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2. Short Term Rent Support Program - Policy Framework Programme à court terme
d’aide au loyer – CADRE DE POLITIQUE |
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Council approve the Eligibility
Criteria, Rules and Implementation Plan for the Short Term Rent Support Program
/Ottawa Extension (STRSP/OE).
Recommandation DU Comité
Que le Conseil approuve les critères d’admissibilité, les règles et le
plan de mise en œuvre du Programme à court terme d’aide au loyer / Volet
Ottawa.
Documentation
1.
Deputy City Manager’s report dated 12 January 2012 (ACS2011-COS-CSS-0002).
2.
Extract of Draft Minutes,
Community and Protective Services Committee meeting of 19 January 2012.
Report to/Rapport au:
Community and Protective Services Committee
Comité des services communautaires
et de protection
and Council / et au
Conseil
12 January,
2012 / le 12 janvier 2012
Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint, City
Operations/Opérations municipales
Contact Person/Personne-ressource : Janice Burelle, Administrator,
Housing Services /
Administratrice, Services de logement 613-580-2424, extension /poste
44 239, Janice.Burelle@ottawa.ca
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SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
Programme à court
terme d’aide au loyer – CADRE DE POLITIQUE |
The Community and Protective Services Committee recommends that Council
approve the Eligibility Criteria, Rules and Implementation Plan for the Short
Term Rent Support Program /Ottawa Extension (STRSP/OE).
Que le Comité des
services communautaires et de protection recommande au Conseil d’approuver les
critères d’admissibilité, les règles et le plan de mise en œuvre du Programme à
court terme d’aide au loyer / Volet Ottawa.
Executive
Summary
The purpose of this report is to seek Council's approval of the implementation
plan, eligibility criteria and rules regarding the new Housing Allowance Benefit
(Short Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension) stemming from the Housing
& Poverty Reduction Investment Plan Report approved by Council in May 2011.
Housing affordability is a major concern for people
living on low income. In Ottawa, the average monthly rent for a one bedroom
apartment is currently $868, a two bedroom apartment is $1,051, and a three
bedroom unit is $1,266. A Housing
Allowance Benefit will provide direct assistance to people who either currently
are living on the street or are at high risk of becoming homeless. It is estimated that with an annual funding
envelope of $600,000, up to 200 households will be assisted through this
program.
The focus of the Program will be twofold:
1. House 20 homeless individuals currently living on
the street and who are receiving ongoing support from the Housing Response Team
(HRT); and
2. Prevent homelessness for up to 180 households who
are at imminent risk of losing their housing. Households will be identified
through the Housing Loss Prevention Network (HLPN) using set criteria and a
comprehensive assessment process.
SOMMAIRE EXÉCUTIF
Le présent
rapport vise à obtenir l’approbation du Conseil relativement au plan de mise en
œuvre, aux critères d’admissibilité et aux règles concernant la nouvelle
allocation de logement (Programme à court terme d’aide au loyer / Volet Ottawa)
découlant du Rapport sur le Plan d’investissement pour le secteur du logement
et de la réduction de la pauvreté approuvé par le Conseil en mai 2011.
L’abordabilité
des logements constitue une préoccupation importante pour les personnes à
faible revenu. À Ottawa, le loyer mensuel moyen pour un appartement d’une
chambre à coucher s’élève actuellement à 866 $, à 1 051 $ pour un
appartement comprenant deux chambres à coucher et à 1 266 $ pour un
appartement de trois chambres à coucher. Une allocation de logement fournira
une aide directe aux personnes qui vivent actuellement dans la rue ou qui sont
à risque élevé de devenir sans-abri. On estime que grâce à une enveloppe de
financement annuelle de 600 000 $, le programme pourra venir en aide
à près de 200 ménages.
La cible du programme est double :
1. Loger 20 personnes sans-abri
vivant actuellement dans la rue et recevant un soutien continu de l’Équipe
d’intervention en matière de logement;
2. Prévenir le sans-abrisme pour environ 180 ménages qui risquent de perdre
leur logement dans un avenir très proche. Les ménages seront identifiés grâce
au Réseau de prévention de perte de logement qui utilisera des critères définis
et un processus d’évaluation générale.
