to be established in stages over the next three years. The program would utilize ongoing municipal funding to implement a newly designed municipal housing benefit/housing subsidy program (WEHB) with the goal of increasing the number of subsidized units in Windsor and Essex County and eliminating the shortfall in our legislated service level.
The 2020 budget request for annual funding of $250,000 ($162,694 net City cost and $87,306 net County cost) was approved by Council (Decision #B55/2020). It is anticipated that budget issues will be brought forward to Council in 2021 and 2022 to increase the base budget by the same amount in each of the second and third year of the program implementation. By the end of the third year of phased-in implementation, the total annual municipal cost to deliver the program is estimated to be approximately $750,000, which would be shared between the City and the County.
Funding to address the current service level shortfall would also provide an opportunity to offer safe and affordable housing to a number of the over 5,000 households waiting for an affordable housing option on the Windsor/Essex Centralized Waiting List.
Canada Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)
The COHB program is jointly funded by the federal and provincial governments, through the NHS Bilateral Agreement. The approved Windsor Essex allocation for 2020-21 is as follows:
| Program | Funding Period | Funding Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Ontario Housing Benefit | 2020-21 | $755,473 |
| Canada Ontario Housing Benefit | 2021-22 | $989,894 |
Note: The annual planning allocation will be the incremental funding available for new households approved in the Windsor Essex service area each fiscal year (i.e. $755,473 in 2020-21, $234,421 in 2021-22).
Service Managers will receive administration payments of $250 per MOF approved application from their service area, up to a maximum of 5% of their annual planning allocation. As well, Service Managers will be reimbursed for any first and last month’s rent assistance provided to applicants who are approved for the COHB program, as appropriate. Funding allocations are provided on a “use it or lose it” basis, since funding from one fiscal year cannot be reallocated to future years. The number of eligible households approved to receive a benefit in a Service Manager area will be limited in any year by the amount of funding available in the following year for their service area.
As noted previously CHC has agreed to administer the WEHB and COHB programs on behalf of the Service Manager. Costs related to administration of the programs are within the current council approved Housing Services operating budget.
Consultations:
Consultations: Nancy Jaekel, Financial Planning Administrator