Edmonton Social Planning Council

Category: Resources: Housing

  • fACT Sheet — Zoning Bylaws and Affordable Housing

    fACT Sheet — Zoning Bylaws and Affordable Housing

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    Introduction

    Ending chronic homelessness has been a priority for Edmonton’s City Council in recent years. In 2009, the city committed to ending chronic homelessness within 10 years. Although a lot of progress has been made, they have fallen short of this original goal. Nevertheless, City Council remains committed to finding solutions. Though the state of homelessness observed in the city fluctuates, there has been an increase since the COVID-19 pandemic. As of February 2021, there are 2,038 people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton. This makes the original goal all the more critical to address, through the lens of public health and human rights.

    As part of its goal to end chronic homelessness, the Affordable Housing Investment Plan (2019-2022) aims to create 2,500 new or renovated affordable housing units across Edmonton, which includes a target of more than 916 permanent supportive housing units. Among the challenges and opportunities to better facilitate these affordable housing developments are zoning bylaws. Zoning provides a guide for municipalities in what structures are permitted to be built and where they can be built.

    In this fACT Sheet, we’ll summarize recent changes to zoning bylaws that better facilitate these affordable housing units and outline some of the remaining issues and challenges.

    Types of Non-Market Housing Developments

    When talking about affordable housing developments, it is important to understand that there are different types and designs to meet a variety of needs. The following describe some of the most common examples of affordable housing (specifically non-market housing) units that operate outside of the private market.

    Supportive housing: permanent housing for people who need assistance to live independently. Supportive housing may house people who are elderly or have disabilities, addictions, or mental health issues.

    Emergency housing: short-term shelter or accommodation that serves people who are experiencing homelessness, who are displaced, or who are fleeing violence or abuse.

    Non-profit housing: rental housing for low- and moderate-income individuals and families built by the province, municipality, or by a community group. Most tenants pay rent relative to their income; others pay rent at the low end of private market rent.

    Transitional housing: a bridge between emergency and permanent housing, often for a specified time. Transitional housing may serve people transitioning out of homelessness, those leaving the corrections system, or families receiving specialized supports.

    Co-operative housing: housing for people with low- and moderate-incomes. Residents contribute to the upkeep of the building and governance of the co-op. It can serve both lower-income households and market housing (some people with higher incomes choose housing co-ops for non-financial reasons). Some tenants pay rent relative to their income while the rest pay market rent. Some units may be modified for seniors or people with disabilities.

    Most of the recent zoning bylaw changes within Edmonton city limits affect supportive housing initiatives.

    Recent Bylaw Changes That Impact Affordable Housing Developments

    In 2019, non-profit housing providers participated in a workshop with City of Edmonton staff from the Affordable Housing and Homelessness and the Zoning Bylaw Implementation team. Valuable input was shared about the challenges and opportunities to better facilitate affordable housing developments in Edmonton.

    Since then, Edmonton City Council has passed a number of new bylaws to address many of these issues (in chronological order):

    July 15, 2019: City Council passed “Charter Bylaw 18941 Text Amendment to Zoning Bylaw 12800 to reduce barriers to Collective and Permanent Supportive Housing.” This bylaw removed regulations such as restrictions on group homes (a residence model of medical care for those with complex health needs) that placed limits on occupancy as well as removing limits on the number of individuals that can live in a lodging house (referring to a house in which rooms are rented). Restrictions were also removed on the type of building design for both group homes and lodging houses.

    August 25, 2019: City Council passed “Charter Bylaw 18967- Text Amendment to Zoning Bylaw 12800 to Enable Missing Middle Housing.” This bylaw amended medium-scale zones in order to create more opportunities for the development of various medium-scale housing options in Edmonton. The amendment introduced Use Multi-Unit Housing, defined based on the number of dwelling units on-site rather than by the form of the building or how the units were arranged. It also removed maximum densities from a number of zones, along with minimum site area and width requirements, and increased maximum floor area ratios in some zones. These changes increased the area of a site that can be developed for affordable housing.

