BRITISH COLUMBIA

Housing threatened by transfer

Affordable, quality housing for low-
income seniors and handicapped residents
could be headed for the extinction list in
British Columbia, social housings advocate
have warned.

Housing societies and tenants organiza-
tions — many grouped together in the
tecently-formed B.C. Housing Coalition
—warn that the federal government’s
transfer of social housing funding to the
provinces threatens the existence of suitable,
low-cost accommodation in B.C.

Vancouver city council agrees, and has
requested the senior governments to “nego-
tiate” with the city over the continued
development of social housing.

Critics note that the Social Credit
government’s track record for developing
new low-cost housing is abysmal, and point
with alarm to the Socreds’ proposed pro-
gram for social housing.

_“What they have in mind is a system of
giveaways for landlords and developers,”
said David Lane of the B.C. Tenants Rights
Coalition.

Lane, who appeared recently before

Vancouver council with other representa-
tives of groups in the B.C. Housing Coali-
tion, said the transfer of responsibliity to the
Socreds signals “the beginning of privatiza-
tion of social housing.”

The key elements of the federal transfer
agreement, to come into effect Jan. 1, are
summarized in a i
city staff report to
council. While the
details are yet to be
finalized, a “state-
ment of principles”
signed by federal
and provincial rep-
resentatives outlines
the basic thrust of
the Socreds’ hous- |
ing program.

According to the
report from the city’s director of social
planning, the principles stipulate that:

@ The province will be responsible for
family and “special needs” non-profit hous-
ing;

a Federal and provincial contributions

DAVID LANE

(a 50-50 cost split is envisioned by 1988) will
be ploughed into a “rent supplement pro-
gram” applied to existing units and new
construction;

@ The program will be open to private
developers as well as the traditional non-
profit housing societies;

@ The federal government will maintain
control of co-operative housing, rural and
urban Native non-profit rental programs,
and the residential rehabilitation assistance
plan (RRAP).

Vancouver gets approximately half the
units allocated to B.C. through the federal
government’s Central Mortgage and Hous-
ing Corporation, the report noted, while
estimating the city will need 1,050 units of
housing — more than half the 2,000 bud-
geted for the whole province in 1986.

The city report also noted the previous
transfer of responsiblity for seniors’ and
disabled persons’ housing to the province
back in 1979.

Since then, said Lane, the allocation of
housing units for seniors has fallen from an
annual increase of 1,668 between 1974 and

By the end of this week we’ll be at the
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In addition, our Powell River and
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for the period Aug. 1 to Dec. 31, 1985.

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1978, to 491 per annum in the subsequent
years to 1983.

The housing coalition predicts the same
result for other social housing, said Lane.

Social planning staff echoed that con-
cern, noting, “The rent supplement pro-
gram. . .does not ensure the development of
a permanent stock of adequate and affor-
dable housing, nor does it recognize social
integration objectives or community devel-
opment goals.”

“The city has been extremely successful
in obtaining unit allocations from CMHC,
less so in recent years in obtaining provin-
cial support for seniors’ projects,” the staff
report stated.

Staff observed: “It is this experience
which has created so much uncertainty, fear
and speculation on the part of community
organizations about the province assuming
responsibility for these programs.”

City staff also noted the provincial plan
does not allocate “start-up” funds for non-
profit housing societies, stating in the
report, “Without start-up funds, staff
believe that many non-profit groups will be
unable to participate in the program.”

“Tt will be extremely hard for non-profit
groups to compete with private developers
— they'll be phased out,” Lane com-
mented.

Under the provincial program, said —

Lane, ‘“‘Developers will be free to set their
own profit rate. They can construct shoddy
buildings not suitable to the people they’re
intended for, charge inflated rents and take
the money for it out of taxpayers’ pockets.”
Lane cited a 1981 study by the Ontario
Legislature’s standing committee on justice
which found that rent supplements paid
directly to landlords are not cost-effective,
provide no long-term investment in social
housing, and create “‘a dumping ground for
undesirable units.”
The city staff report also expressed con-
cerns over the province’s eligibliity criteria.
While noting the provincial plan follows
city guidelines in allocating social housing
to “most needy” people, the report
observed that “the provincial definition
does not take housing condition and suita-
bility into account in assessing needs.”
“We have absolutely no confidence that
the provincial government will give any real
priority to social housing,” Roy Gautier,
president of the B.C. and Yukon Building
Trades Council, told council at a recent
session.
Noting the threat to low-cost housing

construction, Gautier observed: “With 50 —

per cent unemployment in the construction
industry, and very high unemployment in
the forest industry, tens of thousands of
workers are dependent on government

_income support, who could instead be

building the necessary housing and provid-
ing the necessary materials.”

At its Nov. 5 meeting Vancouver
council — at the initiative of the Commit-

tee of Progressive Electors aldermen, and —

with the opposition of a few council right-
wingers — passed several motions dealing
with social housing, including:

e A request that the city negotiate with
the senior governments for administrative
control over social housing in Vancouver,
and that monies allocated for rent relief be
paid directly to tenants;

@ A declaration that council opposes the

rental supplement program “on the grounds -

that such programs have a clear record of
not ensuring the construction of new, affor-
dable housing, not ensuring guarantees of
quality standards, and not serving as por-
tection from profiteering;”

e@ A council statement favoring the
“upgrading” of existing shelter allowance
programs, cost-shared by the senior
governments and “periodically adjusted to
reflect increases in costs. ..”

Affordable housing in B.C. will be the |

subject of a weekend conference called by

the 20-group member housing coalition. It’s

scheduled for Nov. 23-24.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, NOVEMBER 13, 1985 e 3

a