2) As council wishes to streamline processes, we recommend the city consider an administrative policy change. The current policy requires city administration to invoice, receive, process and deposit Habitat for Humanity's Fees. Habitat for Humanity must process and issue payment. Habitat for Humanity must then request the funds to be granted back by council. Administration then prepares a report and recommendation for council and then council must read the report and dedicate time in the council meeting to vote on the grant.
The mayor and council, as well as the city treasurer have indicated that to their memory there has never been a time that this request has been turned down when it relates to a home build. Council has also expressed a desire to expedite processes and work smarter and faster to achieve success on our ambitious plan to eliminate homelessness in Windsor by 2028. As we grow our builds to and work with the city to tackle the housing crisis, the process described above will become increasingly cumbersome for City Administration, Council, and Habitat for Humanity.
We are recommending that the city adopt a policy to waive development and related fees, similar to the one in place in the city of Cambridge. A report on Cambridge Administrations recommendations to their council can be found online here cambridge.ca/en/learn-about/resources/Habitat-for-Humanity.pdf
Adopting this strategy would not only benefit all parties in streamlining processes it will also give clear documentation of our partnership with this City that can be used to leverage Federal National Housing Coinvestment Funding. Habitat Canada has an envelope of 32 Million dollars to distribute and we at Habitat for Humanity WindsorEssex want to bring every penny possible to our city. You can help make that happen.
The homes we build with the support of this city will not only allow us to provide safe decent affordable homes for families in core housing need, it will also bring exponential benefits to the city. Habitat for Humanity has a proven $4 return on investment for every $1 invested in our builds. This is due to families reduced reliance on social services and as homeowners they contribute to the local economy through property taxes.
But the most important impact of Habitat for Humanity's work is the long-term solution we provide. Our homes do never require city funding to maintain, our homeowners pay city taxes, and they will never become homeless again. Homeownership stops the cycle of poverty in its tracks. The benefits accruing to the City of Windsor through Habitat for Humanity are many; most importantly we move families in core housing need into homes where they have pride of ownership and become taxpayers who contribute to the services and needs of their City.