    June 30, 2020: City Council passed “Charter Bylaw 19725 Text Amendments to Zoning Bylaw 12800 for Open Option Parking.” This bylaw removed minimum vehicle parking requirements, in addition to changes such as parking lot design and access, landscaping, stall size, loading requirements, and calculation methods to address accessibility and bicycle parking requirements. The number of on-site parking spots for new developments will now be determined by the landowner or business. This change will allow affordable housing developments to offer parking based on the unique needs of the development, thereby potentially increasing the proportion of land available for housing, on-site supports, or other complementary uses.

    November 3, 2020: City Council passed “Charter Bylaw 19490 Text Amendments to Zoning Bylaw 12800 to enable Supportive Housing developments.” The bylaw created two new use definitions for supportive housing and limited supportive housing, replacing the previous terms temporary shelter, group home, and limited group home uses. Supportive housing now describes development for residential use with on-site or off-site supports to ensure the residents’ day-to-day needs are met. This does not, however, include extended medical treatment services. Limited supportive housing specifically describes a supportive housing development with no more than six residents. Using these new definitions, a limited supportive housing developments can reasonably expect fewer visits by emergency services per month and are located in freestanding structures that are purpose-built or wholly converted for that purpose. These new definitions also provide flexibility for organizations to adapt to different forms of, and duration of, supportive housing needs.

    In addition, these amendments also add supportive housing as a listed use in a number of zones, such as commercial and urban service zones. This change will increase opportunities to develop more supportive housing—including seniors’ housing, hospice care, and temporary shelters—widely across the city and allows more flexibility in the location of new affordable housing units.

    These changes align with Policy C601 Affordable Housing Investment Guidelines. The policy seeks to ensure more opportunities for non-market developments are available across the city. It also provides direction to streamline access to affordable housing in all neighbourhoods through regulatory and procedural review and improvement, as well as other city policies such as Age Friendly Edmonton.

    Reflections and Other Concerns

    These bylaw changes that took place over the last couple of years have the potential to encourage the construction of more affordable housing developments. They can help move the city closer towards achieving its goal of ending chronic homelessness by building an adequate supply of supportive housing units. Approval process timelines for development previously posed a challenge for those wanting to get these developments off the ground; these changes and barrier reductions are an important breakthrough.

    Nevertheless, strong bylaws that create an environment more conducive to affordable housing must continue to emphasize a human-rights approach to housing. There are also challenges with a shortage of non-market housing with units that are universally accessible and barrier-free despite one in two households in Edmonton having at least one family member with at least one activity limitation. Moreover, stable funding from municipal, provincial, and federal governments is also indispensable toward building political will to see these projects through to completion.

     

    These bylaw changes have the potential to encourage more affordable housing developments and help move the city closer towards achieving their goal of ending chronic homelessness by building an adequate supply of supportive housing units.

     

     

    The Edmonton Social Planning Council is an independent, non-profit, charitable organization focused on social research.

    This fACT Sheet, prepared by the Edmonton Social Planning Council, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    Edmonton Social Planning Council

    #200, 10544 – 106 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5K 1C5

    www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca

    @edmontonspc

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  • fACT Sheet — 2021 Alberta Provincial Budget

    fACT Sheet — 2021 Alberta Provincial Budget

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    Introduction

    The 2021–22 Budget, titled Protecting Lives and Livelihoods, covers the time period April 1, 2021 until March 31, 2022. This is the third budget of the governing United Conservative Party (UCP) as they enter the halfway point of their term. It is also the first budget that addresses the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended the lives and livelihoods of Albertans as a result of the economic fallout and health impacts related to the virus.

    The focus of the budget is supporting Albertans to get through the pandemic and working towards a long-term economic recovery. Targets include investments in health care, infrastructure, and economic diversification. 

    That said, Budget 2021 still advertises low taxation as an advantage and announces no new tax increases. If Alberta had the same tax structure as the next lowest taxed provinces (Ontario and Saskatchewan), we would generate an additional $13.3 billion in revenue (2021–22).* Under-spending as a result of less revenue collected means fewer investments in public services that support Albertans.

    This fACT Sheet will focus on developments related to social programs that impact those living in low-income and poverty.