Background
On
May 11, 2011, City Council approved a $14M Housing
& Poverty Reduction Investment Plan as part of the 2011 budget process. The
investments reflect the priority needs identified by staff and the community
associated with the Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Homelessness Strategy
Development, the work of the Housing System Working Group and input from sector
specific housing groups.
The
approved investments fall into the following categories: financial supports to
assist with accessing or maintaining housing including: employment programs for
vulnerable youth; supports for people to obtain housing and/or to stabilize in
current living arrangements; social housing repairs; capital for new affordable
or supportive housing; and rent supplements and housing allowances.
Staff has received
approval from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) and the
Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) regarding the program
design. It is modelled on the provincial Short-Term Rent Support Program that the City has been
administering since December 2010 in accordance with the terms of a Service
Manager Administration Agreement that the City entered into with MMAH to ensure that
the allowances paid directly to recipient households will not negatively affect
other benefits they may receive. To that end, the name of the Program will
officially be called the Short Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension
(STRSP/OE).
DISCUSSION
Program Overview and Implementation
Plan
The
Short Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa
Extension will be delivered through
two different community partnerships – the Housing Response Team (HRT) and the
Housing Loss Prevention Network (HLPN).
While the basic program parameters will be the same, certain aspects of
Program delivery will differ between the HRT and HLPN.
Basic Program Parameters and Eligibility Criteria
Basic
Program Parameters (includes guidelines outlined in the STRSP legislation and
recommendations of the Housing Services Branch in consultation with partners):
·
Rent support
will be $250 for an individual. Familial
households with more than one person will receive an additional $50 for each
additional family household member. (e.g. a mother with 2 dependent children
will receive $350 per month)
·
Rent support
payments are to be paid monthly to the household (except HRT program –
initially payment is to the landlord via the HRT)
·
Rent support
payments are portable within the City of Ottawa
·
Eligibility will
be reviewed on an annual basis
·
Recipient
must report if they receive Rent Geared to Income Housing.
·
Overpayments
will be recovered through a repayment plan
·
Rent support
payments will be used as a last resort to secure housing or prevent
homelessness
Applicant’s
Basic Eligibility Criteria:
·
16 years of
age or older
·
Legal status
in Canada
·
Annual
Income from all sources must not exceed Statistics Canada’s Before Tax Low
Income
Cut-offs (LICO)
·
A renter
paying over 30% of their income towards rent
Basic
Exclusion/Termination Criteria:
·
Cannot be in
receipt of Rent Geared to Income (RGI) housing
·
Not
transferrable to a location outside of the City of Ottawa
·
Exceeds
income limits of Low Income Cut Off for family size
Household
enrolment and ongoing eligibility testing will rest ultimately with the Rent
Supplement Office of the Housing Services Branch. It will follow the guidelines
as set out in the Ontario Short-Term Rent Support Program that the City has been administering since December 2010
in accordance with the terms of a Service Manager Administration Agreement that
the City entered into with MMAH in
order to be eligible for exemptions afforded under this program. It will be
designed as an ongoing program requiring households to confirm annually, with
appropriate documentation, their continued eligibility.
An
ongoing record will be maintained of all households receiving funding under the
program and payments will be tracked on a monthly basis. Payments will be
processed in a manner consistent with existing Social Housing programs.
1.
Moving
People from the Street into Housing with the assistance of the Housing Response
Team
This
component of the Short Term Rent Support
Program/Ottawa Extension program is
intended to house 20 people currently living on the street. The Housing
Response Team (HRT) works with people living on the street 24/7, using a
‘housing-first’ approach. Clients
engaged in this program are chronically homeless. They have a history of living
outdoors, on the street or in encampments across the City. Some of the clients
have histories of moving from complete homelessness, couch surfing, emergency
shelters to housing and back to homelessness within a short period of time.
