GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS

The purpose of this glossary is to assist those who may not be familiar with the jargon that has grown up around social housing. The aim of the glossary is to explain how the terms are used, not necessarily to give precise legal definitions.

Affordable Housing:  Under the current Canada/Ontario Affordable Housing Program, "Affordable" means that projects must achieve average market rents for their areas.  ONPHA has pointed out that this definition is not targeted to those in most need (without rent supplements).

Alternative Housing:  Non-profit housing for the homeless/hard-to-house which emphasizes the provision and maintenance of stable housing and community development, rather than medical or psycho-social programs.  Administration and funding of alternative housing was devolved to the municipalities and does not receive additional funding for support services from Provincial Ministries.

Annual Information Return (AIR): Annual reporting form between non-profits and Service Managers used to calculate government subsidies and track performance.

Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO): The organization that represents all municipalities in Ontario.  It has been consulted by the Province as the voice of the municipal stakeholders in the discussions about reform and devolution.

Benchmarking:   A management tool that allows the deliverer of a product or service to compare its performance with like providers.  Benchmarking is an important instrument in the design of the SHRA funding model for social housing, and means setting a narrow range of acceptable operating costs for social housing providers.  Through benchmarks, the funding of operating costs and capital reserves becomes more predictable for both Service Managers and housing providers.

Best Practices: This refers to a set of operational practices generally accepted by an industry as leading to increased operational efficiency, and thus worthy of being shared and copied among like service providers where applicable (see also Social Housing Services Corporation).

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC): The agency responsible for carrying out the current responsibilities of the federal government with regard to affordable housing.  In 1998, CMHC signed the Federal-Provincial agreement that transferred the administration of social housing, which had been developed under federal programs, into the hands of the provincial government.

Community Sponsored Housing Program (CSHP): This is a generic name for the pre-1979 social housing programs, including Sec. 26 and 27 of the National Housing Act, under which private and municipal non-profit projects were developed. In these programs CMHC holds the mortgage owed by the provider, and rent supplement was administered by MMAH.  Under the Social Housing Reform Act the Service Manager has now taken over administration of the rent supplement.

Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM): A municipal government responsible for carrying out the funding and administrative responsibilities of the Social Housing Reform Act.  A CMSM could be a regional government, a county or a separated city, depending on the local circumstances.  The CMSM is also responsible for administering other social service programs such as Ontario Works and child-care (see also Service Manager).

Co-operative housing is a different form of social housing. It is not rental housing. The households who live in the project are all members of the cooperative corporation that owns the building.  They elect from amongst themselves a board of directors who are responsible for overseeing the management of the building.  They are subject to rules in the Co-operative Corporations Act and are not considered to be landlords so are not subject to the Residential Tenancies Act.

Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada - Ontario Division (CHF - Ontario): This organization represents non-profit co-operative housing in Ontario.  It has been consulted by the Province as the voice of the co-operative housing stakeholders in the discussions about legislative reform.

Coordinated Access: A provincially-mandated system whereby social housing providers co-operate at a local level to provide consistent information about eligibility criteria for access to social housing, using a common application form.  The purpose of the system is to provide "one-stop shopping" so that an applicant only needs to apply once for all of the local social housing. Under the Social Housing Reform Act the definition was altered to include the development and use of a centralized waiting list within the boundaries of a service area.  Based on applicants' location preferences the system maintains subsidiary waiting lists for individual projects.  The system applies to all providers, except providers with mandates to house the homeless / hard-to-house (optional), federal providers not covered by the Social Housing Reform Act and housing providers funded by the Ministries of Health/Long-Term Care or Community and Social Services.  The system operates under the direction of the Service Manager, but is managed according to the Social Housing Reform Act.

Devolution: Devolution means the handing over of social housing administration and funding, from the Province to the Service Managers.  The exception is providers transferred to MOH/LTC or MCSS.  Devolution also refers to handing over the federal responsibilities for non-profit housing to the Province - the funding responsibility was transferred in 1998, the administration was implemented under the Social Housing Reform Act in 2000.

District Social Service Administration Board (DSSAB):   Special agencies created by the Province and given the funding and administrative responsibilities of a Service Manager.  These were created, in the north, where there is no existing municipal government with the legal jurisdiction to act as a Service Manager.

Eligible capital expenditure: Expenditures, incurred by the housing provider, for repair or replacement of major building systems or appliances of a housing project (these also include reasonable expenditures incurred by the housing provider in planning and budgeting for those expenditures).

F/P Program: The "Federal/Provincial" social housing program, in effect from 1986 to 1992, under which the Province of Ontario took the lead role in funding and administering social housing in Ontario.  A percentage of the cost of the program was paid by the federal government through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Federal Unilateral projects: Non-profit housing providers, whose mortgage is held or whose subsidy was administered by CMHC under Section 26, 27 or 95 of the National Housing Act.  The Social Housing Reform Act, 2000 does not affect the mortgages and operating subsidies of these providers.  The Social Housing Reform Act does apply to the rent supplement units in these projects.