    Revenue Measures

    The previous budget, released in February 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic reached Alberta, projected $50 billion in revenue for 2020–21. However, revenue has now been projected to $42.3 billion—$7.7 billion lower than the previous estimate. This is due to a decrease in income and other taxes as well as a drop in non-renewable resource revenue. This is related to the significant economic impacts of COVID-19 and the collapse in oil demand, prices, and production. Cuts to the corporate tax rate, which decreased from 10% in January 2020 to 8% in July 2020 (a year-and-a-half sooner than originally planned) is also a factor. Notably, federal transfers from the Government of Canada are up as a source of revenue while almost all other sources are down.

    Due to these conditions and the fact that no new taxes will be introduced with Budget 2021, there will be a projected $18.2 billion deficit.

    Alberta Seniors Benefit

    The Alberta Seniors Benefit provides low-income Albertans aged 65 years or older financial assistance to help with monthly living expenses. Previously, there were plans to adjust benefit phase-out rates and eligibility thresholds for new applicants. This plan has been paused in order to maintain the same level of support for seniors through the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the maximum monthly benefit for a single adult is $285.92 and $428.83 for a couple.

    Child Benefits

    In the 2020–21 budget, the Alberta Child Benefit and the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit were replaced by the Alberta Child and Family Benefit, which took effect in July 2020.
    Though not in the budget document itself, shortly before its release the province announced a Working Parents Benefit. Starting March 1, parents can apply for a one-time payment of $561 per child to help with child care while they continue to work.

    Child Care

    Funding for Children’s Services is expected to remain flat over the next four years, with an operating expense of $1.7 billion in 2021–22. The child care sector has faced many challenges due to COVID-19 with closure of facilities in March 2020, then their subsequent re-opening with new public health measures to protect staff and children. As a result, funding (including some federal supports) has been reallocated to facilitate the safe re-opening of these centres. This includes $23 million in a Critical Worker Benefit for child intervention and child care programming, as well as $28 million to assist child care centres in their re-opening efforts.

    The final phase of the Early Learning and Child Care pilot (also known as the $25 a day child care program) will end on March 31, 2021. Rather than continuing the program or making it universal, child care subsidies have been revamped so that low-income families will receive higher subsidies as part of a new funding deal between the province and the federal government.

    Affordable Housing and Homelessness

    The Government of Alberta recently released the Affordable Housing Review Panel’s report, which seeks to transform the affordable housing system. The Seniors and Housing ministry is currently developing a strategic plan and redesign of the affordable housing system. The reforms will ensure its financial sustainability and capacity to respond to growing demand. There will be no large budget changes until this redesign is completed.

    However, there is still money for existing affordable housing initiatives. The government is dedicated to building 1,800 units to house individuals, families, and seniors in need of social supports and housing and to maintain units that already exist. As a result of recommendations from the review, Budget 2021 will provide a $16 million reinstatement to the Rental Assistance Program. Rental supports are critical for struggling Albertans to pay their rents.

    The Government of Alberta stated they will continue to provide over $193 million for Homeless Support and Outreach Services. However, this is slightly down from the $197 million spent in the 2019–20 fiscal year. Nevertheless, they have included funding for 500 shelter spaces in Edmonton and Red Deer.

    Addictions and Mental Health

    The budget has committed $140 million over four years to increase access to services, expand programs, and establish new publicly funded mental health and addictions treatment spaces to support 4,000 Albertans towards a path to recovery. In addition, the government announced $25 million to support construction of five therapeutic communities across Alberta as part of an integrated system that encompasses clients of the health care system, justice system, and community social services system.

    Existing supervised consumption sites across the province will receive $15.7 million in funding, a reduction of $2 million from last year due to the closure of the Lethbridge site. There is no new funding for harm reduction services, instead focusing on recovery-based services.

    Employment and Income Support

    Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) and Income Support programs, have seen lower caseloads over the past year. Many people accessing these supports had transitioned to the Canada Emegency Response Benefit (CERB), likely because the larger payments allowed them to better meet their needs. The government will continue to fund these income support programs and serve vulnerable Albertans, although there will be no funding increases.

