This webinar presentation summarized key aspects of Ontario's Housing Services Act, 2011 and related regulations. It discussed changes to rent-geared-to-income assistance rules, special priority housing eligibility, and opportunities for advocacy around local housing and homelessness plans, social housing appeals processes, and the setting of local rules by service managers. The webinar concluded by emphasizing the importance of ongoing monitoring and participation in developing local rules and plans to advocate for the needs of tenants and those in need of affordable housing.

1. This webinar is brought to you by
Your Legal Rights: a website of legal
information for people in Ontario.
www.yourlegalrights.on.ca
Your Legal Rights is a project of CLEO and funded by the Law
Foundation of Ontario.

2. Your Legal Rights is a project of CLEO and funded by the Law
Foundation of Ontario.
About our presenter…
Harry Cho was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2002
after completing his articles at the Northumberland
Community Legal Centre in Cobourg. Since then, he
has worked exclusively in Ontario's legal clinic
system. Harry earned his undergraduate and law
degrees at Queen’s University, and a Master of
Laws Degree from the University of Toronto. Harry
joined the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
(ACTO) in October 2010.

3. The content of this webinar is based on law or
policy that was current on the date the webinar
was recorded. Your Legal Rights webinars contain
general legal information. They are not intended
to be used as legal advice for a specific legal
problem. For more information on how to find a
lawyer or to contact your local community legal
clinic visit:
www.yourlegalrights.on.ca/find-services
Your Legal Rights is a project of CLEO and funded by the Law
Foundation of Ontario.
Please Note:

4. The Housing Services Act,
2011 and Regulations
Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
April 26, 2012

5. 5
Introduction
 The Housing Services Act, 2011 (“HSA”) came
into force on January 1, 2012.
 The HSA replaces the Social Housing Reform
Act, 2000 as the Province’s social housing and
rent-geared-to-income legislation.
 Important Regulations include:
 O. Reg. 367/11 (General)
 O. Reg. 298/01 (Transition RGI calculation
provisions)
 O. Reg. 370/11 (High Needs Households and
Household Income Limits – s.40(4) of the
Act)

6. 6
Purpose of the HSA
 To provide for community-based planning
and delivery of housing and homelessness
services with general provincial oversight
and policy direction, and
 to provide flexibility for service managers
and housing providers while retaining
requirements with respect to housing
programs that predate this Act and
housing projects that are subject to those
programs.

7. 7
Rent-Geared-to-Income: Overview
 Except for a few minor changes, RGI
rules remain the same as under the
Social Housing Reform Act, 2000.
 According to the Ministry, rules for
calculating RGI will be developed.
Currently, Part VII of O. Reg. 298/01
applies as a transitional rule.
 Service Managers are still required to
place households on centralized
waiting lists for RGI assistance.

8. 8
Basic Eligibility for RGI Assistance
 At least one member of the
household must be 16 years or
older and able to live
independently; and
 Must be a Canadian citizen, or have
made an application for permanent
resident status, or have made a
claim for refugee protection.

9. 9
Criteria for Ineligibility
 Removal order has become
enforceable.
 Amounts owed by household for
arrears or damages from a
previous social housing provider.

10. 10
Cessation of Eligibility
 Failure to meet initial eligibility criteria.
 Failure to notify of changes.
 Failure to provide information.
 Paying market rent for 12 consecutive
months.
 Failure to obtain income.
 Failure to divest residential property.
 Local rule – household exceeds local
maximum income.

11. 11
Special Priority Housing – Eligibility
Criteria
 a member of the household has been
abused by another individual;
 the abusing individual is or was living with
the abused member or is sponsoring the
abused member as an immigrant; and
 the abused member intends to live
permanently apart from the abusing
individual.

12. 12
If the Applicant Doesn’t Live With the
Abuser
 The Applicant must meet one of three conditions:
 The request to be included in the special priority
household category was made within three months
after the abused member and the abusing individual
ceased to live together;
 The service manager is satisfied that the abuse is
ongoing at the time the request to be included in
the special priority household category was made;
or
 The service manager determines that it is
appropriate to include the household in the special
priority household category despite the request to
be included not being made within the time limit.

13. 13
Applying for Special Priority Housing
 The request must be in writing.
 The request must be made by a member of the
household who is 16 years old or older.
 The request must include a written consent to the
disclosure to the service manager of information
and documents required by the service manager
to verify there is/has been abuse.
 A Service Manager shall accept a record of the
abuse from a prescribed list of sources as
conclusive proof of the abuse.

14. 14
Special Needs Housing
 Eligibility - At least one member of the household
must require accessibility modifications or
provincially funded support services in order to
live independently in the community.
 Cessation of Eligiblity - Household does not
become ineligible unless all household members
who required accessibility modifications have
permanently recovered from the condition that
necessitated the provision of those services.

15. 15
Some Changes to RGI Eligibility
 Households continue to have an asset exemption
level of at least $20,000, but there are changes to
what is excluded.
 Service managers may set a rule that a household
that has been convicted of RGI-related offences is
ineligible for RGI assistance for up to two years
from the time of conviction, (mandatory
ineligibility under the SHRA).
 Service managers may set a rule that a household
becomes ineligible for RGI assistance if absent
from the subsidized unit for at least 60
consecutive days, or at least 90 days in a year.

16. 16
Changes to RGI (cont’d.)
 Service managers may set a rule that a household
is ineligible for RGI assistance if over-housed for
at least one year after being notified they are
over-housed.
 Service managers may not establish a local
eligibility rule that treats households receiving
RGI differently based on the length of time they
have been receiving RGI.
 Service managers may set a rule that a household
becomes ineligible for RGI assistance if the
household fails to report a change in income or
household composition within a minimum of 30
days.

17. 17
Changes to RGI (cont’d.)
 Local rules may allow subsidized tenants
from different service manager regions to
“swap” subsidized tenancies.
 Service managers are given some
flexibility over the system of selecting
households from the waiting list, which
may take into consideration the
household’s preference for certain
housing projects (no longer based on
length of time spent on the waiting list).

18. 18
Notices of Social Housing Decisions
 A notice of a decision, including reasons,
must be served on a household within
seven business days after the decision is
made.
 If the decision can be reviewed, the notice
must include a statement that the
household may request a review of the
decision, and information about the review
process and deadline.
 Tenants no longer have an opportunity to
comment on information a service manager
or housing provider receives from a third
party.

19. 19
RGI Appeals/Reviews
 Service managers must establish an
appeals system regarding decisions
related to RGI administration.
 The system must include the following:
 Reviewer must not have participated in the
making of the decision;
 Reviewer must be knowledgeable of the
relevant provisions of the HSA and Regs.
 Reviewers must not have discussed the
decision under appeal with the person who
made the decision.

20. 20
Questions?
Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario

21. 21
Issues to Monitor
 Matters related to RGI assistance
have not been simplified.
 The 30-day reporting period for a
change in household income or
composition is not what the
Government of Ontario promised.
 Tenants do not have a right to an
oral hearing by an impartial panel
for social housing appeals.

22. 22
But…
 The Province has promised to hold
consultations as it develops new
rules for calculating RGI.
 Housing advocates should use these
consultations as an opportunity to
remind the government of its promises
under the Long-Term Affordable
Housing Strategy, including simplifying
income reporting requirements.

23. 23
Local Housing & Homelessness Plans
 Service managers are required to develop local
housing and homelessness plans that include:
 an assessment of current and future housing needs;
 objectives and targets relating to housing needs;
 a description of the measures proposed to meet the
objectives and targets;
 a description of how progress will be measured; and
 such other matters as may be prescribed.
 Plans must be in place by January 1, 2014.

24. 24
Opportunities for Advocacy
 Local Housing and Homelessness
Plans
 Service managers are required to
consult with their local communities
when developing their plans. Housing
advocates are ideally situated to offer
advice on local housing and
homelessness issues and to organize
community participation in the
consultations.

25. 25
Opportunities (cont’d.)
 Ministerial Consent Required to Sell
Housing Assets
 In the City of Toronto, for example, the
Mayor, City Council and the municipal social
housing provider’s board of directors have
adopted resolutions to sell housing assets.
Advocacy and community groups have a role
in making the Minister aware of the
importance of preserving social housing in
their communities.

26. 26
Opportunities (cont’d.)
 The Centralized Waiting List
 Because households are no longer selected
based exclusively on length of time spent on
a local waiting list, tenant representatives
will be able to advocate on behalf of a
household to expedite placement with a
housing provider.

27. 27
Opportunities (cont’d.)
 Social Housing Appeals
Stakeholders can advocate for oral
hearings before an independent
panel to determine social housing
appeals.

28. 28
Opportunities (cont’d.)
 Other Local Rules
 Service managers have expanded authority
to set rules regarding household asset levels,
absences, et cetera.
 Housing advocates can use this opportunity
to advocate for liberal rules.
 But this requires ongoing monitoring of local
government and participation in developing
these rules.

29. 29
Conclusion
 The primary goal of the HSA appears to
be continued devolution of responsibility
for social housing to local municipalities.
 The HSA provides greater flexibility to
service managers, including the method
of selecting households from the waiting
list. The exercise of such discretion
should be closely monitored.
 The focus on local patterns of housing
need and homelessness gives housing
advocates an opportunity to participate in
developing local plans and local rules.
 Legal clinics may also contribute to
upcoming consultations on developing
new RGI rules.

30. 30
Questions?
Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario

31. This webinar was brought to you by
Your Legal Rights: A website of legal information
for people in Ontario
For more information visit Your Legal Rights at
www.yourlegalrights.on.ca
For more public legal information webinars visit:
www.yourlegalrights.on.ca/training