‘Housing-first’
is an evidence-based approach promoting housing as a first intervention, along
with providing appropriate supports in a timely manner to help individuals
retain their housing. Already the
Housing Response Team has been successful in housing 80 homeless people with
95% of the 80 still housed, thus reducing the number of homeless on the street
from about 120 to about 35 at present.
A
significant barrier to finding housing is affordability of rents and landlords’
willingness to rent to this vulnerable population. The provision of a rent support payment will
complement the personalized, goal-oriented plans established with each person.
The benefits of this approach are twofold. Clients will receive a rent support
payment to assist in the rental of a unit, including those provided by licensed
rooming houses; and landlords are assured that tenants will have the supports
in place to address emerging issues with their tenancy.
The
HRT has had notable success in working with landlords to enter into agreements
as long as the client remains supported by the HRT. In circumstances where a
housing situation is not suitable for the client or the landlord, the HRT works
with both parties to either resolve the issues or find alternative housing.
Applications
for a rent support payment will be submitted by the Housing Response Team on
behalf of the client to the Rent Supplement Office (RSO) for approval. Once
approved, monthly rent support payments will be made to the approved applicant
- in care of the Salvation Army, who will ensure the rent support payment is
paid to the approved applicant’s landlord. The payment of the rent support
payment may be transferred directly to the approved applicant at a later date
upon agreement of the approved applicant and the HRT. The HRT will work with
the approved applicant to ensure the appropriate documentation is supplied to
the RSO.
Please
refer to Document 1 for details relating to the Program being delivered by the
Housing Response Team.
2.
Preventing
Homelessness with the assistance of the Housing Loss Prevention Network
This
component of the housing allowance program is intended to prevent up 180
households, who are most imminently at risk, of becoming homeless due to
financial circumstances.
Households
may face economic hardship where an excessive amount of their income is being
spent on rent and the economic circumstance of their situation is not likely to
change in the short term. For such situations, where the household will lose
their housing and where other solutions have been fully explored, a rent
support payment could be provided if it means the household would be able to then
financially sustain their housing.
Every
time a household becomes homeless, there are costs – economic and social to
both the household and to the community as a whole that far exceed the cost of
a rent support payment. In pure economic
terms, the cost of a shelter or motel for a family of four is over $5,300 per
month. This cost does not include the other tangible or the intangible costs of
being displaced from one’s home, school, community and social network
The
Housing Loss Prevention Network (HLPN) provides resources on a City-wide basis
to assist households at risk of losing their housing. Issues addressed include:
eviction notices, landlord–tenant disputes, tenant rights disputes and other
situations. Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre is the host agency of
the Network. Partner agencies also include Housing Help, Action Logement, South
East Ottawa Community Health Centre, Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community
Resource Centre, and Carlington Community Health Centre. A total of 2,845 households
were served by the Network in 2010:
•
340
household served were at imminent risk of losing their housing
•
1854
households were provided with early intervention assistance to retain housing
•
991
households were provided assistance with non-emergency assistance to retain
housing and on-going supports.
The
Housing Loss Prevention Network (HLPN) will complete an application form with
the household (required documentation will include: financial documentation,
proof of rent, household composition, income verification etc). An HLPN
supervisor will review the application, which will then be sent to the Rent
Supplement Office (RSO) for review and approval. Once approved by the RSO, a monthly
rent support payment will be issued to the household. RSO will require at a minimum,
an annual review of eligibility of the Household. The Household is also
required to inform the RSO immediately of any change in circumstances such as
change of address or change in eligibility for the program.
Please
refer to Document 2 for details relating to the Program being delivered by the
Housing Loss Prevention Network.
Evaluation
The
Short Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension will be evaluated against a
set of outcomes. These outcomes will include, but not be limited to:
The proposed Short Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension is intended to serve rural and urban residents of Ottawa.
Consultation on the Program’s framework included the
Housing Systems Working Group, the Eastern Ontario Landlords Organization, the
Housing Loss Prevention Network and the Housing Response Team. They have all expressed support for the
approach outlined in this report.
Comments by the Ward Councillor(s)
This is a City-wide initiative.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal impediments to the implementation of the report recommendations.