    The government introduced benefits specially for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Critical Worker Benefit provides a one-time payment of $1,200 to individuals working on the front lines during the pandemic. People who work in health care, social services, education, and private sectors are eligible; $465 million has been dedicated for this benefit.

    The Government of Alberta is dedicated to getting people back to work. As part of its Recovery Plan, it has instituted a Labour and Talent Strategy to increase learning opportunities, expand the apprenticeship model, and enhance connections between school and industries so that young Albertans will have better job prospects. The province is also dedicating $1.5 billion over four years to key economic sectors, assuming that they will build and diversify Alberta’s economy and create new jobs.

    Drugs and Supplemental Health Benefits

    As with the previous budget, there are changes to drug programs (which include transitioning patients from higher cost biologic medications to generic versions as well as the Seniors Drug Program no longer covering spouses and dependents younger than 65 years of age). However, plans to introduce income tested deductibles were deferred and are not reflected in the new budget.

    In addition, there are funding increases to the Outpatient Cancer Therapy and Specialized High Cost Drug programs to address drug cost increases and higher patient volumes. The operating expense budget for these programs has grown to over $1.9 billion per year.

    Family and Community Support Services     

    Funding for Family and Community Support Services is being maintained at $100 million. To address pressing social challenges—particularly against the backdrop of COVID-19—the Community and Social Services ministry is providing $7 million for the Civil Society Empowerment Fund to help non-profit organizations and charities address social problems for Albertans. In addition, $13 million will be provided for sexual assault services and over $5 million will be provided for Family Violence Prevention programs.

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  • Tracking the Trends 2020

    Tracking the Trends 2020

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    Tracking the Trends provides a comprehensive overview of Edmonton’s social well-being.

    The Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) is pleased to present this 15th edition of Tracking the Trends. Thirty one years after the release of the first edition in 1989, we remain committed to regularly updating this valuable compendium of social and economic data critical to sound decision-making. We hope decision-makers, social policy planners, researchers, and the general public will find this publication useful in broadening their understanding of social trends in the Edmonton region.

    The publication of this edition was postponed by several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused disruptions to work as ESPC adapted to working from home, as well as delays in data releases. Unfortunately, data on COVID-19 could not be captured in this report, but the effects of the pandemic on Edmontonians will be seen in future Tracking the Trends.

    Download the full Tracking the Trends report here (PDF)

    Note: since the release of this report, we identified the following errata. The PDF version has now been updated as of January 15, 2021.

    Table C4: Total Apartment Vacancy Rate, October Average, Edmonton CMA, added in missing value for the year 2006

    Table D11: Employed Persons Earning Low Wages by Gender, July 2017 to June 2018, Edmonton CMA. The “total” for wage “$13.60” was incorrectly listed as 54800, this was corrected to 54.8

    Table F4: Maximum monthly AISH benefit payments, added in missing values for the years 2000-2002 and 2004

    Figure F4 was updated as well to reflect the added in values

    Table F5: Number of individuals receiving Employment Insurance, added in missing the value for the year 2008

    Table G8: Lone-Parent to Couple Family Proportion, Edmonton CMA, added in the missing value for the year 2009

    Table G9: Property and Violent Crime Rates, Crime Severity Index, Edmonton City. An older version of the table was inserted by accident, it was replaced with an up-to date version.

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  • Submission to the Government of Alberta’s Affordable Housing Review Panel

    Submission to the Government of Alberta’s Affordable Housing Review Panel

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    Note: this is a written submission the Edmonton Social Planning Council provided to the Government of Alberta’s Affordable Housing Review Panel. Submissions are being accepted until August 31, 2020. More information on the panel and how to contribute a submission is available on their website.

    August 13, 2020

    Mickey Amery, chair of the Affordable Housing Review Panel
    Affordable Housing Review Panel c/o
    Ministry of Seniors and Housing
    404 Legislature Building
    10800 – 97 Avenue
    Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6

    Dear Mickey Amery, chair of the Affordable Housing Review Panel:

    Reference:    Written Submission to the Affordable Housing Review Panel

    Thank you for the opportunity to contribute a submission to the Affordable Housing Review Panel. The Edmonton Social Planning Council is pleased to see this work being conducted by the provincial government. The Council has been operating in Edmonton for 80 years, and the issue of affordable housing has been a source of concern for our organization for much of our history.

