History of Housing ProgramsCITY OF VICTORIA

Linda Allen, RPP, FCIP | 30 January 2014

Tonight …

• Federal Government• Evolution to Devolution

• Provincial Government• Partners, Enablers with Limited $

• Regional Context • Proactive … Housing Trust Fund, CRHC

• Municipal Context• Enabled by Legislation … but few $ attached

Federal Context … 1940s

• Wartime Housing Limited = 46,000 dwellings in 9 years

• Rent Controls

• National Housing Act, 1944– a declaration of social responsibility

• Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act, 1945

• Veterans Rental Housing Program = 30,000 units

• Beginnings of “urban renewal”, “slum clearance”

Federal Government … 1950 – 1964

• Substantial and powerful Federal role

• Focus on home ownership – mortgage $ and terms

• Transformed from a nation of tenants to a nation of owners

• Hugely significant cultural shift

• Less than 5% of annual starts were social housing

• Metro Toronto stepped up

• Sweeping changes in NHA … in come the provinces

• Loans to non-profit corporations

• Urban renewal

• Federal-Provincial partnerships

• Turning point in Canada’s housing history

• Involved the PGs

• Great period of inter-governmental relations around a common cause!

Federal Context … 1964 – 1992

Federal-Provincial Context … 1964 – 1992

• Many (GREAT) Programs for low-income Canadians• AHOP

• NIP

• RRAP

• NPH and Coops

• CRISP

• Land Assembly Assistance

• New Communities

• Rural and Native

Hundreds of thousands of new

homes – rental, coop, homeownership across Canada

70,000+ in BC

But … Graph Tells The Story

BC Context: Proactive + Supply Side

• 1992 Federal Budget … no new social housing

• BC Government reacted by being proactive

• Ramped up BC Housing as vehicle for non-market housing

• Commission on Housing Options – 1992

• Legislative Changes – Local Government as partner – 1993

BC Context: Supply Side

• Continuing $$ to BC Housing

• Several new programs – ILBC, PHI, CPI, OL – but small #s

Demand Side Measures

• Federal

• Home Buyers Plan | RRSP

• 1st Time Home Buyers Tax Credit

• RRAP – HO

• RRAP – D

• RRAP – LL

• British Columbia

• Rent Supplements

• SAFER

• RAP for families

• 1st Time Home BuyersPTT Exemption

• Property Tax DeferralsSeniors, Families w. kids

• Housing Endowment Fund

Regional Context (1)

Regional Context (2)

• Policy and Plans

• CRD Affordable Housing Strategy – 2008

• Langford’s inclusionary housing program

• 2014 RSS

• Housing Action Plans

• Research & Advocacy• City of Victoria – OCP

policies, rental housing analysis

Local Government Tools

Where we’re at …

• Very little new money for increased supply

• Governments highly reliant on demand-side measures

• Local governments expected to come to the table

• Capital Region municipalities

• CRHC Trust Fund

• Creative partnerships essential – each different