A Place to Call Home Nipissing District 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan 2014-2024 This page was left blank intentionally. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 1 Letter from DNSSAB Chair 1 Municipal Endorsement 2 Board of Directors Approval of Plan 3 Acknowledgements 4 Purpose 7 Preamble 8 THE 10 YEAR HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS PLAN FOR NIPISSING DISTRICT 12 Vision 12 Mission 12 Guiding Principles 13 Section 1: District Objectives and Considerations 15 Strategic Objective 1: Homelessness Prevention, Shelters and Diversion 16 Strategic Objective 2: Improving Housing Stability 22 Strategic Objective 3: Increasing Housing Affordability and Options Along the Housing Continuum 29 Strategic Objective 4: Sustaining and Expanding the Housing Portfolio 37 Strategic Objective 5: Leadership, Integration, Coordination and Advocacy 41 Strategic Objective 6: Awareness, Education, Information and Best Practices 49 Plan Implementation 57 Section 2: Municipal Objectives and Considerations 60 INFORMING THE PLAN 67 Informing the Plan A 68 Demographic Backdrop 68 Informing the Plan B 80 The Housing Continuum 80 Informing the Plan C 82 The Research 82 Housing and Homelessness in Nipissing District 87 Informing the Plan D 93 Year Housing10 and Homelessness Plan: Tables of Contents Making Progress 2008-2013 93 Fundamental Difference in Housing Objectives between 2008 and 2013 96 Informing the Plan E 97 Summary of Actions for Groups of Particular Interest 97 LETTER FROM DNSSAB CHAIR November 2013 We are often challenged to plan for the future – what job to take, to marry, or to have children. As the course of our lives changes, another question arises; where will I live? Housing is one of the most fundamental parts of our lives. It offers us warmth and shelter, it offers an address that marks us as a citizen that can be counted, and it provides us with privacy. It is a place to call home. In planning for the future of housing, we have taken a look at the past and present. In the past, the Nipissing District Housing Needs, Supply & Affordability Study in 2008 led us to initiatives such as creating new affordable housing, more housing options and ntroduction opportunities, improvements in housing condition, and finding ways to prevent homelessness. In June of 2012, the Nipissing District hosted the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers’ Association summit on homelessness. The purpose of the two day summit was to find solutions and to be heard as one voice in Northern Ontario following an exchange of ideas to find ways to improve services for people who are homeless, to address common issues, and to use a common voice to bring about change. Findings of the final paper, Moving Forward on Affordable Housing and Homelessness in Northern Ontario, were incorporated into the full body of research conducted for this plan. In January 2013, we began looking at the present. The goal of the Nipissing District 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan is to “provide housing options that prevent homelessness and ensure acceptable, safe and affordable housing that meets the needs of the citizens”. To find out what those needs are, we talked with citizens, community partners and other stakeholders. We noted gaps that need to be addressed, looked to see what housing issues had changed, and we tracked the trends that indicate the needs of the future. We are grateful for the support and endorsement from member municipalities in the District, each an integral part of the whole. We are also very appreciative of the valuable input from every part of our community and everyone who participated. We have Year Housing10 and Homelessness Plan: I developed a solid, workable plan for the future. We couldn’t have done it alone and we will be counting on this collaboration to achieve the future goals outlined in this plan. Thank you. George Maroosis Chair, District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board 1 Page MUNICIPAL ENDORSEMENT There are 11 municipalities/townships in Nipissing District, and the following have endorsed the 10-year housing and homelessness plan to date: MUNICIPALITY/TOWNSHIP RESOLUTION NO. DATE Corporation of the Municipality of Calvin 2013-163 November 12, 2013 Corporation of the Township of Chisholm 2013-349 November 12, 2013 Township of South Algonquin 13-348 November 15, 2013 Corporation of the Municipality of West Nipissing/ 2013/378 November 19, 2013 La Corporation de la Municipalité de Nipissing Ouest Corporation of the Municipality of Temagami 13-571 November 21, 2013 City of North Bay Report No. 2013-27 December 11, 2013 Corporation of the Town of Mattawa 13-44 December 13, 2013 Municipality of East Ferris 2013-405 December 19, 2013 10 YearHousing10 and Homelessness Plan: Introduction 2 Page BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVAL OF PLAN 10 Year Housing10 and Homelessness Plan: Introduction 3 Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Project Research Team For conducting extensive primary and secondary research to inform the 10-year housing and homelessness plan for Nipissing District: Kelly Clarke, BAH; Project Assistant Researcher, DNSSAB Emma Langdon, BA (Hons.); Data Coordinator, DNSSAB David Plumstead, MBA; Research Analyst, DNSSAB DNSSAB Research Partners Poverty, Homelessness and Migration (PHM) Research Team For conducting primary research on domestic violence, homelessness and housing stability in the District of Nipissing and sharing the research and findings with the DNSSAB research team, for inclusion in the 10-year housing and homelessness plan. Recommendations from the research report, Housing Stability: A Descriptive Study of Domestic Violence and Homelessness in Nipissing District have been incorporated into the plan’s action framework. ess Plan: Acknowledgements Kathy King, R.N., Ph.D. (c): Lead Researcher: Nipissing/Canadore BScN Faculty Carol Kauppi, Ph.D.; Director of PHM Study: Laurentian University Shauna Groulx, Research Assistant: Nipissing/Canadore BScN Student North Bay Indigenous Housing and Homelessness Partnership For conducting primary research into the local housing needs of urban Aboriginals, and sharing the research and findings with the DNSSAB research team, for inclusion in the 10- year housing and homelessness plan. The research findings, which are reflected in the report, Finding Home in North Bay, will largely influence the strategies and action for improving the housing experiences of indigenous community members. Patty Chabbert, MA; Lead Researcher, U-ACT (Urban Aboriginal Communities Thrive) 10 YearHousing10 and Homelessn Melanie Chevrier, Fetal Alcohol and Nutrition Worker, North Bay Indian Friendship Centre Dawn Lamothe, Associate Researcher, U-ACT Katrina Srigley, Ph.D.; Nipissing University 4 Page DNSSAB Housing Services Staff For assisting with the public consultations and providing housing information and data: Pat Lachapelle, Housing Program Administrator, DNSSAB Dan Malette, Housing Program Administrator, DNSSAB Bibiane Sommerville, Affordable Housing Program Facilitator, DNSSAB Internal Project Committee For helping with all the administrative and communication details of the project. Also for acting as a sounding board for the research team and helping to process the vast amount of information and data collected for the plan. Tom Belanger, Director of Housing Services, DNSSAB Carol Conrad, CEO, Nipissing District Housing Corporation Michelle Glabb, Manager Social Services, DNSSAB Pierre Guenette, Manager – Housing Services, DNSSAB Melanie Geauvreau, Administrative Assistant, DNSSAB Bonnie Kraemer, Director of Social Services, DNSSAB Marianne Zadra, Communications Officer, DNSSAB ess Plan: Acknowledgements Steering Committee For contributing their time and effort, reviewing the information, data, and sub-reports, and providing input and guidance during the project: Sam Barnes, Councillor, Municipality of Temagami Robert Barnett, North East Community Care Access Centre Tom Belanger, Director of Housing Services, DNSSAB Dennis Chippa, AIDS Committee of North Bay Melanie Ducharme, Municipal Clerk, Municipality of West Nipissing Rheanon Funnell, Canadian Mental Health Association – Nipissing Regional Branch Pierre Guenette, Manager – Housing Services, DNSSAB, DNSSAB Beverley Hillier, Manager of Planning Services, City of North Bay Leo Jobin, Mayor, Township of Chisholm Doug Laplante, Director of Planning and Development, Township of Bonfield Year Housing10 and Homelessn Alvina Neault, Councillor, Township of Papineau-Cameron Alice Radley, Nipissing District Housing Registry Marianne Rinker, Temagami Non-Profit Housing Corp. Andrea Robinson, University Registrar, Nipissing University Gaetane Shank, Nipissing District Housing Registry Beth Ward, North Bay Regional Health Centre 5 Page Citizens of Nipissing District More than 300 citizens took the time and effort to provide input into the 10-year housing and homelessness plan, through public consultations, focus groups, interviews, and surveys. Their input and feedback was instrumental in the development of the 10-year housing and homelessness plan for Nipissing District. It is not possible to list their names here, but they know who they are – thank you! Community Partners; Service Providers; Housing Stakeholder Organizations More than 50 people representing DNSSAB community partners, housing service providers, municipalities, and other housing stakeholder organizations, provided valuable feedback around citizen housing needs and the local housing system, through focus groups, interviews and surveys. Collectively, these organizations represent a cross-section of the housing continuum