Tell Me More About Seniors' Housing
This section contains a lot of information that you will find useful.
You can scroll down the page or jump to any one of the following
sections:
Supportive Housing
Life Lease Housing
Retirement Homes
Social Housing
Adult Lifestyle Communities
Supportive Housing
Purpose
Supportive housing is intended to assist seniors who
want to live independently but need someone to help them. The type of
assistance needed includes assistance with activities of daily living
(those activities performed routinely including hygiene, dressing,
ambulation, washing and grooming), daily visits or telephone
reassurances, 24-hour emergency response, shopping, cooking, meals,
transportation and counseling. The services needed are not as extensive
as the medical and nursing care services offered in long term care homes
but they are similar to those offered in retirement homes.
Some housing providers receive funding from the Ontario government
through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to deliver personal
care and supportive services to eligible clients.
In some situations people are able to access some level of support in
their own homes by contracting directly with various agencies who
provide the support. In supportive housing the support is arranged
through the housing and is connected with it.
Types of Supportive Housing
Projects
Supportive Housing can be found within any of the types
of seniors housing discussed in this section. A senior may prefer to
live in an apartment building, either a condominium or apartment, that
offers supportive services but in which the senior has his/her own
private apartment. Many supportive housing projects offer common rooms,
such as lounges, activity room and dining room to allow for social
interaction and leisure activities.
If the senior prefers to live close to others and still live in their
own home, there are a variety of large dwellings shared by about 10
people, each of whom has some private space. Some examples are
Abbeyfield houses, Special Care Group Home and co-housing. These offer a
mixture of private and common spaces. The private space may include a
bedroom, bathroom and in some cases kitchenettes but the house will also
include some shared space.
Support Services
The range of supportive services provided by the housing
provider varies from project to project. Housing projects offering
little support service appeal to active, healthy seniors while older,
more frail seniors prefer projects with a larger range of services.
In some cases, the housing project is associated with a long term
care home with outreach support services; such projects may be part of a
comprehensive continuum of care or a long-term care
‘campus’. As tenants age and their support needs increase,
they may be able to move to the associated long term care home –
all within the same complex and continue to receive care from the
organization with which they are familiar.
Tenure and
Types of Dwellings
These vary depending upon the particular type of seniors’ housing
(see Tenure and Types of dwellings listed under the other housing types
discussed in this section). May be operated as either
not-for-profits or for-profits.
Life Lease Housing
Purpose
To provide affordable housing for older adults and
seniors as well as an opportunity for capital investment.
Purchasing a Life Lease Suite
Life lease is a relatively new form of tenure in Canada
which has evolved from models in the U.S. and Japan. Development of a
Life Lease project begins with a non-profit and/or charitable
organization (e.g. housing corporation, municipality, service club,
church or ethnic association) which sponsors the project and oversees
both the development and ongoing management. Ownership of the life lease
development remains in the name of the sponsoring organization.
Applicants who meet the criteria, commonly a minimum age (such as 55
years of age), may purchase the exclusive Right to Occupy the leasehold
suites and use the common areas (lounges, workshops, recreation areas,
parking, etc.). Residents are neither tenants nor owners, but a
combination of the two.
As the sponsoring organization is non-profit, the initial price of a
life lease suite is based on break-even cost plus a reasonable
contribution towards a contingency fund. Residents make an initial
investment towards the construction of the project and upon its
completion, pay the balance of the price of the life lease suite. As
they continue to live in the housing residents pay a monthly occupancy
fee to cover the project’s ongoing operating costs. Although the
leasehold is available for life, residents may sell the Right to Occupy
and, consequently, earn a return on their investment (similar to
condominiums or private homes). The sale price of the life lease may be
based on the market or may be determined by a formula; this varies by
project. At the time of the sale, a fee is paid to the sponsoring
organization to enable them to continue their work in providing
affordable housing.
Support Services
Life lease residents may have the option of purchasing
support services as described under Supportive Housing. Some life lease
projects which are connected with long term care homes may provide some
level of support without charge.
Tenure
Leasehold interest.
Type of Dwellings
Multi-residential (e.g. townhouses and apartments). Generally, operated
as not-for-profits.
Retirement Homes
Purpose
To serve seniors who are in relatively good health but
require assistance with activities of daily living (those activities
performed routinely, such as hygiene, dressing, ambulation, washing and
grooming) and who do not want to live independently.