There are no risk implications.
The 2012 operating
budget included $600,000 for rent support payments as part of the Housing and Homelessness
Investment Plan. There are no additional financial implications anticipated
with the report recommendations.
ACCESSIBILITY IMPACTS
Not applicable.
Environmental
Implications
Not applicable.
Technology
Implications
Not
applicable – The work associated with delivering the Short Term Rent Support
Program/Ottawa/Extension will be managed within current business practices.
The provision of Rent Support Payments to assist with housing affordability relates to City Council’s Priority – Healthy & Caring Communities – HC3 – Improve social and affordable housing.
Document 1: Program Details – Housing Response Team
Document 2: Program Details – Housing Loss Prevention Network
Housing
Services Branch will implement final Council decisions and directions.
DOCUMENT 1
For Housing Response Team - - Short-Term
Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension - Program Description, Eligibility Rules,
Ongoing Reporting Requirements and Application Form Instructions (the “STRSP/OE
Rules”)
A. Program Description:
The Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension is modelled on the
provincial Short-Term Rent Support Program that the City has been
administering since December 2010 in accordance with the terms of a Service
Manager Administration Agreement that the City entered into with the Ministry
of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
The Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension (the “STRSP/OE”) provides households (up to 20) that are vulnerable people currently living on the
street with monthly rent support payments to assist in securing housing with
the necessary supports to allow them to stay housed. If eligible for the program, the landlord of
the approved client would receive a monthly payment of $250 towards the rent
from the STRSP/OE program.
B. Eligibility
Rules and Ongoing Reporting Requirements:
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1.
Definitions: a) Household: for the purpose
of the STRSP/OE means the applicant. b) Adjusted
Household Net Income: for the
purpose of the STRSP/OE, the Adjusted Household Net Income
means the net income from Line 236 of the Notice of Assessment and/or T1
Personal Income Tax form for the Household Member. 2.
The applicant must enter into a rental agreement
with a landlord within the City of Ottawa and submit a copy of the rental
agreement to the Rent Supplement Office as soon as it is available. 3.
The Household must be paying over 30%
of the Adjusted Household Net Income for rent. 4.
Income Limit for the Household: The Adjusted Household Net Income must be below Statistics Canada’s
Before Tax Low Income Cut-Offs (1992 Base) for an individual in the Census
metropolitan Area of 500,000 inhabitants or more, which is $22,637.00. 5.
Status in Canada:
The applicant must be one of the following: ·
a
Canadian citizen ·
a
landed immigrant (permanent resident) ·
an
applicant for permanent residency; or ·
a
refugee or refugee claimant with no enforceable deportation, departure or
exclusion order 6.
The applicant must be able to provide proof of
Ottawa residency via their ongoing involvement with the Housing Response
Team. 7.
The applicant must be registered as an applicant
on the Centralized Waiting List for
Rent Geared-to-Income Housing. 8.
The applicant must not be in receipt
of any Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) assistance. 9.
The applicant may be required to
repay all rent support payments to the City of Ottawa if the Application
Form contains any false or incorrect information or documentation. 10. The
applicant must inform the STRSP/OE
agent at the City of Ottawa at 613-580-2424 ext 16865 immediately of any of
the following events: ·
change of address ·
change in direct deposit or banking information
if applicable ·
no longer has appropriate status in Canada ·
no longer a permanent resident of Ottawa ·
starts to receive any Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI)
rent subsidy ·
acquires a home suitable for year round occupation *
Failure to report any of the above noted
events may delay the monthly rent support payment and/or affect eligibility
for the STRSP/OE. 11. The
applicant may be required to repay all rent support payments to the City
of Ottawa if the applicant does not immediately report any changes in the
information contained in the applicant’s Application Form to the STRSP/OE agent at the City of Ottawa
at 613-580-2424 ext 16865. 12. An
Application Form must be completed by the household after the first twelve
(12) months of rent support payments.
An Application Form for the STRSP/OE
must be completed every twelve (12) months thereafter. C. Application Form Instructions: 1. The applicant must submit a Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa
Extension - Application Form (20) to the Housing Response Team (HRT) in
Ottawa. 2. The HRT will provide assistance to
applicants with the completion of the Application
Form (20) and the gathering of all the supporting documentation listed in
Section E “Applicant Document List” of the Application Form. 3. The HRT will collect certain personal
information and all documents listed in Section E “Applicant Document List”
of the Application Form. This information will include but not be limited to
financial documentation, proof of rent, proof of household composition,
income verification and other documents pertinent to the individual
situation. |
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4. An HRT supervisor will review the
application and ensure that all required documentation is attached. The
Application Form will then be sent to the City of Ottawa Rent Supplement
Office (RSO) for review, determination of eligibility and approval. All
decisions are final.
Income Tax and the STRSP/OE:
The applicant will receive a T5007 Statement of Benefits from the City
of Ottawa. For income tax purposes, all STRSP/OE
rent support payments must be included in the applicant’s income. The rent
support payments may not affect an applicant’s payment of income tax; however
it is used to calculate entitlements to federal and provincial tax credits. Enquires:
Please call the City of Ottawa Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa at: 613 580-2424 Extension #16865
Or write to: City of Ottawa 100 Constellation Crescent, Mail Code 26-45 Ottawa, Ontario K2G 6J8 |
DOCUMENT 2
Program Details For Housing Loss Prevention Network - Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension - Program Description, Eligibility Rules, Ongoing Reporting Requirements and Application Form Instructions (the “STRSP/OE Rules”)
A. Program Description:
The Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension is modelled on the provincial Short-Term Rent Support Program that the City has been administering since December 2010 in accordance with the terms of a Service Manager Administration Agreement that the City entered into with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
The Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension (the “STRSP/OE”) provides households (up to 180 in total) that are most imminently at risk of becoming homeless due to financial circumstances with monthly rent support payments, if the payment will result in the household being able to remain in their current housing unit, thereby avoiding eviction by their current landlord. A household may face economic hardship where an excessive amount of their income is being spent on rent and the economic circumstance of their situation is not likely to change in the short term. If the circumstances are such that the household will lose their housing and where other solutions have been fully explored, a monthly rent support payment may be provided.
An approved Household will receive a monthly rent support payment, the amount of which is determined by the number of members in the household. The monthly allowance for an individual will be $250.00. An approved household will receive $250.00 for the first member of the household plus $50.00 for each additional eligible household member.
B. Eligibility Rules and
Ongoing Reporting Requirements:
1. Definitions:
a) Household Member: for the purpose of the STRSP/OE, Household Member includes each of the following:
b) Household: for the purpose of the STRSP/OE, Household means all Household Members.
c) Adjusted Household Net Income: for the purpose of the STRSP/OE, the Adjusted Household Net Income means the sum of the net income from Line 236 of the Notice of Assessment and/or T1 Personal Income Tax form for each Household Member.
2. The Household must have a signed rental agreement with a landlord within the City of Ottawa and submit a copy with the Application Form. The Household must pay directly to the landlord named in the rental agreement the full monthly rent plus any expenses and any charges for services and/or appliances that are not included in the monthly rent. The City of Ottawa will not make payments directly to landlords or pay any moving expenses or relocation charges.
3. The Household must be paying over 30% of the Adjusted Household Net Income for rent.
4. Income Limit for the Household:
The Adjusted Household Net Income must be below Statistics Canada’s Before Tax Low Income Cut-Offs (1992 Base) as set out below:
Statistics Canada
2010 Low Income Cut-offs (1992 base) Before Tax
Size of Household unit Census Metropolitan Area
500,000 inhabitants or more
1 person $22,637.00
2 persons $28,182.00
3 persons $34,646.00
4 persons $42,065.00
5 persons $47,710.00
6 persons $53,808.00
7 persons or more $59,907.00
5. Status in Canada: Each Household Member must be one of the following:
• a Canadian citizen
• a landed immigrant (permanent resident)
• an applicant for permanent residency; or
• a
refugee or refugee claimant with no enforceable deportation, departure or
exclusion order.
