COUNTY OF SIMCOE
To:
AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Section:
Matters for Consideration
Item Number:
AHA 16-015
Meeting Date:
April 15, 2016
Subject:
Ontario’s Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy Update
Recommendation:
THAT Item AHA 16-015, regarding the Province of Ontario’s Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy
Update, be received for information.
Executive Summary:
On March 14, 2016, the Province released its Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy Update, which
sets out an updated vison and goals together with some near term milestones. Item AHA 16-015
provides an overview of the update and highlights areas where previously provided County feedback
has been incorporated.
Background/Analysis/Options:
In 2010, the Province launched its Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy (LTAHS) aimed at
transforming the housing system into one that is people-centred, partnership based, locally driven, and
fiscally responsible. The strategy set out the requirement for Service Managers to develop local
housing and homelessness plans, which led to the creation of the County’s Our Community 10-Year
Affordable Housing and Homelessness Prevention Strategy.
In March 2016, the Province released its LTAHS Update, attached as Schedule 1 to Item AHA 16-015.
This Update is guided by an updated vision that every person has an affordable, suitable and adequate
home to provide the foundation to secure employment, raise a family and build strong communities.
This vision is associated with two overarching outcomes: to decrease the number of people who are
homeless, and to increase the number of families and individuals achieving housing stability.
The Update states that the Province is committing new operating and capital funding to support the
broader initiates of the strategy as follows:
April 15, 2016
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$17 million over three years to pilot a portable housing benefit targeted towards survivors of
domestic violence. Three Service Managers will be selected for this pilot project through a
selection process this spring.
$100 million over three years in operating funding for housing allowances and support services
to assist up to 4,000 households in new supportive housing.
$45 million over three years to build on the current annual investment of $294 million in funding
for the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) with $15 million additional
funding in 2017-18, climbing to $30 million in 2018-19 for a total of $324 million in annual
investments.
The Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy (LTAHS) Update is driven by six goals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
An appropriate and sustainable supply of housing
An equitable, portable system of financial assistance
People-centred, efficient housing programs
Developing an Indigenous housing strategy
Ending homelessness
Achieving an evidence informed system
Highlights of each goal are set out below:
1. An appropriate and sustainable supply of housing
The LTAHS Update will expand the range of land use planning and municipal finance tools to build
more affordable market housing. Proposed legislation will be introduced regarding inclusionary zoning
to give municipalities the ability to require private developers to include affordable housing in their
development proposals. Proposed legislation will be introduced to reduce complexity and cost for
developing secondary suites, including a requirement for municipalities to provide development charge
exemptions for secondary suites in new homes, and amend building code standards to reduce
unnecessary costs to build secondary suites. There will be consultations on potential amendments to
the Residential Tenancies Act to make it easier for landlords to conduct business.
For the non-profit and co-operative housing sector, the Province will develop voluntary accreditation
standards, explore changes to the Ontario Competitive Financing Renewal process to give non-profit
providers and municipalities more flexibility to access refinancing options for revitalization, repair or new
construction activities, and propose legislative changes to provide greater flexibility in the use of
building assets, e.g. by clarifying that public housing providers can encourage a mix of rent-geared-toincome and market units in their buildings.
2. An equitable, portable system of financial assistance
Working with stakeholders, the Province will explore opportunities to move to the use of a portable
housing benefit over time, giving people the ability to retain financial assistance if they move. A pilot
project targeted at Survivors of Domestic Violence will be launched in 2016/17. The calculations of rentgeared-to-income assistance will be simplified. Working with Service Managers, housing providers and
tenant groups the Province will harmonize the definition of income so it is consistent with other income
tested programs. Tenants would only have to declare their income once a year.
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3. People-centred, efficient housing programs
The Province’s stated aim is to modernize the social housing system to meet current and future
realities, acknowledging that the current supply is static and in need of repair. To begin with, legislation
will be proposed to allow Service Managers to use other forms of municipally funded housing
assistance to contribute to service level standards. Service Level Standards relate to the number of
social housing units that must be maintained in a service area.
As part of housing program transformation, the Province will work with stakeholders to provide a
provincial framework for housing access that improves co-ordination across systems (e.g. health,
community services, children and youth) and provides better referrals for clients to find the right
housing and supports.
The Province will develop a Supportive Housing Policy Framework that provides a common vision,
principles and outcomes for supportive housing related programs. The framework will be developed
collaboratively by the Ministries of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Health and Long Term Care,
Community and Social Services, and Children and Youth Services to improve access to supportive
housing programs, develop a best practice guide, develop a plan to modernize the Homes for Special
Care Program, and develop common outcomes focused performance measures.
4. Developing an Indigenous housing strategy
Indigenous peoples living off-reserve are significantly over represented among the homeless population
and have higher rates of core and deep core housing needs compared to non-Indigenous Ontarians.