    Since our work focuses on community research in the areas of low-income and poverty, access to affordable housing is indispensable towards building a community in which all people are full and valued participants. It is important that any approach governments take towards the affordable housing portfolio – be it municipal, provincial, and federal – prioritize a human rights-based approach where access to safe and stable housing is an integral component of providing an adequate standard of living to all Albertans.

    When it comes to affordable housing, our research has identified excessively long waits for affordable rental accommodation as one of the most intractable challenges facing low-income Edmonton households. These households are waiting to receive assistance for which they qualify for and are legally entitled to. Funding should be sufficient to allow all households who qualify based on their household income receive rental assistance on a timely basis, similar to what is currently the norm for existing programs like child benefits, retirement benefits, child care subsidies, and income support.

    Our recent report (which is also attached to our submission), The High Cost of Waiting: Tenant-Focused Solutions to Enhance Housing Affordability, provided comprehensive research on the subject by conducting a literature review, interviews with key informants with expertise in the affordable housing landscape in Alberta, as well as focus groups involving a number of households who were on these wait lists. The report also provides a number of recommendations governments can adopt to address this situation, which includes a number of measures for how a housing benefit can be designed, measured, and monitored to achieve the goals of making housing more affordable and accessible.

    Focus group participants (many of whom had been waiting for years) spoke candidly about the financial and emotional hardship the process has put them through and spoke of the real risk they could end up homeless without a roof over their heads.

    We found that strong support was expressed for a cost-matched federal/provincial housing benefit. The federal government’s proposed Canada Housing Benefit (which is a portable rent subsidy) was met with almost universal approval. This benefit would deliver an average of $2,500 per year to qualifying households, which would expand the number of Edmonton households receiving direct rent subsidies. A joint federal-provincial rent subsidy program with full and fair funding commitments from both orders of government could be set up so that all who apply and qualify for the benefit receive it on a timely basis. In order for it to be effective, it would need equal cost-matching by the provinces and the federal government delivering the benefit through the Canada Revenue Agency in single monthly payments to qualifying households.

    Portable housing benefits have been identified by major Canadian affordable housing organizations as an indispensable component of ending homelessness and addressing affordability challenges. Portability means basing rental assistance on household income, rather than tying it to a specific rental unit or a building. This enables prospective tenants to obtain rental accommodation more quickly rather than having to wait for affordable units to become available. It also provides renters greater choice with regards to location and building type based on their own needs and preferences. Our research going back as far as 2007 has shown many low-income renters have expressed a preference for receiving subsidies directly rather than having subsidies tied to specific units and buildings. Those who receive a portable housing benefit experience long-term improvements to their quality of life.

    A portable housing benefit would prevent eviction due to non-affordability of market rents and help those precariously housed to stay housed. This would need to be correctly applied to the Edmonton context to complement existing programs and approaches. Adequate and stable funding helps reduce waitlists for affordable housing and effectively prevents homelessness.

    When it comes to affordable housing, the ideal role of government is to provide a robust safety net, especially when it comes to supporting Albertans in need of housing. This requires full investments in affordable housing programs. Direct to rent subsidies in its current form have not been able to keep up with high demand and high need.

    While funding efforts to end homelessness has increased significantly over the last 10 years (this has enabled the development of an extensive province-wide infrastructure to deliver Housing First programs), funding for rental assistance for low-income households has been largely frozen for many years.

    Albertans who experience homelessness and poverty face a number of other challenges, which include mental illness, addictions, domestic violence, aging, physical and mental disabilities, and more. These struggles require targeted support to effectively rehouse participants. Supportive housing – where individuals can access services linked to their housing, such as job training, or mental health treatment lead to long-term socioeconomic improvements for participants – is integral to this. Vulnerable individuals who struggle to retain safe, adequate, affordable, and stable housing often end up interacting with other parts of the system, such as the justice system, emergency health services, law enforcement, and others. Governments investing in housing programs and their supports would see decreased costs and pressures on the health care and criminal justice system. In short, investing in affordable housing produces positive dividends which includes reduced costs in other areas of government spending. This measure is not only fiscally prudent but also brings us closer to fully realizing a more just and equitable society.

    While a portable housing benefit could solve a lot of affordability and accessibility issues, this also will need to be balanced with making sure the supply of affordable housing units continues to be made available. The utilization of vacant, surplus, or underutilized sites represents a significant opportunity to increase affordable housing supply and decrease waitlists. In the city of Edmonton alone, 850 additional units could be created on 5 large city-owned sites under current zoning. Vacant or underutilized buildings could be redeveloped or repurposed to increase the supply of affordable housing, providing beautification and activation of these spaces that can improve the neighbourhood as a whole.

    An example of such a program is the Raising the Roof’s Reside initiative in Toronto, which is a pilot program that provides individuals at-risk of homelessness with affordable and safe housing in a repurposed vacant home. This has been shown to be effective at decreasing affordable housing waitlists by using vacant homes for affordable housing. The project partners with the Building Up enterprise that trains youth to complete the renovations, helping them gain valuable skills. The renovated homes are leased to non-profit housing organizations to use as supportive or long-term housing. This model represents a significant opportunity to increase the quality and supply of affordable housing in a cost-effective manner.

    In closing, investing in affordable housing programs with a human-rights approach is not only a benefit to vulnerable individuals finding stable housing, but it benefits communities as a whole. The standard of living and quality of life improves markedly, helps to improve neighbourhoods, decreases the burden on health care and criminal justice systems, and reduces social disorder. The Edmonton Social Planning Council is hopeful that common-sense actions like these will help re-build Alberta after a challenging period of economic uncertainty associated with the decline in oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Our office continues to be available should you wish to engage on this matter further.

    Regards,

     

    Susan Morrissey, Executive Director
    Edmonton Social Planning Council

     

    Attachment(s): Kolkman, John (2020). “The High Cost of Waiting: Tenant-Focused Solutions to Enhance Housing Affordability.” Edmonton Social Planning Council.

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  • fACTivist Feature Article: Family Class Sponsored Immigrant Seniors in Canada: Income Dependency Challenges

    fACTivist Feature Article: Family Class Sponsored Immigrant Seniors in Canada: Income Dependency Challenges

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    Note: this is excerpted from Summer 2020 edition of our fACTivist publication. The Edmonton Social Planning Council, in collaboration with volunteers and colleagues within the sector, strives to provide stakeholders and community members with updates on ESPC’s activities and projects, including articles and initiatives that address a variety of pertinent issues that affect our community

    Written by Jenn Rossiter, in collaboration with the Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative and Age of Wisdom 

    Canada is a welcoming nation that embraces newcomers, and supports diversity and healthy families within its communities. However, when immigrants arrive they often encounter regulations and policies that make settling in a new country difficult. This can be especially tough for senior immigrants who face additional challenges to access income programs that could help them gain independence and security in their new surroundings.

    Senior immigrants typically arrive in Canada through the Family Class pathway, which allows Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who are aged 18 years or older to sponsor family members (e.g. a spouse, child, parent or grandparent, or sibling).

    Every sponsorship is subject to a federal Sponsorship Agreement, which specifies how long a sponsor must financially support the incoming family member (called the undertaking period). This timeframe has been steadily increasing, causing undue stress and uncertainty for those involved. At the moment, parents and grandparents (PGPs) who arrive via Family Class sponsorship are required to remain financially dependent on their sponsor for 20 years. This affects their lives in countless challenging ways.

    The undertaking period for Family Class sponsorships has changed four times since the Immigration Act, 1976. From the late 70s, the undertaking period was between 1-10 years. However, the government found that sponsorship breakdowns were too frequent, leaving immigrants to rely on federal supports and costing the government money. In 1997, new regulations were introduced that put stricter financial requirements on a sponsorship, and set the undertaking period at 10 years.[i] The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act replaced Canada’s Immigration Act in 2002, and changed the undertaking period to either 3 or 10 years, depending on the relationship between sponsor and applicant. For example, the undertaking period for a spouse was only 3 years, whereas the undertaking period for PGPs remained 10 years.

