recipient of a municipal housing benefit can apply the benefit towards the cost of any market rent unit in the Windsor Essex service area.

Implementation of a municipal housing benefit under the framework set forward by the Province is optional and unlike traditional RGI assistance, this housing benefit is fully funded by municipalities. As an alternative to RGI assistance, delivery of a municipal in legislated housing benefit enables municipalities to respond to deficits/shortfalls service level standards resulting from low turnover rates in social housing, the sale of social housing properties where operating agreements have expired and the decreasing number of private landlords willing to enter into rent supplement agreements with the Service Manager.

As identified in the 2020 operating budget issue (#2020-0230) approved by City Council on January 27, 2020 (Decision #B55/2020) over the last five years the Windsor Essex service area has consistently reported to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) a yearly average deficit of approximately 450 units below the legislated service level. In June 2019, MMAH requested an Action Plan outlining how Service Managers will “work towards incrementally meeting” the Service Level Standard for their service areas. One of the strategies Housing Services proposed in the 2020 operating budget issue (#2020-0230) was the development and delivery of a municipal housing benefit subsidy program to be fully implemented over a three-year period that would help to address the legislated service level standard deficit in Windsor Essex. Council approved a base budget increase for Housing Services in the amount of $250,000 for the 2020 budget year to allow Housing Services to develop and implement the first phase of this proposed three-year housing benefit program. It is anticipated that Council will be requested to increase the base year budget in 2021 and 2022 to support the second and third year of the housing benefit program in order to come into compliance with legislated service level standards

The service level standard issue has been noted at Operating Budget Administrative Reviews in previous years and also, indicated in recent Council reports. The service level standard issue is not isolated to the City of Windsor, as other Service Managers have also identified similar shortfalls in their legislated service levels.

Upon approval of the base operating budget increase for 2020 Housing Services developed a framework for a municipal housing benefit called the Windsor Essex Housing Benefit (WEHB) inclusive of program guidelines, program material and eligibility criteria in line with the requirements set forward under the Housing Services Act (HSA) 2011 (Schedule 4.1 of O. Reg. 367/11).

Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit

In November 2017, the Federal Government introduced the National Housing Strategy (NHS), a 10-year $40 billion plan. The NHS sets out a renewed federal-provincial partnership to work together to achieve targets and outcomes, increase access to housing, reduce housing need and achieve better housing solutions.

The NHS includes three provincially administered initiatives that provide significant flexibility to support provincial housing priorities: