4
20 1 6 WA I T I NG L I S T S S URV E Y R E POR T
Introduction
1.
Rent-geared-to-income (RGI) assistance is a housing subsidy that is administered by local and regional governments (service managers) across
Ontario. To be eligible for RGI housing, applicants must have an income that is below the Household Income Limits for the local area, which are set
out in Regulation 370/11 of
Ontario’s Housing Services Act
. By receiving RGI, renter households are able to pay rent based on 30 per cent of the
household’s gross monthly income (except for tenants receiving social assistance, who pay rent based on the shelter allowance amount defined by the
Ontario government). The majority of RGI subsidies are tied to units in social housing (provided by public, non-profit, and co-operative organiza-
tions), though some subsidies are available for units in the private rental market.
2.
In 1993, the federal government announced it would no longer fund any new social housing. In 1995, the newly-elected Ontario Government can-
celled the provincial housing program. 1996 to 2000 marked the first extended period in 50 years during which there was no funding for new social or
affordable housing in Ontario. ONPHA,
Timeline: A History of Social Housing in Ontario, 2015
.
3.
Waiting list data was extracted for the period beginning on January 1, 2015 and concluding on December 31, 2015. This number represents applicants
recorded in a service manager’s database as “eligible,” “active,” or “on offer.” 2015 data is based on responses from 45 of the 47 service managers,
with substitutions used for the City of Ottawa and the County of Oxford (figures used in the
2015 Waiting List Survey Report
were inflated based on
the provincial rate of growth for waiting lists in 2015).
4.
In 2003, 126,103 households were registered on RGI waiting lists in Ontario. ONPHA,
2015 Waiting Lists Survey Report
, May 2015, p. 7
5.
The average wait time for chronological (non-priority) households in the City of Toronto, for example, was 8.4 years in 2015.
6.
From 1996 to 2006, 26,000 new rental units were constructed in Ontario. In the same period, 112,000 rental units were lost due to conversion to
homeownership or demolition – resulting in a net loss of 86,000 rental units. ONPHA and CHFC Ontario Region,
Where’s Home?
, 2013, p. 20
7.
“Rental demand in Ontario is likely to increase by 15,000 to 20,000 households annually due to the turn in the ownership market, ongoing popula-
tion growth, and immigration.”
Ibid
.
8.
With the introduction of the
Housing Services Act, 2011
, the Ontario Government directed service managers to pursue local strategies to housing
challenges in their communities.
9.
ONPHA has profiled a number of these service manager initiatives in previous Waiting Lists Survey Reports.
The Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association
(ONPHA) began collecting data from waiting
lists for rent-geared-to-income housing
(RGI housing)
1
in 2003. At the time, Ottawa
and Queen’s Park had vastly reduced their
housing investments
2
, even though demand
for affordable housing was growing. While
the economy boomed and housing markets
soared, thousands of Ontarians struggled to
keep a roof over their heads.
Many of these households joined housing
waiting lists in the hopes of finding relief
from high housing costs. Until recently, RGI
housing – where households pay rent based
on 30 per cent of their gross income – was
the predominant form of housing assistance
for low and moderate-income Ontarians. By
summarizing and reporting annual data from
waiting lists across the province, ONPHA
helped spark a conversation about the urgent
need for affordable rental housing.
Since 2003, demand for RGI housing has
skyrocketed. This year, we learned that 171,360
households are waiting for help in Ontario
3
–
an increase of more than 45,000 households
in little over a decade
4
. Average provincial wait
times for housing have climbed to nearly four
years, and are significantly longer in many
cities
5
. The increase in applicants and wait
times is fueled by several factors: population
growth, low vacancy rates, and low levels of
rental housing production
6
, despite strong
demand
7
.
Approaches to tackling unaffordable housing
have also changed, resulting in a renewed
focus on “local solutions to local problems.”
Municipal and regional service managers,
who are responsible for administering and
delivering most of the province’s housing and
homelessness services, are also tasked with
developing strategies to meet the housing
needs of their communities
8
. The result has
been a range of unique housing programs that
are innovative and effective
9
, but difficult to
compare across jurisdictions.