Financial Testing: The Social Housing Reform Act gives Service Managers the responsibility for funding and administration of rent-geared-to-income programs - including deciding which households are eligible for rent-geared-to-income subsidy, verifying incomes, calculating rents, and conducting annual and mid-year subsidy reviews.  The Act also permits Service Managers to delegate all or some of these responsibilities to housing providers.

Head Leases: The lease of multiple units in a private rental building to a non-profit housing provider or support agency, who then sublets the units to tenants from its own waiting list (and may also provide support to those tenants).

Homelessness Partnership Strategy: Federal strategy that replaced the National Housing Initiative, including Supporting Community Partnerships Initiative (SCPI) in 2007. Initiatives include access to multi-year matching funds to designated communities, funding to support single projects in Outreach Communities, including smaller cities, rural and outlying areas, including the North, and partnerships with Aboriginal communities.
 
Household Income Limits (HILS):   Income levels for each unit size in each service area, set out in Regulation 368/01 of the Social Housing Reform Act.  The Social Housing Reform Act requires Service Managers to have a specific number of RGI units in their service area, which are occupied by tenants whose incomes are below the HILS.

Housing Allowance: Term used by the current Provincial Government (apparently) including both Portable Shelter Allowances (attached to tenants) and Rent Supplements (attached to buildings).

Internal Review: The appeal process established under the SHRA and outlined in O. Reg. 298/01 and 339/01 to review any adverse decision made about a household by a housing provider, such as refusing to offer a unit, changes in rent, ceasing to be eligible for a particular size or type of unit or for rent subsidy.

Internal Transfer: The transfer of a household from one RGI-unit to another within the same project or to another project owned by the same housing provider.

Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs):   Organizations created by the Provincial government to facilitate effective and efficient integration of health care services.    LHINs possess significant decision-making power at the community level including the funding of support services to transferred housing providers providing supports to people with mental illness or the frail elderly.

Local Housing Authority (LHA):  An agency of the provincial government which managed public housing owned by the province of Ontario, and carried on other administrative responsibilities such as the rent supplement program for private-sector landlords.  The LHAs ceased to exist as of January 1, 2001.

Local Housing Corporation (LHC): A new corporation created by the legislation and controlled by the Service Manager as sole shareholder, to take over the ownership and other responsibilities of Local Housing Authorities (LHAs).

Local Priority rules: A service manager may establish local priority rules for rent-geared-to-income assistance.  Local rules apply in addition to the provincial priority rule (i.e. special priority - victims of domestic violence).  They are meant to address particular local housing market issues.

Mandate: Official designation of a housing provider pertaining to the housing of particular groups in society (e.g. seniors, hard-to-house, families, youth, physically disabled).

MCSS: The Ministry of Community and Social Services.  This ministry has the responsibility to fund and administer non-profit housing for people with developmental handicaps.

MMAH: The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. This ministry had the lead role in designing and implementing the Social Housing Reform Act and the Residential Tenancies Act.  They continue to be responsible for ensuring the Acts are administered appropriately.

Modified unit: A housing unit with accessibility modifications, allowing tenants with a physical disability to perform daily in-house activities as independently as possible.  Many coordinated access centres are now maintaining centralized waiting lists for modified units.

MOH/LTC: The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.  This ministry has the responsibility to fund and administer housing for people with high needs, such as the mentally ill, those with acquired brain injury, people with substance abuse problems, and the frail elderly in need of support services in order to live independently.

Municipal Flexibility: The Social Housing Reform Act and regulations allow Service Managers the flexibility to set some local policies, such as delegating of administration of RGI, policies on asset limits, income limits, absences from units, optional RGI rules, and occupancy standards.

Municipal Non Profit Housing Corporation (MNP): This is a non-profit housing corporation that was established at the initiative of a municipality. The relationship to the municipality varies widely, ranging from total independence with no municipal appointees on the board of directors, to municipal councillors being the only board members.

Municipal Non-Profit Housing Program (Sec. 95): Under this program, affecting only municipal non-profit housing projects developed between 1979 and 1985, operating subsidy is provided by CMHC, and additional RGI subsidy by the Province.  MMAH had administrative responsibility for the program.  Under the Social Housing Reform Act, the Service Manager is responsible for the Provincial share of the subsidy and the administration of the program according to the current operating agreement (unless both the provider and the Service Manager agree to changes).

Non-Profit Housing: Community-based affordable rental housing provided by non-profit corporations, overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors.  A percentage of non-profit housing tenants pay rents geared to their incomes (known as RGI housing), and the remaining pay market rents. The percentage of tenants paying RGI ranges from 25% to 100% of tenants in the project; generally the ratio is around 60% RGI: 40% market.

Ontario Community Housing Assistance Program (OCHAP): This is a rent supplement program that provides RGI assistance to allow private non-profit housing providers (PNPs) funded under the federal Sec. 95 program to house low-income tenants over and above the number that could be subsidized by relying on federal assistance alone. This program is administered by the Service Managers.  The Social Housing Reform Act rules for eligibility, rent calculation, and use of the Centralized Waiting List System apply to these units.

Ontario Housing Corporation (OHC): This agency of the provincial government had responsibility for provincially-owned housing and for the direction of LHAs. Under the Social Housing Reform Act, its mandate was reduced significantly.

Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA):  This organization represents municipal employees working in social services and housing program delivery.  Its mandate is to enhance the capacity of communities to plan, manage and deliver human services.

Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA): The organization that represents non-profit housing providers in Ontario.  It has been consulted by the Province as the voice of the non-profit housing stakeholders in the discussions about legislative reform.

Operating Agreement: A contract signed between a government agency and a social housing provider that sets out funding, operating, and other responsibilities of the parties. Providers with federal unilateral funding and providers administered by the Ministry of Health/Long-Term Care or the Ministry of Community and Social Services retained their operating agreements; the operating agreements for all other providers (unless they were specifically excluded from the legislation) have been replaced by the SHRA and regulations.

Operating Subsidy: Paid to social housing providers and guaranteed for the life of the mortgage (usually 25 years) to bridge the gap between revenue from market rents and the total cost of mortgage and operations.   Over the next 30 years, the obligations of government to fund operating subsidies will gradually expire, housing provider by housing provider, as mortgages are paid off.

Pooling of capital reserves: Mandatory investment of capital reserve funds with the SHSC Financial Inc.  It applies to all housing providers to whom the Social Housing Reform Act applies.  It is based on the economy-of-scale notion, predicting more return on securely invested monies when the sum of the monies is higher.  The pooling of capital reserves is part of the activities of the Social Housing Services Corporation, but is governed by a separate independent subsidiary corporation with its own board of directors.   The majority of board members are nominated by housing providers.

Portable Shelter Allowances: Subsidy paid to a tenant on the social housing waiting list to help them pay the difference between rent-geared-to-income and market rent in the private rental marketplace.

Private Non Profit Housing Corporation (PNP): A non-profit housing provider that was initiated by a local organization such as a church, ethno-cultural group, service club, labour union, or other community group.  It is a non-share corporation incorporated under the Corporations Act. A few PNPs are federally incorporated and some have charitable status.

Project in Difficulty (PID): A housing provider who has breached its operating agreement or has had a triggering event as defined by the Social Housing Reform Act.  The breach or triggering event is frequently an accumulated deficit on the balance sheet, or other indication of mismanagement.  The devolution of PIDs to Service Manager administration was delayed for some PIDs by MMAH in order to implement remediation plans.  Under the SHRA a service manager may place a PID in receivership, taking away all management responsibilities for the housing.

Provincial Standards: The set of rules, which establishes provincially mandated outcomes for various aspects of the social housing system, including RGI subsidies, co-ordinated access and financial testing.

Public Housing: Housing developed predominantly by the Ontario Housing Corporation (OHC) in the 1960s after CMHC's mandate broadened to housing for low-income families.  Managed by Local Housing Authorities with local boards; OHC set policy and provided services (such as legal and technical support).  The projects were 100% RGI housing and tended to be large high rise buildings when built in large urban centres.  Ownership was downloaded from the Province to the Municipal Service Managers in 2001.  The Social Housing Reform Act renamed public housing "Local Housing Corporations" (see Non-Profit Housing).

Pursuit of Income: The Social Housing Reform Act requires RGI applicants to pursue basic income for which they might be eligible - from Canada Pension Plan, Ontario Works, Child Support, Employment Insurance, and immigration sponsorship support.  Applicants that do not make a reasonable effort to pursue these income sources are ineligible for RGI subsidy.

Regulations: Regulations provide details of how legislation is to be implemented.  The Social Housing Reform Act has three regulations that have an impact on the operations of housing providers.  Regulation 298/01 sets out aspects of RGI (including eligibility rules, waiting list management, RGI calculations, and appeals).  Regulation 339/01 sets out the operating rules and the funding model for housing providers.  Regulation 368/01 sets out privacy requirements and Household Income Limits.

Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) or Rent Subsidy: The subsidy paid to a social housing provider named under the Social Housing Reform Act to allow a defined number of units to be rented to low-income tenants on a rent-geared-to-income basis.   The RGI or Rent Subsidy equals the difference between the actual rent paid by the qualifying tenant (paying approximately 30% of their income), and the government-approved market rent of a unit.

