ONPHA 2013 Waiting Lists Survey Report

Access to most rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing in Ontario is managed by 47 provincially-designated municipal service managers, each of which operates its own waiting list. Since 2004, ONPHA has conducted an annual survey of service managers to document the number of households waiting for RGI housing. By drawing attention to the number of households waiting for RGI housing, our goal is to educate and empower governments and communities to work together to address Ontario’s growing affordable housing crisis.

158,445 households were waiting for RGI housing as of December 31, 2012. That’s 3.05 per cent of households in Ontario. The number and percentage of Ontario households on waiting lists are the highest they have been since 2004. It is encouraging, however, that 2011 to 2012 saw the lowest year-over-year growth in waiting households since the 2008-09 recession (1.3 percent).

18,378 households moved into RGI housing in 2012. Just over 11 per cent of households on the waiting lists were housed.

For every household housed, more than two households exited waiting lists in 2012. Across Ontario, 40,074 applications for RGI
housing were cancelled.

For every household housed, more than three new applications were received in 2012. 62,094 new households applied for RGI housing in communities across the province.

Households housed in 2012 waited an average 3.2 years. Actual wait times vary significantly depending on location, household
type, and priority status. Some households were housed in a month, while others waited close to 10 years. Average wait times were far shorter for applicants with Special Priority Policy (SPP) designation or a local priority status.

As the population ages, the demand for RGI seniors’ housing is growing. The number of seniors waiting for RGI housing has grown steadily and reached 45,385 households (29 per cent of waiting households) in 2012.

Service managers are offering more local priorities. Service managers have been encouraged by the Province to designate local priorities, conditions under which households could gain access to RGI housing more quickly. As a result, the RGI housing system is increasingly focused on housing sub-populations in need and not low-and-moderate income Ontarians.

Housing is not being built to meet the need. Federal-provincial social housing production programs ended in 1995. Modest investments by Federal and Provincial governments since then have created some affordable housing units in Ontario. This investment has taken some pressure off waiting lists but has not stemmed their growth. Not enough new affordable housing is being built and, in most cases, rents for these new units are unaffordable for households waiting for RGI housing.

Ontario communities cannot address the crisis alone. Across Ontario, demand for affordable housing far exceeds supply. Service managers are now responsible for planning and delivering affordable housing in their communities, and local commitment to affordable housing is important. But, service managers do not have the resources they need to meet the challenge alone. The success of local design and delivery will depend on robust provincial and federal funding.