6. City of Ottawa Residency: The Household must provide proof of residency within the City of Ottawa dating back at least six months from their application date. This proof can be in the form of their current and/or past rental agreement(s), registration with the Ottawa Centralized Waiting List or verification from their Social Assistance Worker (OW or ODSP) that they have received benefits in Ottawa and/or involvement with the Housing Loss Prevention Network or their member agencies for a minimum of six months.
7. The Household must be registered as an applicant on the Centralized Waiting List for Rent Geared-to-Income Housing.
8. The Primary Applicant and each Household member must not be in receipt of any Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) assistance.
9. The Household may be required to repay all rent support payments to the City of Ottawa if the Application Form contains any false or incorrect information or documentation.
10. The Household must inform the STRSP/OE agent at the City of Ottawa at 613-580-2424 ext 16865 immediately of any of the following events:
· change of address
· change in direct deposit or banking information
· no longer have appropriate status in Canada
· no longer a permanent resident of Ottawa
· start to receive any Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) rent subsidy
· acquire a home suitable for year round occupation
* Failure to report any of the above noted events may delay the monthly rent support payment and/or affect eligibility for the STRSP/OE.
11. The Household may be required to repay all rent support payments to the City of Ottawa if the Household does not immediately report any changes in the information contained in the Household’s Application Form to the STRSP/OE agent at the City of Ottawa at 613-580-2424 ext 16865.
12. An Application Form must be completed by the household after the first twelve (12) months of rent support payments. An Application Form for the STRSP/OE must be completed every twelve (12) months thereafter.
C. Application Form
Instructions:
1. Each Household must submit a Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa Extension - Application Form (180) to one of the following partner agencies of the Housing Loss Prevention Network (HLPN) in Ottawa.
Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, Housing Help, Action Logement, South East Ottawa Community Health Centre, Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre, and Carlington Community Health Centre.
2. The HLPN will provide assistance to Households with the completion of the Application Form (180) and the gathering of all the supporting documentation listed in Section E “Applicant Document List” of the Application Form.
3. The HLPN will collect certain personal information and all documents listed in Section E “Applicant Document List” of the Application Form. This information will include but not be limited to financial documentation, proof of rent, proof of household composition, income verification and other documents pertinent to the individual situation.
4. An HLPN supervisor will review the application and ensure that all required documentation is attached. The Application Form will then be sent to the City of Ottawa Rent Supplement Office (RSO) for review, determination of eligibility and approval. All decisions are final.
D. General Information:
Income Tax and the STRSP/OE: The applicant will receive a T5007 Statement of Benefits from the City of Ottawa. For income tax purposes, all STRSP/OE rent support payments must be included in the Household’s income. The rent support payments may not affect an applicant’s payment of income tax; however it is used to calculate entitlements to federal and provincial tax credits.
Enquires:
Please call the City of Ottawa Short-Term Rent Support Program/Ottawa at: 613 580-2424 Extension #16865
Or write to:
City of Ottawa
100 Constellation Crescent, Mail Code 26-45
Ottawa, Ontario K2G 6J8
SHORT TERM RENT SUPPORT PROGRAM -
POLICY FRAMEWORK
PROGRAMME À COURT TERME D’AIDE
AU LOYER – CADRE DE POLITIQUE
ACS2011-COS-CSS-0002 CITY WIDE / À l’Échelle de la ville
REPORT
RECOMMENDATION:
The Community
and Protective Services Committee recommends that Council approve the
Eligibility Criteria, Rules and Implementation Plan for the Short Term Rent
Support Program /Ottawa Extension (STRSP/OE).
The Committee received an
overview of the staff report and recommendations from:
·
Aaron
Burry, General Manager, Community and Social
·
Janice Burelle, Administrator, Housing Services
·
Stephen
Arbuckle, Manager, Social Housing and Shelters Management
A copy of their PowerPoint presentation is
held on file.
Following the presentation staff responded to members’ questions on processes, procedures and criteria on how the money was distributed and concerns on ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to the program.
The
report recommendation was then put to Committee and CARRIED, as presented.