    In 2012, the federal government realized that 70% of PGPs’ income came through the federal Old Age Security pension (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) programs.[ii] Of several amendments, the government doubled the sponsorship undertaking period for PGPs to 20 years, starting in 2014. This was meant to help ease government costs associated with federal and provincial social assistance programs, but also added financial responsibility to the sponsor—an annual increase of approximately 19% per household.2  Financial dependency can place a heavy burden on one family and household; these income supports could help alleviate anxieties, but program regulations are creating challenges.

    Eligibility for OAS is based on residence and legal status requirements. Qualifying seniors must be over 65, be a legal resident, and have lived in Canada for at least 10 years. There are two levels of OAS: the full pension and the partial pension. In addition to the above requirements, recipients can qualify for the full pension if they have lived in Canada for a minimum of 40 years. The partial pension qualification, in addition to the basic requirements above, is determined by a calculation using the number of years lived in Canada, beyond the minimum of 10.[iii]

    The GIS program is available to support seniors who qualify as low-income. Unfortunately, low-income rates among senior immigrants in Canada is nearly double that of non-immigrants, averaging at around 21%.[iv] Despite this, PGPs are typically not eligible to receive GIS until they have resided in Canada for a minimum of 10 years, are eligible for OAS, and their undertaking period has come to an end. For those immigrating after 2014, this means they cannot access GIS until they have been in Canada for a minimum of 20 years.

    Generally speaking, PGP applicant eligibility (after 2014) could be summarized by the following:

    For a senior immigrant who has legally resided in Canada for less than 10 years:

    • Individuals are not eligible for OAS.
    • Individuals are not eligible for GIS.

    For a senior immigrant who has legally resided in Canada for 10-19 years:

    • Individuals may be eligible for partial
    • Individuals are not eligible for GIS.

    For a senior immigrant who has legally resided in Canada for 20 years or more:

    • Individuals may be eligible for partial or full
    • Individuals may be eligible for GIS.

    To illustrate this, consider a Canadian citizen who has just been approved to sponsor their 70-year-old mother. The mother will be 80 years old before she can apply to access any of these income supports, and could likely only access partial OAS at that point. She will have to wait until she is 90 years old to apply for GIS, and an incredible 110 years old before applying for the full pension! These extended wait times for seniors to access supports and benefits are inhospitable, and are negatively affecting families.

    If the mother qualified for the partial OAS benefit after 10 years of residence, she would only receive ¼ of the full pension amount, meaning that, with current calculations, at the age of 80 she would receive a modest $153 each month[v]—an amount that would remain fixed for the remainder of her lifetime. All the while she will have been relying on her child to financially support her, paying for basic needs (food, shelter, clothing) and other necessities (health, transportation). Contributing such a small amount of money each month can leave PGPs feeling like a burden. This causes a lot of financial and emotional strain on a family, not to mention the impact of unexpected changes in health and income that are almost certain to occur in a household over a 10 or 20 year period.

    These issues only begin to explore some of the extensive financial obligations and stresses that fall on PGPs and sponsors, and the challenges that PGPs face in trying to become independent residents in Canada. Canada is a country that welcomes newcomers, but this financial stress should be reduced to benefit its population, in a way that truly does support healthy families and communities.

    References

    [i] Citizenship & Immigration Canada (1998), http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/Ci51-86-1998E.pdf

    [ii] Government of Canada (2013), http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2013/2013-05-18/html/reg2-eng.html

    [iii] Government of Canada, https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/old-age-security/benefit-amount.html#h2.2-h3.2

    [iv] Statistics Canada (2019), https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2019001/article/00017-eng.htm

    [v] Government of Canada, https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/old-age-security/guaranteed-income-supplement/eligibility.html

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  • Op-Ed: All parties must be prepared to compromise to prioritize human-rights approach to affordable housing (July 9, 2020)

    Op-Ed: All parties must be prepared to compromise to prioritize human-rights approach to affordable housing (July 9, 2020)

