The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa October 17

The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa October 17, 2019 No part of this report can be reproduced without the expressed consent of the Executive Director of The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa

The Registry – Historical Initially one of eight pilot projects in the Province in 1996 set up by housing providers and community advocates. Five original providers: City Living, CCOC, Gloucester Non-Profit, Serson Clarke and Nepean Housing combined waiting lists in 1996. The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa, incorporated in 1997, is a non-profit organization.

The Registry – Historical February 1, 1998, The Registry opens its doors in its own location with own staff complement. Board of Directors comprised of representative housing providers and community agencies. It has an Operating Agreement with the City of Ottawa to provide comprehensive waiting list management and must adhere to all Provincial legislation and City directives (such as priorities).

The Registry – Historical Coordinated Access effective for applicants: Common application form Eligibility tested once Screening for all priorities at one location Inventory of housing provider stock In-person and telephone access Rules applied consistently

The Registry – Historical Coordinated Access effective for other stakeholders: Clear data on waiting list and waiting list trends Housing providers have direct access to live updated waiting lists with a user friendly IT system Administrative burden of waiting list management eliminated Community agencies have one central contact point

The Registry - Currently represents 48 RGI providers, 13 BMR providers and 12 Supportive Housing providers. The Registry is a great example of consolidated service delivery and has been used as a prototype across the province.

The Registry – Current Practice Applications can be obtained at The Registry office, on our website, at all housing provider locations and community organizations, and shelters. All applications are returned to The Registry office for processing where they are tested for eligibility. The date the completed application is received by The Registry, is the original date assigned to the file.

The Registry – Current Practice All applications are handled with confidentiality. Housing providers access their own waiting lists and fill their vacancies, respecting legislative and program requirements. Once an applicant is housed with one RGI provider, they are considered housed for all.

How does the list work? All applicants are given a chronological date based on the date that their file is deemed to be eligible for the centralized waiting list. Priorities are assessed and accorded at The Registry. The date that the status is accorded is assigned to the file and becomes a factor in offers of housing. Applicants can apply for a priority at any point during the life of their file.

How does the list work? Housing providers fill their vacancies in the following manner: Household/Priority Status Unit Access Ratio Special Priority Mandatory Overhoused Mandatory if no SPP Local Priority Access 1 in 5 placements Chronological Remainder out of 5

Update Process The Registry is vigorous about updating files to ensure the list is as accurate as possible. Updates as follows: Upon every contact with an applicant, either by phone or in person, their file is updated. If an applicant’s file is not updated within in one year period, they are sent a formal update request. This formal updating process happens three times a year. If a housing provider cannot locate an applicant at the point of offer, the provider notifies The Registry and a formal update process is initiated. In 2018, The Registry undertook 3, 808 formal updates.

Definitions of Priorities Special Priority Status set by the Province of Ontario You, or someone in your household, are being abused by a family member or former partner that you have lived within the past three months, even if you don’t live with that person anymore; or are subject to ongoing abuse from a former partner that you lived with in the past. You, or someone in your household is being or has been trafficked. You are planning to permanently separate yourself from the abuser.

Definitions of Priorities Overhoused set by the Province of Ontario A household becomes over housed when a household no longer requires as many bedrooms in a unit as they once did as a result of a change to household composition.

Definitions of Local Priorities were established by City Council. Households eligible for one or more local priorities will be accorded one generic Local Priority Access Status (LPAS) on the CWL. LPAS may be accorded for the following: Displaced RGI Households A household already in receipt of RGI is displaced from their current RGI unit through no fault of their own (e. g. condominium conversion, fire, natural disaster, etc. ).

Definitions of Local Priorities In-situ Market Rent Households The household must meet the following criteria: Has been living with a prescribed housing provider for a minimum one year; Has been paying Market Rent; Meets local occupancy standards for the current unit that they occupy; By no fault of their own, have experienced a significant loss of income since moving into their current unit.

Definitions of Local Priorities Urgent Safety Status Households where a member does not qualify for SPP but is subject to current abuse from a family member or former partner; or A member of the household is subject to ongoing or extraordinary threat to personal safety by a non-family-member and a change in housing will result in a significant increase in personal safety.

Definitions of Local Priorities Life Threatening Medical Status A member of the household has a terminal illness or a life threatening medical condition made worse by the current housing situation. The household must demonstrate through a licensed physician’s medical opinion that a move in housing will remove the life threatening aspect of the condition.

Definitions of Local Priorities Homeless Status Persons who are confirmed as experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is defined as households who are staying in a City of Ottawa emergency shelter, or who are living unsheltered. Applicants staying temporarily with friends or family do not qualify for homeless status.

Definitions of Local Priorities Tenant of Supportive Housing Provider Priority The tenant has expressed an interest in moving from the supportive housing provider to non-supportive permanent RGI housing. Nonsupportive housing is defined as independent housing without in-house supports. The tenant has demonstrated ‘readiness’ to move from the supportive housing provider to non-supportive RGI housing. The tenant is capable of living independently, with or without supports. The tenant is in good standing with the current supportive housing provider, and has no rental arrears with the provider. The tenant has been referred by one of the designated supportive housing providers approved by the Service Manager to provide referrals for this local priority.

The Registry – Data Generation Regular statistical reports are created and provided both to the Board of Directors and the City of Ottawa, Housing Branch in its role as Service Manager The regular statistics include such information as active applicant household on the waiting list, housed applicant households by provider, special status when assigned to file, household type, gender, age, etc. Client service statistics are also provided.

The Registry – Statistical Overview The following general information was generated from our database on December 31, 2018. Active applicant households – 12, 163 of which: Households with Children – 4, 295 Single Adults – 4, 423 Seniors – 2, 680 2+ Adults – 765

The Registry – Statistical Overview The following general information was generated from our database on December 31, 2018. Priority Categories Special Priority (P)– 117 Urgent Safety - 277 Homeless – 759 Life Threatening Medical – 85 Overhoused (P) - 361 Other (G. of SH, In-situ, Displaced) - 66

The Registry – Statistical Overview Registry staff provided the following service for 2018: In person (front counter) clients – 12, 213 Telephone enquiries – 26, 665 Entry of new applications – 4, 809 Special Priority/Urgent Safety Interviews – 814 Urgent Medical Assessments - 346

The Registry – Wait Times Experience tells us that chronological applicants wait approximately 4 -8 years for an offer of housing. Special Priority applicants generally receive offers within 2 -6 months. With the recent changes to LPAS applicants will receive offers earlier than chronological but it may still be 2 -3 years.

Below Market Rent / Supportive Housing The Below Market Rent and the Supportive Housing waiting lists are kept using comparable guidelines to the RGI described above. The following statistics were generated on December 31, 2018 and represent the total number of active applicant households: Below Market Rent – 1, 035 Supportive Housing – 1, 233

The Registry 2197 Riverside Dr. , 5 th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K 1 H 1 A 9 613 -526 -2088 www. housingregistry. ca www. centredenregistrement. ca