Support Services
Retirement homes provide a range of care and supportive
services. Some homes have different levels of care and services; thus,
allowing residents to remain in the retirement home should their health
decline. Retirement homes provide accommodation and usually provide
nursing staff or health care aides for medication administration and
personal care. Generally, they also provide 24 hour supervision, meals
(usually in a common dining room), recreational activities, laundry and
housekeeping services. Monthly costs vary depending upon the services
purchased. Some homes allow extra personal care services to be purchased
from an external agency.
Some retirement homes have respite care for seniors requiring short
term stay as they recover from an illness or to relieve the caregiver or
for vacation care.
Tenure
Rental.
Types of Dwellings
Varying from houses to high-rise buildings. Is it not true to say:
Residents generally rent a bedroom or bedsitting room and have access to
a wide range of common areas. May be operated as either
for-profits or not-for-profits; the
second type sometimes have different kinds of subsidies available.
Social Housing
Purpose
To provide affordable housing for seniors, families and
single people with low to moderate incomes.
Types of Social
Housing
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Non-profit housing is owned and managed by either
municipal housing corporations, accountable to local governments or
private non-profit charitable organizations (such as churches,
seniors’ organizations and ethno-cultural groups).
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Public housing is owned and managed by municipal
housing corporations (prior to January 1, 2001 public housing was owned
by the provincially owned Ontario Housing Corporation).
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Co-operative housing is owned and controlled by
the residents, who are voting members and assist with the co-op
operations. Members do not have any individual equity ownership and
cannot sell their units. Co-ops are governed by the residents with an
elected board of directors; there are no outside landlords.
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Rent supplement agreements allow low-income people
to access housing in the private sector in which they pay 30% of their
income towards rent; the remaining portion of the rent is paid by the
government to the private landlord.
Tenure
Rental. Many of the tenants are low-income households paying 30% of
their income on rent while others are moderate-income households paying
market rent.
Types of
Dwellings
High-rise buildings, houses or rooming houses, mid-rise buildings,
low-rise buildings, townhouses. Non-profit housing, public housing and
co-operative housing are operated as not-for-profits
and the rent supplement agreements are made with
for-profit owners.
Access to Social Housing
Responsibility for social housing has been transferred
to 47 "upper tier" municipal governments referred to as Service
Managers, often counties or regional municipalities. The Service
Managers are responsible for funding and administration of all
social housing. As well, the Service Managers are responsible for
managing "Social Housing Coordinated Access" centres for households
wanting access to social housing in their community. For information on
how to access the waiting list in your community contact the "Social
Housing Coordinated Access" in your community or call your local
municipal office and ask to connect to the Service Manager for your
area.
Funding and Administration of Social
Housing
Rental housing, including housing specifically targeted
for seniors, is not financially viable in the current housing market
unless some form of subsidy is provided. Since the mid 1970's a
significant amount of rental housing was built with financial support
from the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government. From
1995 to the early years of the new millennium, very little new rental
housing was built in Ontario. In April 2005 an agreement was reached
between the federal and provincial governments which is expected to see
a significant increase in the new supply of affordable rental
housing.
Where the government provides financial support for the development
of housing, some portion of the housing is made available for low-income
households on a rent-geared-to-income basis (RGI). In RGI housing,
eligible households are selected from waiting lists maintained by the
municipal government. The rent paid by the household is calculated based
on 30% of the total household income from all sources.
Since 2002 funding and administration of all social housing in
Ontario has been transferred to municipalities. The responsibility for
housing is exercised by 47 Service Managers; these Service Managers are
often "upper tier" municipalities such as counties and regional
governments. For more information in your community contact the
municipal office and ask to connect to the Service Manager for your
area.
Adult Lifestyle Communities
Purpose
Geared towards retirees or near-retirees who have the ability to live
completely independently and who prefer to live among their peers in a
lively and active community offering amenities, including recreation and
sports homes (e.g. tennis, golf and hiking). Residents of adult
lifestyle communities may be at different stages of their lives; some
continue to work, some volunteer, some are busy all day while others
prefer a slower pace. Most properties are located outside the Greater
Toronto Area (GTA).
Tenure
Condominium, freehold, rental, land-lease, life-lease
Types of Dwellings
Detached bungalows, semi-detached houses, townhouses, apartments.
