Seniors Housing Report August 2016 Submitted by Lauren Brooks-Cleator & Joy Munroe 2 Table of Contents Section 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 3 Section 2: Overview of Seniors in Ottawa ....................................................................... 7 Section 2a: Demographics of Seniors in Ottawa ......................................................... 8 Section 2b: Highlighted Neighbourhoods ................................................................... 14 Section 3: Profiles of Vulnerable Groups in Relation to Housing Considerations ......... 21 Section 3a: Caregivers ............................................................................................. 22 Section 3b: Indigenous Seniors ................................................................................ 30 Section 3c: LGBT Seniors ........................................................................................ 35 Section 3d: Multicultural Seniors ............................................................................... 41 Section 3e: Seniors Experiencing Homelessness or Home Insecurity ...................... 46 Section 4: Seniors Housing Projects ............................................................................ 50 Section 4a: Overview of Current Seniors Housing Options in Ottawa ....................... 51 Section 4b: Amenities to Consider ............................................................................. 58 Section 4c: Considerations when Developing a Seniors Housing Project ................. 60 Section 4d: Successful Alternative Housing Models ................................................. 64 Section 5: Seniors’ Perspectives on Housing ............................................................... 71 Section 5a: Housing Focus Group and Survey Results ............................................ 72 Section 5b: Redefining “Own Home” ......................................................................... 81 Section 5c: Lunch and Learn Age-Friendly Evaluation Responses .......................... 84 Section 6: Future Directions for COA’s Housing Committee ........................................ 91 Section 6a: Council on Aging Housing Initiatives – A National Perspective .............. 92 Section 6b: Action Plan from Previous Housing Committee ..................................... 95 Section 6c: Suggestions ......................................................................................... 100 Section 7: References ................................................................................................. 103 3 Section 1: Introduction 4 Introduction The goal of this bundle on affordable supportive housing for seniors is to guide the Council on Aging of Ottawa’s Housing Committee for the 2016/2017 year by providing informative write ups on different aspects of seniors housing in Ottawa. This comprehensive bundle includes information on the housing and human demographics of seniors in Ottawa, as well as key neighbourhoods that could benefit from support, along with maps to illustrate this evidence. The bundle will profile vulnerable seniors and outline specific housing considerations that are sensitive to those groups. The bundle includes examples of successful alternative housing projects, and outlines how a project can achieve success within Ottawa and its grant structure. A focus group with Council on Aging of Ottawa (COA) members was conducted to provide a qualitative analysis of seniors housing issues in Ottawa. Finally, this information collectively will inform the housing committee on potential future directions that would benefit seniors in Ottawa. The City of Ottawa and the COA have teamed up to make Ottawa an age-friendly city, as guided by the Word Health Organization’s (WHO) age-friendly guidelines. Age- friendly cities are senior friendly, and allow seniors to age in place and with dignity in the community. There are 8 action areas that create an age-friendly city: community & health care, transportation, social participation, outdoor spaces and buildings, respect & social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication & information, and housing (World Health Organization, 2014). The housing aspect of the World Health Organization’s age-friendly guidelines encourage cities to have affordable, supportive housing options for seniors regardless of income or social status. The WHO recommends that cities focus on two factors in regards to housing to create an age-friendly city; one being affordable, well-designed and safe housing, and two being a range of housing options with good connectivity to social services and the community (World Health Organization, 2014). The age-friendly guidelines along with best practise models suggest that seniors will be less likely to move to more suitable, age-friendly housing units if there are no affordable options available to them. That is where the COA and City of Ottawa step in, by being advocates for housing, health and wellness supports and creating more affordable supportive housing units. As well, new-builds are encouraged to be age-friendly by being mobility device accessible, and having modifications, such as grab bars, that would allow seniors to age safely in place. The supportive housing aspect includes having in-home supports, as well as having accessible social supports that encourage social connectivity and inclusion. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care refers to affordable supportive housing as “any kind of housing that links affordable housing and services that covers the gaps between housing for completely independent seniors and those living in long term care”. This definition was extended upon in the Developing an Affordable Supportive Housing for Seniors Framework for the City of Ottawa in 2007. The framework guide included many factors that make housing age-friendly, and allow 5 seniors to age in place within their homes and the community. The framework includes: linguistic/cultural sensitivity, support services, professional services, neighbourhood and community supports, technology and physical design, and sustainability (City of Ottawa, 2007). These factors must be supportive of one another, to create a cohesive community that has the ability to impact all seniors, including those most vulnerable. An illustration of this guideline can be seen as figure 1. This bundle combines the values and priorities of the COA with the City of Ottawa and the World Health Organization’s age-friendly housing policies, to create a strategic informative guide for the COA’s Housing Committee. The framework from Developing an Affordable Supportive Housing for Seniors can also be used as a guide to inform and direct both the COA and City of Ottawa on creating and supporting affordable supportive housing initiatives in Ottawa. This bundle hopes to supplement the valuable resources that already exist around this topic, and further advocate for seniors’ opportunities to age in place in the community. 6 Figure 1. Developing an Affordable Supportive Housing for Seniors Framework 7 Section 2: Overview of Seniors in Ottawa 8 Section 2a: Demographics of Seniors in Ottawa 9 Seniors Demographics in Ottawa Similar to the rest of the Canadian population, the senior (65 years and older) population in Ottawa is growing. In 2011, seniors made up 13.2% of the total population in Ottawa (Statistics Canada, 2011a), which is similar to the percentage of seniors in Canada at 14.8% and Ontario at 14.62% (Statistics Canada, 2011). Not surprisingly, the largest age group of seniors in Ottawa was 65-69 years of age. Refer to Figure 1 for a breakdown of seniors in each age group in Ottawa in comparison to Ontario and Canada statistics. 35 30 25 20 Canada 15 Percentage Ontario 10 Ottawa 5 0 65-69 years 70-74 years 75-79 years 80-84 years 85 years and over Age Groups Figure 1: Percentage of seniors in each age category at the national, provincial, and municipal levels (Statistics Canada, 2011a). Household Living Arrangements In relation to seniors living arrangements in Ottawa, 25.8% live alone, which is similar to the national percentage of 26.7% and the provincial percentage of 24.4% (Statistics Canada, 2011a). Of Ottawa seniors, 15.4% of males and 34.4% of females live alone (Statistics Canada, 2011a). Refer to Figure 2 below for a comparison of seniors living alone at the national, provincial, and municipal levels. Additionally, of those seniors who live alone, 26.9% are male and 73.1% are female (Statistics Canada, 2011a). 10 40 35 30 25 20 Canada Ontario Percentage 15 Ottawa 10 5 0 Total Male Female Category Figure 2: Breakdown of seniors who live alone by sex and national, provincial, and municipal levels (Statistics Canada, 2011a). Housing Conditions To provide a snapshot of housing conditions of seniors in Ottawa, Table 1 provides information on housing suitability, housing tenure, condition of dwelling, and shelter- cost-to-income ratio for different age groups of seniors and the total senior population (65 years and over). The “housing suitability” indicator classifies dwellings as 'not suitable' if the dwelling does not have enough bedrooms for the size and composition of the household, as calculated using the National Occupancy Standard. “Condition of dwelling” refers to whether the dwelling is in need of repairs. This does not include desirable remodelling or additions. The “regular maintenance needed” category includes dwellings where only