legislated requirements, resolve problems with projects in difficulty, and deal with complainants concerning housing needs. To ensure social housing is responsive to local needs, the Service Manager will also support housing providers by providing policy guidance in matters related to social housing including property management, property maintenance, rent-geared-to-income assistance to eligible applicants/tenants, and applicant/tenant appeal processes.
The City of Ottawa, as
Service Manager, is responsible for meeting provincial requirements for the
administration of social housing as prescribed in the Act and related
regulations. Part V of the Act -
Eligibility for Assistance – sets out provincial requirements as they relate to
the establishment and maintenance of a common waiting list system for
rent-geared-to-income (RGI) units in formerly provincially administered
housing, as well as RGI standards and income testing, general rules for
eligibility, occupancy standards and priorities for access to regular, special
needs and alternative housing. These
standards affect the day-to-day operations of housing providers and the
coordinated access systems.
There are a number of areas in Part V regulations that provide some discretion to the Service Manager. This discretionary authority permits the designation of a third party to carry out certain of the Service Manager functions, as well as allowing for the development of local priorities, rules and standards in a number of subject areas. Other aspects of the regulations, while less discretionary, require Service Manager decisions in order to implement legislative requirements. As a result, there is a need for the Service Manager to establish an approach for areas where options may be exercised.
Accordingly, the Housing Branch has reviews underway to examine the three main areas where options need to be considered. These are:
· Coordinated access system and centralized waiting list management – merging legislative requirements and the existing Registry capability, given their proposed continuing role in the service delivery model;
· New local RGI eligibility rules and tenant selection – these include the related financial testing and rent calculation functions, and the subsequent provision for internal reviews and appeal processes related to decisions taken, as well as the proposed continuing role in this regard of the housing providers in the service delivery model; and
· Municipal standards - local priorities for access to housing and local occupancy standards.
These interrelated reviews are currently underway, scheduled for completion by August of 2002, and are to include consultations with various community stakeholders. Based on findings, staff will be bringing forward recommendations from these studies for Council consideration this Fall.
There are two other matters that must be addressed prior to transfer. These are the signing of service agreements with housing providers to carry out specified Service Manager administrative tasks, and notifying RGI applicants and tenants of the legislative and regulatory changes resulting from the new Act.
As defined
in the JLTP, the City will enter into service agreements with providers to
govern the Service Manager/provider relationship. While the bulk of provider obligations are outlined in the Social
Housing Reform Act and accompanying regulations, there are matters that
require a finer grain of interpretation.
These include matters such as compliance with local service standards,
participation in a coordinated access system, and responsibility for RGI
eligibility determination.
A draft interim service agreement, modeled on the pro forma agreement developed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and used elsewhere by Service Managers who already have transferred, has been developed for provider execution. Based on the experiences of Service Managers who transferred earlier, it is expected that housing providers will sign the agreement. Pending completion of reviews currently underway to determine final local standards, it is expected that final service agreements will be tabled and executed with housing providers prior to April of 2003.
In addition, the Service Manager is working with providers to ensure that RGI tenants and applicants are notified of the legislative and regulatory changes resulting from the new Act prior to April 1st. These are being ensured through fact sheets, newsletters and bulletins.
The Capacity
Assessment Checklist
The Capacity Assessment Checklist has been developed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as a tool for Service Managers to conduct a self-assessment to confirm their ability/capacity to perform several outcomes identified in the checklist. This self-assessment is mandatory and, once completed, must be signed off by the Service Manager’s Chief Administrative Officer.
