Lanark County Media Release - February 23, 2022

Here are the highlights from the Lanark County Council meeting held Wednesday, Feb.23.

Investment Plans for Housing and Homelessness Funding Approved: Council approved two investment plans for provincial funding streams related to housing and homelessness programs offered through Lanark County Social Services. Shawna Stone, Housing Services Manager, presented a report at the community services committee meeting earlier this month outlining the recommended allocations.

The Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) began in 2013 and aims to prevent, address and reduce homelessness by improving access to adequate and affordable housing and support services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This year’s provincial funding allocation is $1.3 million and is proposed to be allocated as follows, based on priorities that have emerged as a result of the pandemic:

• Emergency shelter ($100,000) – this includes emergency hotel stays and a contract with Victim Services to provide after-hours support.
• Housing with related supports ($620,000) – includes the cost of domiciliary hostels, which provide supportive living accommodations for residents who require assistance with daily activities. It also includes deposits for rent and utilities.
• Services and supports ($100,000) – includes a full-time caseworker to provide community and housing outreach case management, as well as emergency supports such as grocery and gas cards, prepackaged toiletries, transportation, hoarding and pest/bug control.
• Homelessness prevention ($357,116) – includes eviction prevention/arrears (rent, utilities, mortgage, property taxes) and emergency minor home repair of up to $5,000 per applicant.
• Administration ($130,791) – provided for up to 10 per cent of the allocation.

Stone noted since the pandemic began, the county has received about $6.5 million in Social Services Relief Funding, and about $500,000 of that was used to offset increased demand for CHPI-funded programs. “Demand for emergency shelter has gradually declined since the early days of the pandemic,” she said. Residents in all local municipalities are eligible to apply for the CHPI programs.

The second plan is for the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) and Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI). The provincial and federal funding began in 2019 as part of a multi-year plan to help stabilize and enhance the existing community housing system and to assist with future growth and expansion of affordable housing options within communities. The allocations in the investment plan are supported by the strategic directions in the county’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan.

The funding amounts are allocated as follows:

• COCHI ($430,845) – distributed on a per-unit basis to eligible housing providers to stabilize and revitalize current community housing inventory, including local non-profit providers.
• OPHI ($395,000) is distributed as follows:
  • Homeownership ($105,500)
  • Ontario Renovates ($250,000)
  • Support Services ($19,750) 

• Administration ($19750)

For more information about housing programs, visit https://www.lanarkcounty.ca/en/family-and-social- services/housing.aspx. For more information, contact Emily Hollington, Director of Social Services, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 2101.

RFP for New Housing Units Issued: Council has authorized staff to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for one-time capital funding for a non-profit organization to build, own and operate rent-geared- to-income (RGI) and affordable housing units in Lanark County or the Town of Smiths Falls.

At the community services committee meeting earlier this month, Director of Social Services Emily Hollington explained the 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan proposes 10 new housing units be built in 2022, with five categorized as affordable and five RGI.

Hollington outlined best practices identified by members of a Housing Working Group established last year, which recommended RGI housing is best administered by the non-profit sector. “For RGI, the landlord must take someone from our waitlist and screening of tenants is not permitted, which is often a key step for a private landlord,” Hollington said.

The successful proponent would construct, own and operate an apartment building dedicating a number of units to affordable housing over an extended period of time, such as 20 to 30 years. There is a high preference for proponents able to deliver RGI units and house people directly from the waitlist. “The building owner/operator would be an established non-profit, ideally with landlord experience, and there is a preference for projects that leverage other capital funds dedicated to affordable housing,” Hollington said. “We’re aiming to fulfil, and possibly surpass, our goal of 10 new units in 2022.”

The funds for this project are coming from capital reserves held by Lanark County Housing Corporation and the county’s housing capital reserve. The RFP closes March 21, 2022 in an effort to take advantage of the warmer, ideal building time, and proposals will come back to the community services committee for approval. The RFP document can be found here: https://www.lanarkcounty.ca/en/roads-trails-and-transit/resources/Lanark-County-RFP-2022-01-for- Affordable-and-RGI-Housing-Units.pdf

For more information, contact Emily Hollington, Director of Social Services, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 2101.

Working from Home Policy Approved: Council has approved a working-from-home policy that began on a trial basis in September 2020.

Human Resources Supervisor Sam Leroux presented a report to the corporate services committee earlier this month that outlined the results of the trial period. “We know the COVID-19 pandemic continues to necessitate change to our normal business practices,” she said. “During this time, we have discovered that certain staff can complete most, if not all, parts of their job at home.”