Province pledges $1 billion for social housing, plans to restrict access to wait-lists
(The Star Golf)

Ontario has pledged to invest $1 billion to help repair social housing and reduce homelessness and plans to propose new rules restricting access to housing wait-lists, including a cap on how much potential tenants can be worth financially, as part of a community housing renewal strategy released Wednesday. “Our government believes Ontario families shouldn’t have to live in buildings with crumbling walls, leaking roofs and broken elevators,� said Steve Clark, minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in a news release. “We will work with municipalities and non-profits to address issues like safety, overcrowding and long wait lists.�High on the list of stated priorities is reducing the wait-list for subsidized housing by having prospective tenants “prioritize their first choice and accept the first unit they are offered.� Housing providers will also be empowered to “turn away tenants� who have been evicted for criminal activity. “We are proposing to amend regulations to give community housing providers the authority to refuse to re-house a tenant based on a previous eviction for a serious criminal offence. This change is in response to concerns raised by service managers and aims to reduce crime and gang-related violence in community housing so that all residents feel safer in their home,� the report states. The ministry is accepting feedback on the community safety piece — part of proposed amendments to the Housing Services Act. — until July 1. The announcement, made in Newmarket, also pledges to tackle red tape and ensure faster repairs on existing housing stock. Existing rent-geared-to-income rules will also be overhauled using “ a simple calculation based on income tax information.�“We will explore how to transform the current waiting list system for rent-geared-to-income assistance into a comprehensive community housing access system that better matches applicants ...