FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OANHSS Welcomes New Funding for Affordable Housing

Ontario Government Release and Backgrounder
Government of Canada Release and Backgrounder

TORONTO (April 29, 2005) – Today’s announcement of a new affordable housing agreement between the federal government and the province is a tremendously important step forward in addressing the housing needs of the people of Ontario.

The Honourable Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing for Canada and Ontario’s Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal, David Caplan today announced that they have signed the Canada Ontario Affordable Housing Agreement. They made the announcement in Toronto, accompanied by the Honourable Joe Volpe, Federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Honourable John Gerretsen, Ontario Minister Responsible for Seniors and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Toronto Mayor, David Miller.

“We want to congratulate the federal and provincial governments for working together to make this happen,” said Donna Rubin, CEO of the Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors. “We are very pleased with the level of financial support that is being committed here today. With this funding many of our members will be able to move ahead to explore opportunities to create new housing for seniors in communities across Ontario.”

The federal and provincial ministers announced that the agreement will provide for investments in affordable housing of $602 million over 4 years. This represents $301 million from the federal government and $301 million from the province.

The announcement is an important first step which will see much needed affordable housing built, including housing for seniors. At the same time, it is critical that in addition to the bricks and mortar, seniors have access to the supports they need to live independently in the community. OANHSS will be looking to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to complement the capital funding being announced today with an investment in support services. We are very optimistic that the needed support funding will be announced very soon, along with a commitment to coordinate the release of these funds in such a way that housing providers will have the resources to meet the needs of the seniors in their community.

The signing of the agreement, which has been in the works for some time, opens the way for the launch of the affordable housing program which will facilitate the development of up to 15,000 new affordable housing units.

A portion of the housing funding will be used for rent supplements rather than new housing. Minister Fontana had previously introduced new flexibility to permit provinces which have communities with high vacancy rates to use a portion of the federal funds to pay for rent supplements in existing housing. Rent Supplements are seen as a quick way to get needy people housed while the work is done to produce permanently affordable housing. A rent supplement pays the difference between the market rent for a unit and rent which is affordable for the low income household that lives in that unit.

OANHSS is the provincial association representing not-for-profit providers of long term care, services and housing for seniors. Its member facilities operate over 26,000 long term care beds and more than 5,000 seniors' housing units in Ontario.

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For further information, please contact:

Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes & Services for Seniors
7050 Weston Road, Suite 700, Woodbridge, Ontario L4L 8G7
(P) 905-851-8821
(F) 905-851-0744

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OANHSS members include not-for-profit providers of long term care, services and housing for seniors in Ontario.
Members include municipal and charitable long term care homes, non-profit nursing homes,
seniors' housing projects and community service agencies.