800 700 600 500 400 300 200 Housing Starts & Completions (#) 100 0 Nipissing District Housing Needs, 1981 1982 Supply & Affordability Study 1983 District of Nipissing Social Services 1984 Administration Board (DNSSAB), 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 2008 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS DISTRICT OF NIPISSING SOCIAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION BOARD BOARD CHAIR George Jupp, Unincorporated (Territories Without Municipal Organization) BOARD VICE CHAIR Sarah Campbell, North Bay BOARD MEMBERS Councillor Guy Ethier, West Nipissing Mayor Victor Fedelli, North Bay Councillor Tom Graham, North Bay Councillor Judy Koziol, North Bay Councillor Chris Mayne, North Bay Mayor Narry McCarthy, East Nipissing Councillor Bob Ogilvie, South Algonquin Councillor Claire Smerdon, Temagami Councillor Daryl Vaillancourt, North Bay Mayor Bill Vrebosch, East Ferris CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER Bill White COMMUNITY HOUSING SERVICES MANAGER Tom Belanger RESEARCHER David Plumstead Nipissing District Housing Needs, Supply & Affordability Study, May 2008. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study involved the time and efforts of many people over an extended period of time. DNSSAB would like to thank the following individuals, groups and organizations for their contribution to this study: The people who took the time to participate in the surveys and provide valuable input for the study. This includes students from Canadore College and Nipissing University and employees from various businesses within North Bay and other areas of Nipissing District. Senior citizens and social assistance clients also participated in the surveys and are thanked for their participation. The housing providers who attended the information sessions and provided valuable insight into their area of the housing continuum. This includes the shelter providers, supportive housing providers, social housing providers, private sector landlords, realtors and builders /developers. Nipissing University Housing Services for their assistance with distributing the student surveys. The staff of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce, for their assistance with implementing the housing survey for employees. A thank you also goes out to the participating Chamber businesses for distributing the surveys to their employees. The Ontario Works department for their assistance in implementing the surveys with their clients. The staff of the various municipalities who assisted with implementing the housing survey for senior citizens - these include: Calvin, Chisholm, East Ferris, Mattawa, South Algonquin and Temagami. A thank you also to the Golden Age Clubs of Mattawa and Sturgeon, and the Royal Canadian Legion (West Ferris) for assisting with surveys. Nipissing University Library for the use of their resources in support of the research. The Steering Committee Members who offered their time, expertise and guidance for this project, over an extended period of time (see page vii for list of members). The Reference Committee Members who provided valuable community data and feedback for the study (see page vii for list of members). The Research Assistants: Bibiane Somerville for her vast knowledge of housing and her ability to keep the project focused, and to Vickie Anisinabe for her great data- summarizing and tabulations, and help with the survey results. DNSSAB’s Executive Secretary’s Renee Beaupre and Sylvia Cayen who were always there in the background, offering project support by organizing meetings, information sessions, etc., distributing and collecting surveys and providing general secretarial support as needed. The DNSSAB Board of Directors and Senior Administration for supporting a research environment that facilitates this type of work. Nipissing District Housing Needs, Supply & Affordability Study, May 2008. iii PREFACE 1) District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB) Social services are administered in Nipissing District by Federal and Provincial Governments, the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB) and community organizations, agencies and associations. In 1999, the Provincial government created 47 Service Managers throughout the Province, to accommodate the devolution of social services to the Municipal level. The DNSSAB is the Service Manager for Nipissing District, and is funded through a cost-sharing arrangement between Provincial Ministries, Member Municipalities and DNSSAB. DNSSAB administers Ontario Works, childcare, social housing and emergency medical services. Additionally it co-funds the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and provides discretionary benefits to ODSP recipients. The DNSSAB is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of 12 elected Municipal Officials, who represent municipalities within the District. DNSSAB has offices in North Bay, West Nipissing and Mattawa, and operates part-time resource centers in Mattawa, Bonfield, Whitney and Temagami. 2) The Need to do This Study This study opens with a summary of key housing indicators on page 6, which exemplifies why this study is being conducted. These indicators reveal significant housing affordability and supply issues within the District, and they also illustrate a misalignment in Nipissing’s housing system, between the needs of low-income households and the supply of affordable rental housing. The lack of available and affordable rental accommodation in the District of Nipissing has reached critical levels. The problem is particularly acute in the City of North Bay, where the vacancy rate has been falling since 2004 and has just reached a low of 1.1%. This is compounded by rising rents and a strong housing market, where the average prices for new and used homes are approximately $300,000 and $175,000 respectively.I Additionally, homelessness data reveals an increased dependency on the use of emergency shelters signifying increased vulnerability for the marginalized segments of Nipissing’s population. The combined impact of the above is felt in many areas including: • Increasing pressure on all levels of government for assistance to low income households so that they can afford suitable and acceptable housing. • Increasing pressure on other social services from poorly housed or homeless individuals who, in the absence of adequate housing, lose their ability to cope with other aspects of life. • Job-creating investment is put at risk when businesses consider the adequacy of the housing stock in making locational decisions and find limited choices and an aging stock. • The increasingly limited ability to house new immigrants - a major component of Canada’s labour force - as the bulk of newcomers seek rental housing. I. CMHC Rental Market Statistics, Spring 2007; CMHC Housing Now, Northern Ontario, Q2 2007. Nipissing District Housing Needs, Supply & Affordability Study, May 2008. iv 3) Purpose This study is being undertaken by the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB), in order to gain a better understanding of the housing market in Nipissing District. The study will also assist local municipalities to identify the housing needs of their respective communities, and will provide a framework for developing a sustainable Affordable Housing Program Plan that meets the needs of citizens in Nipissing District. The development of such a plan will require the collaborative effort of a wide range of Nipissing stakeholders and it is intended that this report provides the impetus for that planning process. 4) Objectives • Review the affordable housing needs, gaps and long-term municipal planning requirements within the District of Nipissing. • Review the current capacity of existing public and private housing supply/stock and the secondary rental market (social housing, private landlords, single-detached, multi-residential). • Review the impact that housing development and municipal planning have on the affordability of housing. • Identify current public/private housing development alignments and affordability rates within the District of Nipissing. 5) Scope The Housing Needs, Supply and Affordability study will: • Indicate the relevant socio-economic characteristics that are unique to the District and which, differentiate it from Ontario in general. • Define the housing needs required to support the projected population based upon socio-economic indicators. These needs may include: - Modified Units (wheelchair accessibility, modified bathrooms/kitchens) - Supportive (personal support services) - Single story vs. walk-ups - Single-residential vs. multi-residential - Transitional housing (to support victims of domestic violence, mental health consumers) • Conduct an inventory of the current rental housing stock. • Compile a demographic housing needs analysis (single, families, seniors, etc.) to identify any gaps in the present housing stock. • Provide an economic and population forecast to determine the optimum housing supply market that will support, sustain and attract future economic development. • Identify Best Housing Practices in use in other Municipalities /Communities Provide a final report quantifying and fully describing the affordable housing needs, gaps and long-term municipal planning requirements in the District. Note: First Nations on-reserve housing is a Federal responsibility and is beyond the scope of this study. The housing needs of the District’s Aboriginal population not living on a reserve however, will be considered as they arise during the study. Nipissing District