The performance outcome capabilities to be
measured through the self-assessment consist of:
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Capacity
Element |
Capacity
Status |
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System in place to provide funding to housing providers based on point of transfer subsidy levels. |
Staff have developed an interim subsidy forecasting and distribution system to address immediate needs. Concurrently, staff are developing an information management system (SHIMRS) which will enable greater administrative functionality on a permanent basis. |
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Staff have completed, or will complete before the transfer date, required training delivered by the Province. |
Staff have completed Service Manager Training provided by MMAH and have participated in all local Housing Provider Training sessions. |
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System in place for managing reports, reconciling housing provider annual returns and reporting to the Province. |
Staff have developed an interim report review system to address immediate needs, although MMAH requirements have not been finalized in this area. Once finalized, staff will incorporate formal reporting processes into the information management tool currently being developed (SHIMRS). |
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Communication strategy in place for housing providers and other stakeholders, and initial contact made with housing providers. |
Staff have developed a communications strategy for stakeholders and are actively communicating with providers and the community though a number of vehicles. |
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System in place to manage rent-geared-to-income (RGI) program, or alternative contracted arrangements in place. |
Staff are currently in a review process with the community to confirm placement of RGI services. Pending the outcome of this review, it is expected that providers will continue to be responsible for RGI calculations. Interim service agreements are being put in place with providers to ensure compliance. |
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Information regarding the RGI program has been communicated to housing providers. |
Staff continue to communicate with housing and service providers on many issues, including RGI requirements. |
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Information on RGI changes has been provided to households, either directly or indirectly. |
Through the communications strategy, staff are working with providers to ensure that tenants are informed of program administration and RGI changes. |
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Organizational structure has been put into place that is consistent with the Joint Local Transfer Plan. |
The structure contemplated by the JLTP has been established and substantially staffed. |
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Service Manager can provide services in both English and French. |
Through staffing and communication protocols, official language capacity has been built into the service delivery model. |
Staff will ensure that the required Capacity Assessment Checklist is duly executed by the City Manager, with regard to the above-noted status and submitted to MMAH.
Consultations with
Stakeholders
In 1998, the former Regional Council created a
Social Housing Working Group to provide advice and guidance on Social Housing
devolution. This group, comprised of
staff and tenant representatives of public, non-profit and co-operative
housing, the Registry, regional councillors and staff, met from 1998 to 2000. Since the creation of the new City and
dissolution of that group, staff have consulted with the Ottawa Social Housing
Network on the JLTP and other aspects of social housing.
The City recognizes that on-going consultation with the social housing community is critical throughout the period of transfer. Accordingly, the Housing Stakeholder Advisory Group (HSAG) was set up in the Fall of 2001 as the key vehicle for consultations during the process leading up to Stage Two transfer. This advisory group consists of a cross-section of interested parties, including representatives from housing providers, sector organizations, community groups and tenants/co-op members. The HSAG meets monthly to share information, discuss emerging issues and provide input in decision-making across a wide range of housing related issues.
There are still a number of factors which will impact on the delivery of social housing in the City but for which pertinent information and/or considerations are unknown at this time. These include:
Given that these matters remain unresolved, staff will need to continue
to make refinements to enable it, as the Service Manager, to deliver the
transferred responsibilities in full compliance with the legislation and the
regulations. To this end, local
standards and Service Manager considerations will be brought forward for
Council consideration later this Fall.
In the interim, staff have determined transitional procedures for
housing providers that will ensure compliance over this temporary period.
Despite the remaining issues yet to be resolved, the City has sufficient
capability to move forward, accept the transfer of social housing projects and
assume responsibility for this new business.
As such, staff are recommending execution of the Capacity Assessment
Checklist with the understanding that unresolved matters be addressed over the
next few months.
Consultations with internal staff and community stakeholders have been on-going through the JLTP implementation process. As the Stage Two transfer occurs, staff will continue to work with internal and external stakeholders to finalize the service delivery model for social housing.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
No direct financial implications arise as a result of this report. It should be noted however, that as a result of the Stage Two transfer, the Service Manager will become directly responsible for disbursing subsidies to eligible housing providers. Prior to transfer date, the Service Manager disbursed these same subsidies but in the form of payments to the Province for Local Service Realignment.
People Services staff will continue to proceed with the implementation of the Joint Local Transfer Plan (JLTP) and assume responsibility for the transfer of social housing.