ONPHA 2010 Waiting Lists Survey Report

In early 2010, a survey was conducted on behalf of the Ontario Non‐Profit Housing Association by Tim Welch Consulting Inc. to collect waiting list statistics from all of the 47 Municipal Service Manager Areas in Ontario. Since 2004, ONPHA has annually prepared its Waiting Lists Statistics for Ontario report; designed to provide an ongoing view of the number of households in Ontario waiting for assisted housing.

This annual report offers an up to date picture of the number of households on waiting lists for affordable housing throughout Ontario, including the length of time they must wait to be housed.

At the beginning of 2010, there were 141,635 households on the municipal waiting lists for assisted housing. The number of households looking for assisted housing across Ontario has grown significantly by 12,382 households from January 2009 ‐ an increase of 9.6% in one year.

The survey, conducted in early 2010, reflects the impact of a significant recession that hit Ontario in the fall of 2008. With communities dealing with significantly increased unemployment for more than a year, the waiting list statistics show the first substantial increase (almost 10%) in the six years since this survey began being undertaken by ONPHA.

As the unemployment rate remains high in the spring of 2010, the size of the waiting list is not likely to decrease any time soon. ONPHA and CHF Canada Ontario Region’s upcoming report, “Where’s Home? 2010,” reviews the state of rental housing in Ontario and across 22 rental markets in the province. This research projects a further decline in tenant incomes that, when combined with average rent increases that are generally greater than inflation, will likely continue to add to the number of households on waiting lists.

Service Managers were asked whether there were any noticeable trends that have occurred over the last year in their waiting list statistics. The number of households on the active waiting list continues to climb and particularly this year, has increased at an alarming rate over the 2009 numbers. More seniors, families and singles all continue to wait for housing in growing numbers.

While the survey asked similar questions to the year before, the Waiting List Survey added an additional question for the Service Managers, requesting input or suggestions regarding future surveys and data collection. A number of suggestions were made; including the need to probe further to help ensure the data being provided across Municipal Service Manager Areas is truly comparable.

The current provincial vacancy rate increased from 2.7% in October 2008 to 3.5% as of October 2009. One factor affecting the vacancy rate could be that Ontarians are suffering from layoffs as a result of the recession and moving from their rental units due to unaffordability and/or moving in with family and friends. This will continue to put pressure on waiting lists numbers.

The 2010 survey asked waiting list staff for their opinion as to whether the length on the waitlist discourages a significant portion of eligible applicants from applying for affordable housing. The majority of responses indicated that many households, discouraged by long wait times, simply do not bother to fill out an application. These comments concur with the responses received to the same question in 2009. The number of active households on municipal waiting lists at the beginning of 2010 was 141,635, a significant increase from the 129,253 active households in early 2009.

The waiting list figures represent an incomplete picture of the absolute affordable housing needs in Ontario. This figure does not account for households who do not maintain their wait list status through the annual confirmations required in most jurisdictions. ONPHA and CHF Canada Ontario Region’s “Where’s Home? 2010” report highlights the broader scope of housing need by noting that 261,000 Ontario tenant households (1 out of every 5 tenant households) are paying 50% or more of their income on rent.

The wait list for seniors, non-seniors and families has increased significantly across the three categories since the 2009 data. The wait times for seniors, which have been manageable in previous years, has seen a notable increase. Previously, wait times for seniors were an average of one to two years or less, with the exception of Peterborough and Peel where the average wait time was seven years. In the 2010 statistics obtained, Peterborough and Peel are still reporting an average wait time of seven years, but Wellington has now reported up to eight years for seniors and Kawartha Lakes and Parry Sound have an average of five years for seniors on the wait list. In some cases, it was reported that many of the market rent households on the waiting list have now moved to the rent-geared-to-income list because of job loss and economic hardship.

The active waiting list number provides one measure for the need of affordable housing – a number that remains high and is climbing. It is also important to note that the number would increase significantly if all eligible households applied through the Coordinated Access Centres.

Not only are we not meeting the obvious need for affordable housing, but there are a growing number of inadequately housed households who have simply given up hope. A separate table and map that accompanies this report outlines the complete results of the survey for each Service Manager Area.