Rent Supplements:   Paid to a landlord to bridge the gap between a tenant's rent-geared-to-income and the market rent ceiling set by the municipality, for units rented to applicants from the social housing waiting list.  Because there is no RGI Rent Subsidy funding built into the new housing programs, non-profit housing providers also need rent supplements.  Historically, private landlords have been interested in signing rent supplement agreements when vacancy rates are high; otherwise they have not been quite so interested.

Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP): A number of programs provided by CMHC that help low income households, people with disabilities and Aboriginals to make mandatory repairs or improve accessibility of their homes.  These programs also support renovations to rooming houses and shelters to increase the availability of housing for those in need.

Residential Tenancies Act (RTA): The provincial legislation that replaced the Tenant Protection Act and governs the relationship between landlords and residential tenants in Ontario.  Social housing is exempt from a few of its provisions (including the guideline for rent increases) but not others (including the processes for evictions.)

Service Agreement: An agreement between Service Manager and housing provider governing the delegation of some or all of the Service Manager's responsibilities pertaining to financial testing (see Financial testing).

Service Area: Geographic area in which the responsibility for the funding and administering of subsidized housing by a Service Manager applies. There are 47 service areas in Ontario.

Service Manager: (see CMSM/DSSAB) The term used in the Social Housing Reform Act for a CMSM or DSSAB.  The term has been misperceived as a job position within the municipality or DSSAB.
 
Social Housing:  Housing that is community sponsored i.e. by local faith groups, service clubs, YMCAs, other community organizations, or by municipalities.  Designed to address some of the Public Housing issues, it is mixed-income housing (some RGI, some market units), in smaller-sized projects.  (The term now includes Public Housing).  Social housing is technically defined as either non-profit rental or co-operative housing funded by a legally-prescribed government program (although some social housing providers are now building housing with no government funding).

Social Housing Agreement (SHA): This agreement, signed in November 1999 between CMHC and the Province of Ontario, which sets out the terms and conditions by which the Province would take over the administrative responsibility for most federally-assisted housing in Ontario.  It also gave the Province the necessary legal authority to devolve the administration of the F/P program to the municipal level of government.

Social Housing Reform Act 2000 (SHRA):   This legislation, proclaimed in Dec. 2000, gave the Province of Ontario the power to transfer responsibility for social housing administration to the municipal level.

Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC): This agency, controlled by the municipal sector but with representation from the social housing sector, has the responsibility for ensuring that some services will be carried out province-wide.  Such services include property and liability insurance, the pooling of capital reserves, and the maintenance of a best practices system.

Social Housing Renovation and Retrofit Program (SHRRP):  A federal/provincial program introduced in 2009 to provide funds to pay for repair and renovation of social housing units.

Social Housing Services Corporation Investment Program: This is the investment pool managed by Phillips, Hager & North in which prescribed providers are required to invest their capital reserves as of February, 2003. If your non-profit is named in Schedule 1 or 3 of Regulation 17/02 of the Social Housing Reform Act, you are a prescribed provider for purposes of the investment program.

Special Needs Unit: A unit that is occupied by or is made available for occupancy by a household having one or more individuals who require accessibility modifications or provincially-funded support services in order to live independently in the community.

Special Needs Waiting List:  The waiting list for housing that has been modified for people with disabilities or has available support services.  Under the Social Housing Reform Act special needs waiting lists are maintained by the service manager, housing providers or support agencies designated as lead agencies in the legislation.

Special Priority:  Status granted through an approval process by Service Managers to applicants or in-situ tenants who are victims of domestic violence giving them higher priority on a centralized waiting list for rent-geared-to-income housing.

Support Services: Services provided to tenants to enable them to live independently in the community.  Supportive Housing providers receive support-service funding through the Ministry of Health/Long-Term Care or the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

Supporting Community Partnerships Initiative (SCPI): Funding program under the National Homelessness Initiative which focused on homelessness services and included short-term funding for shelter space, supportive or transitional housing. Replaced by the Homelessness Partnership Initiative.

Supportive Housing: Non-profit housing for people who need support to live independently e.g. the frail elderly, people with mental health problems, addictions or developmental disabilities.   Administration and funding of supportive housing providers were not downloaded to the Municipal Service Managers in 2001, rather, the responsibilities were transferred to the provincial ministry that funded the support services, either the Ministry of Health/Long-Term Care or the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

Target plan: Indicates the number of RGI units within a project.
 
Transferred Provider: A non-profit housing provider formerly administered by MMAH, which meets a provincial definition of supportive housing, and who receives support funding for its tenant population from either MOH/LTC or MCSS. The province transferred the administrative responsibility to either MCSS or MOH/LTC as appropriate.

Veterans' housing: Post World War II housing for veterans' families, administered by CMHC.  Now sold off and has left the realm of affordable housing.