    [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.0″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”4.7.3″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”3px||5px|||” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#a6c942″][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”||||||||” custom_margin=”||3px|||” border_color_bottom=”#a6c942″][/et_pb_post_title][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https://edmontonsocialplanning.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/boxes_1.gif” title_text=”boxes_1″ align=”center” disabled_on=”on|off|off” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” custom_margin=”-2px||-1px||false|false” custom_padding=”||7px|||”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.7.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” custom_margin=”0px|auto|0px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”37px|0px|44px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.5.6″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ custom_padding=”||32px|||”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9kYXRlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJkYXRlX2Zvcm1hdCI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJjdXN0b21fZGF0ZV9mb3JtYXQiOiIifX0=@[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_text_color=”#008ac1″ header_2_font_size=”24px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”95%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”3px|0px|2px|-96px|false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” sticky_enabled=”0″]

    Note: This op-ed was originally published in the Edmonton Journal on July 9, 2020.

    by Sandra Ngo and Brett Lambert

    We’ve seen the headlines before: vocal members of the community expressing their opposition to a proposed affording housing development.

    Stories of home owners’ associations taking developers to court, protests organized, and heated discussions at city council hearings are all commonplace occurrences during the public engagement process.

    Recently, Edmonton City Council voted in favour of selling four parcels of land to Homeward Trust to build permanent supportive housing, which are located in Terrace Heights, King Edward Park, McArthur Industrial, and Inglewood. These sites will build a total of 150 units, which represent a portion of the 900 housing units the city needs to build by 2024 as part of their goal to end chronic homelessness.

    Permanent supportive housing is a type of continuous care that combines subsidized housing with support services. These services can run the gamut, from innocuous programs such as community support groups and child care, to full-time, in-house registered nurses and psychologists. These investments are lauded for saving taxpayer money by reducing pressure on health and emergency services, the justice system, and reducing social disorder.

    Despite these tangible benefits, some concerns over neighbourhood safety have been expressed. Does it always have to be this way? We don’t think so. The Edmonton Social Planning Council recently published a report, Public Engagement on Affordable Housing in Edmonton, which explores best practices for how a robust public engagement strategy can address these concerns and offers a number of recommendations to community league members, city administration, and affordable housing developers.

    Good public engagement helps to find common ground between groups which may have different interests and leads to a development that is better integrated with the neighbourhood while benefiting the vulnerable populations who will be housed in these units in the long-term.

    The key to a successful public engagement process is to start early and be transparent about the use of public input. Early and ongoing engagement allows for a dialogue to be created, and facilitates a deeper understanding of affordable housing within a community. This makes for more meaningful negotiations, where developers are able to gather feedback and reflect it back to the community, who in turn reciprocate the process.

    The notion of feeling heard early on builds trusting relationships, dispels misunderstandings, and the lack of delay reduces discord among the community. Here the engagement process becomes meaningful and is not simply a formality.

    Incorporating a human rights approach in the public engagement process is also a crucial component in increasing support for affordable housing. By framing the conversation around someone’s right to have adequate housing, the average person can recognize the role they play in helping marginalized populations and confronting stereotypes and prejudice against impoverished communities. Public engagement based on this premise can bust myths related to crime, safety, housing prices, and overcrowding.

    Innovating the public engagement process is another way to bring about a successful outcome. Each neighbourhood has a different dynamic, with preferences varying widely according to the community. A non-traditional engagement format can include walking tours of successful affordable housing developments. These neighbourhood walkthroughs were cited as effective tools for increasing understanding and acceptance of developments and allowed for innovative ways of hearing community feedback.

    When it comes to the planning process of an affordable housing development, change can be an inherently uncomfortable process and concerns from community members need to be addressed in order to move forward for a mutually beneficial result. All parties must be prepared to compromise while prioritizing a human rights-based approach whereby the most vulnerable are afforded their right to safe and adequate housing.

    The four permanent supportive housing developments represent an important step forward for ending homelessness in Edmonton. They help people who have complex needs stay safe, healthy, and build community. As the next steps are undertaken, we hope that the best practices as outlined in our report will help facilitate a robust public engagement process resulting in housing stability for those who need it most.

    Sandra Ngo is Research Coordinator of the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

    Brett Lambert is Community Engagement Coordinator of the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

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