The Affordable Housing Action Network

1
The Affordable Housing Action Network

• Presentation to the Hastings/Quinte Social
  Services Committee
• July 13, 2005

2
Affordable Housing Action Network (AHAN)

• Who We Are
• What We Do
• Boxed-In Report
• Affordable Housing Crisis in Hastings County
• Costs of a Lack of Affordable Housing
• Value of Affordable Housing
• Recent Provincial and Federal Announcements
• Role of AHAN
• Conclusion

3
Affordable Housing Action Network (AHAN) Goal

• To create more affordable housing options for
  people who are precariously housed or homeless
  using a variety of approaches including
  collaborative networking, housing development,
  capacity building and advocacy

4
Affordable Housing Action Network Who Are We?

• AHAN created from Hastings Countys Homelessness
  Advisory Committee, Housing Working Group and
  other similar groups
• Illustrated the need
• Unique group
• Common vision and desire of the community to work
  together
• AHAN helped develop the Boxed-In report

5
AHAN Who Are We?

• A group of local agencies, organizations and
  individuals who have a common community interest
  in creating more affordable housing in Hastings
  County
• Includes representatives from more than 15
  agencies, organizations and individuals,
  including
• Three Oaks Shelter and Services for Abused Women
• Community Advocacy Legal Centre (Formerly Legal
  Services)
• Hastings Housing Resource Centre
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Hastings Prince Edward Health Unit
• Mental Health Services
• Community Visions
• Youth Habilitation
• Hastings Countys Social Services Department
• Victorian Order of Nurses
• Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation
• Quinte Labour Council
• Private Citizens and Landlords
• Lack of affordable housing affects all of these
  agencies, organizations and people and the people
  they serve

6
AHAN What Do We Do?

• Bring the community together
• Involve the community as broadly as possible
• Ensure current local resources are efficiently
  and effectively used
• Improve service coordination
• Encourage collaboration
• Create new affordable and innovative housing
  options

7
Boxed-In Report Highlights

• Interviewed 781 households
• Homeless, at risk of being homeless, precariously
  housed
• Low income households
• 107 households self-identified as homeless (293
  people)
• Main reasons
• Affordability of housing
• Loss of job or unemployment
• Marital/relationship breakdown
• Conflict or differences within households

8
Boxed-In Report Highlights

• Survey respondents asked to rank priorities
• 1 Priority Create more subsidized or rent
  geared-to-income housing
• More than one-third of respondents had been
  homeless within the past three years
• 70 of respondents reported that their current
  housing had one or more disrepair issues
• Quote Rent is too high for people to live. Pay
  rent and dont eat or eat and dont pay rent

9
Affordable Housing Crisis in Hastings County

• 2004 in Hastings County (after hours service)
• 396 households provided with emergency shelter
• Over 1,100 people
• 388 obtained permanent housing
• 315 retained permanent housing
• 852 nights accommodation
• Average of 1.7 nights per stay
• Represents about 1/3 of the people Hastings
  Countys Social Services Dept. helps

10
Affordable Housing Crisis in Hastings County

• 1,100 households waiting for subsidized housing
  in Hastings County
• A single person will wait four years to get
  subsidized housing
• Only about 25 of these households receive OW or
  ODSP
• Hastings Housing Resource Centre increase from
  2,695 clients annually in 2000 to 8,097 in 2004
• Over 100 households surveyed were homeless
• Ontario Works Emergency Worker in Belleville
  about 30 households each week in an emergency
  situation does not include households already
  receiving Ontario Works benefits
• Conclusion There is an affordable housing crisis
  in Hastings County

11
Costs of a Lack of Affordable Housing

• One homeless person costs about 60,000/year
• Emergency funds
• Health care
• Policing
• Use of resources
• Unknown costs stress on homeless and on their
  families, recovery from substance abuse,
  criminalization, mental health

12
Value of Affordable Housing

• Reduced emergency services spending
• Resources go to permanent, proactive solutions
  instead of temporary, reactive band-aids
• Strengthens the community
• Provides stability for families
• Increases employment opportunities
• Promotes health in children
• Allows people to become hard working, tax paying
  citizens

13
Recent Provincial and Federal Announcements

• 602 Million for affordable housing initiatives
  across the province
• Housing allowances similar to Rent Supplement
  Program
• Creating new affordable housing units
• Build new
• Renovations of existing buildings
• Home ownership program

14
Recent Provincial and Federal Announcements

• 1.6 Billion in federal funding for affordable
  housing in the next two years
• All of this funding will flow through Hastings
  County, the Service Manager
• Service Managers must apply to get this funding
• All three levels of government need to be
  committed to improving affordable housing options
• Hastings County needs to commit to get as much
  funding for affordable housing as possible

15
AHANs Role

• We are a community group reflecting the needs of
  the community
• We are committed to taking action
• We are committed to providing accountability
• We are available to help Hastings County any way
  we can to improve affordable housing options
• We can assist with determining locations for new
  affordable housing, getting people organized and
  implementation
• AHAN has the capacity, ability and resources to
  improve affordable housing options

16
Conclusion

• There is an affordable housing crisis in Hastings
  County
• Over 1,100 households waiting for subsidized
  housing
• Over 100 households surveyed were homeless
• No new affordable housing has been built for 10
  years
• Affordable Housing Action Network is organized
  and ready
• Hastings County needs to participate