The Province has accepted the recommendation of the Expert Advisory Panel on Homelessness to
include Indigenous homelessness as one of four priorities to guide action, and has committed to an
ongoing process of engagement with First Nation, Metis and Inuit organizations and communities to
develop a dedicated Indigenous Housing Strategy.
5. Ending Homelessness
The Province’s 2014 Poverty Reduction strategy sets a long-term goal to end homelessness. In
October 2015, the Expert Advisory Panel on Homelessness released its report. In response, the
Province has set a target to end chronic homelessness in ten years, and has set four priority areas to
guide action, focusing on chronic homelessness, youth homelessness, Aboriginal homelessness, and
homelessness following transitions from provincially funded institutions and systems, e.g. hospitals and
prisons.
The Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy (LTAHS) Update proposes legislative amendments to
require Service Managers to conduct local enumeration of the homeless population using a menu of
standardized options. Also, a provincial framework of indicators will be developed to advance the longterm goal of ending homelessness. The Province is committing up to $100 million in operating funding
for housing allowances and support services to assist up to 4,000 households in new supportive
housing over the next three years. Over the long term, capital funding will support the creation of up to
1,500 new supportive housing units. The Province is also increasing the amount of funding dedicated to
the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) by $45 million over three years beginning in
2017-18.
The Province will consult with stakeholders on amending the Residential Tenancies Act to facilitate
transitional and supportive housing.
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The Province will take the lead to support evidence based approaches to preventing and ending
homelessness at the local level by developing a framework for sharing research and best practices,
promoting cultural sensitivity and awareness and hosting a Homelessness Summit to build capacity
and foster local dialogue.
6. Achieving an evidence informed system
In 2015, the Province developed a Housing and Homelessness Data Strategy to build an evidence
informed system to collect, manage, access and use housing and homelessness data. To support this
work the Province will make up to $1 million available per year to create an Innovation, Evidence and
Capacity Building Fund to support research, evaluation and capacity building across key themes:
 A sustainable supply of housing stock
 A fair system of housing assistance
 Co-ordinated and accessible support services
 The goal of ending homelessness
 An Indigenous housing strategy
 Effective use of evidence and best practices to inform policy and program development and
define and measure outcomes
Previous consultation:
The Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy (LTAHS) Update does incorporate some of the
recommendations made by the County through deputations at the Association of Municipalities of
Ontario (AMO) conference in 2015 and the OGRA / ROMA Conference in 2016, as well as the County’s
submission as part of the LTAHS Update consultations in 2015. Recommendations that have been
incorporated include the call for changes to planning and building code legislation, consideration to low
cost financing tools, and the expansion of system level planning and cross-ministerial collaboration and
funding to support housing stability. The need for long term sustainable funding from higher levels of
government is acknowledged, as is the impact on the state of social housing repair without it. The need
for simple cost effective rent subsidies, simplification of rent- geared-to-income calculations and the
rules around service level standards are directly addressed. The County encouraged flexibility in
program rules; the LTAHS Update intent to modernize the social housing programs and introduce a
portable housing benefit reflects this recommendation. The LTAHS Update also responds to the
recommendation that the Province take the lead to provide municipal service managers with relevant
common data elements for reporting requirements.
In terms of timelines, the Province is focusing on final technical consultations on a wide range of shortterm legislative and regulatory initiatives leading to the introduction of proposed legislation in 2016.
Changes under the Housing Services Act are addressed in Item AHA 16-016. On April 5, 2016, the
Province provided a follow-up technical document that supports the LTAHS Update and is aligned with
Our Community 10-Year Affordable Housing and Homelessness Prevention Strategy. The technical
document can be viewed on the following link: ontario.ca/socialhousing.
In the coming months, municipalities, developers, and other interested parties and organizations will be
consulted to provide input to help the Province develop a framework for inclusionary zoning. They will
also have the opportunity to provide feedback on other planning and financial tools that could facilitate
the creation of affordable housing units.
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A Steering Committee and working groups will be established by the Province to work on achieving the
goals of the LTAHS Update, which are anticipated to be implemented over time.
Financial and Resource Implications:
There is no financial impact to the County from this Item.
Relationship to Corporate Strategies:
Item AHA 16-015 directly supports the County of Simcoe Strategic Plan, specifically:
Strengthen Social, Health and Educational Opportunities: Establish partnerships to identify
opportunities for strengthening human services and education to support improved health and wellbeing for our residents.
Item AHA 16-015 also directly supports Our Community 10-Year Affordable Housing and
Homelessness Prevention Strategy:
Reference Documents:
AHA 15-012 (May 15, 2015) - Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy Update
Attachments:
Schedule 1:
LTAHS UPDATE.pdf
Prepared By: John Connell
Acting Implementation Manager, Social and Community Services
Approvals:
Date
Cathy Kytayko, Director, Social Housing
Greg Bishop, General Manager, Social and Community Services
Trevor Wilcox, General Manager, Corporate Performance
Mark Aitken, Chief Administrative Officer
March 24, 2016
March 31, 2016
April 6, 2016
April 7, 2016