WHEREAS the Federal and Provincial Governments need to support their most vulnerable households, the ones who are or are at risk of becoming homeless. Overall, housing and services for low-income, vulnerable, or marginalized people should be a primary consideration moving forward so we help those who need it the most;
AND WHEREAS the Municipality of East Ferris understands every community across Ontario is impacted by a need for affordable housing and support for people at risk of homelessness. Municipal governments are working in collaboration with all orders of government to invest in permanent solutions to the housing and homelessness crisis in Ontario;
AND WHEREAS the Municipality of East Ferris understands that the Federal National Housing Strategy allocation formula to provinces and territories for jointly funded housing initiatives, roughly follows their share of the national population. This approach leaves Ontario underfunded because, as per the 2021 Census figures, the number of Ontario households in Community Housing Network as a share of the national total is 44.1 percent, which is well above the provincial share of the national population at 38.5 percent. This is also by far the highest share of national Community Housing Network relative to every other province and territories;
AND WHEREAS receiving a by-population allocation from the federal government hampers Ontario’s ability to reach more of those households in need that require assistance with housing;
WHEREAS the lack of ongoing federal operating funding for National Housing Strategy initiatives leads to significant underfunding for subsidized housing projects and can undermine the physical and financial viability of the community housing stock.
WHEREAS a similar situation occurs with federal homelessness funding to Ontario through Reaching Home, where the share allocated to Ontario is also below the provincial share of Community Housing Network nationally;
AND WHEREAS there is an inequitable distribution of Reaching Home funding in Ontario as only 25 of 47 Service Managers have designated communities receiving funding under the program, despite the prevalence of need across the entire Province;
WHEREAS the Municipality of East Ferris understand the federal government takes the position that its role is to provide capital funding while Provinces and Territories are to fund operating expenses, but this approach does not create an equitable sharing of the burden of funding long-term operating costs, which continue for the life of a project;
AND WHEREAS taken altogether, the underfunding to Ontario for housing and homelessness relative to its share of national Canadian Housing Network amounts to approximately $480 million over the term of the Federal National Housing Strategy;
WHEREAS the federal government previously provided leadership in ensuring the long-term financial and physical viability of the social housing stock under the Social Housing Agreement for several decades through federal social housing operating agreements that provided funding for both mortgages and operating costs;
WHEREAS without some flexibility on the part of the federal government, Ontario and its municipalities will be poorly positioned to take advantage of this funding, and this will turn into a significant missed opportunity, leading to a further deterioration in the long-term physical and financial sustainability of the community housing stock;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Municipality of East Ferris also supports the provincial ask for federal operating funding for National Housing Strategy initiatives;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED we would appreciate the federal effort to repurpose this funding quickly from the main National Housing Co-Investment Fund program line, Service Managers across the province have indicated their challenges with meeting the terms of the federal proposal, particularly as they relate to cost matching and meeting the requirements for greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and accessibility;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Municipality of East Ferris would like need-driven indicators incorporated into the funding allocation formulas for all federal programs;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that FONOM appreciates the federal government’s commitment to end chronic homelessness and wish this to be inclusive across all areas of our province by expanding Reaching Home Funding to all Service Managers;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that FONOM also supports the provincial position in relation to provinces and territories Repair Fund under the National Housing Co-Investment Fund;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED FONOM supports the Province of Ontario position on the application-based $4 billion federal Housing Accelerator Fund. We wish to emphasize the importance of providing municipalities with maximum support in preparing applications to HAF, understanding that some rural and northern municipalities may face capacity challenges in applying to this program on the anticipated tight timelines;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Municipality of East Ferris wish to request that Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation consider actions taken by municipalities under the province’s Housing Supply Action Plans into account when assessing municipal applications, recognizing that these initiatives have the potential to significantly increase the supply of housing in our communities;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Municipality of East Ferris believes the lack of ongoing federal operating funding for National Housing Strategy initiatives leads to significant underfunding for subsidized housing projects and can undermine the physical and financial viability of the community housing stock;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Municipality of East Ferris believe the federal government should heed the precedent of the Social Housing Agreement and recommit itself to funding operating costs that often stretch out over decades for the lifetime of a housing project. As an example, the Rapid Housing Initiative’s 20-year affordability requirement and lack of federal operating dollars will very likely result in housing providers asking Service managers and the provincial government to fund operating expenses to ensure the long-term affordability of units given housing providers’ limited revenue-raising capacity;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED this lack of ongoing federal operating funding for National Housing Strategy initiatives leads to significant underfunding for subsidized housing projects and can undermine the physical and financial viability of the community housing stock;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Municipality of East Ferris urges the Federal Government provide additional funding for Ontario so that we can deal with our shortages of safe and affordable housing and at the same time build safer and healthier communities for all our residents;
AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Ahmed Hussen, Premier Doug Ford, Minister Steve Clark, MP Antony Rota and MPP Vic Fedeli; Leaders of the Federal and Provincial Opposition Parties, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM).