ONPHA

ONPHA

Funding received for Phase 2 of MMAH Partnership

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has

announced additional funding for a Phase 2 extension to the Partnership Project between MMAH, ONPHA and the (HF. The project's mandate is to' increase non-profit and co-op success under the Affordable Housing Program.

Theextensionwill allow us: to continue assisting groups inter~,

ested in developing new hous­ing; continue research into pro­gram design and delivery issues that may impede success; fund an education component aimed at helping both first-time and experienced housing providers prepare for ongoing manage­ment challenges .

ONPHA 489 College Street, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M6G lAS T: 416-927-9144 I 800-297-6660 F: 416-927-8401 I mail@onpha.org

oard Connections Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association I www.onpha.on.ca J U N EIJ U LY, 2007

ONPHA CAMPAIGN PICKING UP MORE STEAM

W ith an October 10 election on the horizon, we informed members in the

last Quick Connections about ONPHA's campaign to advance the message of commun ity-based afford­able housing. ONPHA is working with Counsel Public Affairs/Counsel Public Relations, a government and media relations firm with great expertise in helping associations like ONPHA advance the cause of social agendas.

Since the $392-M of federal housing funds were released by the Province

2007 Ontario budget, the ONPHA campaign has moved into its next phase - MPP outreach by members in their local communities .

"You can't spread the non-profit housing message from just the ONPHA offices and hope to have it heard," says ONPHA Executive Director Sharad Kerur. "It has to come from ONPHA's members themselves across the province with their stories and in their own words . It is many voices saying the same things that government will ultimately hear."

NEW COMMITTEES AND WORKGROUPS TO EXAMINE PROVIDER ISSUES

ONPHA has comm issioned two new groups to take on issues and

challenges facing ONPHA members. The Housing Management and Operations Advisory Committee will discuss emerging issues and strate­gies related to housing management

and capital reserves. The Property Tax Work Group has been put together to review and examine the problems non-profit provider groups face in their pursuit of property tax exemp­tions from Municipal Property Assessment Corporation .

PROVIDERS CONCERNED ABOUT APARTMENT LICENSING STRATEGY

Toronto non-profit housing providers have undertaken a let­

ter-writing campaign targeting municipal councilors to express their concerns about the City ofToronto's proposed Multi -Residential

Apartment Building (MRAB) Regulatory Strategy. ONPHA is shar­ing this w ith all our members because other municipalities are apparently considering similar strate­gies.

ONPHABoard Connections I JUNE/JULY, 2007

Management Help Tips

REPAIRS ANDTENANrS REASONABLE ENJOYMENT? The RTA states that even if capital repairs substantially interfered with ten­ants' reasonable enjoyment, the Board Member shall not order an abate­ment of rent if various conditions are satisfied, including: 60 days notice or advanced and accurate description of the work. Check out RTA O. Reg 516/06 s. 8 (4) for further details. Meeting the 60 day advance notice may be difficult for providers trying to co-ordinate with outside contractors . The key is to communicate well with tenants.

WORKING INCOMETAX BENEFIT The March federal budget introduced the Working Income Tax Benefit to help individuals and families over the "welfare wall ". The WITB will provide up to $500 per year for individuals and $1,000 for families to help them re-enter the workforce. These payments will be paid to qualified house­holds in 2008 based on 2007 income tax returns . For RGI purposes, these payments should not be considered income.

ONTARIO CHILD BENEFIT The March provincial budget announced the creation of the Ontario Child Benefit to assist low -income families. As of July 1, 2007/ households with children under the age of 18 will receive a one time non-taxable payment of up to $250 per child based on their 2006 income tax return . Monthly OCB benefits will begin to flow to households beginning July 2008 with payments up to $600 per child annually.

These payments will not affect social assistance benefits and should not be considered income when calculating RGI.

MANDATORY RETIREMENT ABOLISHED On December 12, 2006 / the mandatory requirement to retire at age 65 was abolished. However, this has no effect on the requirement to pursue income under the SHRA. If a member of an RGI household is 65 years or older, you must advise them to apply for any pensions or benefits to which they may be entitled, whether or not they continue to be employed .

PROVINCE-WIDE ARREARS DATABASE The SHSC's implementation of the province-wide social housing arrears database is underway this summer. Full implementation in each of 36 serv­ice areas should be complete by the end of the summer.

CHANGETO PUPIL LEARNING AGE A new legal requirement states that children must attend school until they graduate or reach the age of 18. Non-profit housing providers should con­tinue to verify that students over 16 years of age meet the definition of "student" under SHRA O. Reg. 298/01 Section 50 #26. For more informa ­tion on calculating RGI for students, consult the Info On attached to this mailing.

ONPHA Board Connections I JUNE/JULY, 2007

News in Brief:

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS AND RESOLUTIONS

Please check Quick Connections for information regarding ONPHA's Call for Nominations for the Board of Directors and Call for Resolutions for November's 'A nnual General Meeting.

ONPHA'S 2007 CONFERENCE