HABITAT FUNDED HOUSING
Habitat Funded Boarding Homes
A Habitat funded boarding home is a house in which meals, 24-hour supervision, and housekeeping services are provided. Services for tenants in Habitat funded boarding homes are specified in a contract between the agency and the home owner. The homes are furnished and vary in size. Dining and common areas are communal spaces. Many of the bedrooms are shared by two tenants, although there are also boarding homes with single rooms.
Boarding homes generally accommodate both men and women. However, some boarding homes house men or women only. House rules are developed with tenant input. Visitors are permitted during the hours that tenants and owners and operators agree upon. Tenants are responsible for the conduct of their visitors.
Habitat is not an emergency service, but is intended to be permanent housing. The length of stay is indefinite and residents have rights and responsibilities as tenants under the Residential Tenancies Act (R.T.A.) The owner of the boarding home is the landlord. On-site support services for tenants are also available from Habitat or COTA Health.
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Services for Tenants in Habitat Funded Boarding Homes
Boarding home owners and operators who have a contract with Habitat Services receive a subsidy in addition to tenants' rent. They are required by the contract to follow a set of physical and personal care standards. Tenants of Habitat funded boarding homes are entitled to three nutritious meals and an evening snack each day. They are also entitled to toiletry items, linens, towels, and access to laundry supplies. The homes are staffed twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. The boarding home staff prepare meals, do housekeeping, and help maintain a calm and peaceful environment for the tenants.
There are two boarding homes with a large number of Asian tenants. Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine is served in these homes and the boarding home operators speak Cantonese and Vietnamese.
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Habitat Funded Rooming Houses
In discussions with tenants and service providers, Habitat learned that boarding homes met the needs of many, but not all consumer/survivors. Some tenants said they would like to live more independently and prepare their own meals. In 1998, Habitat did research to find out what kinds of housing models would meet the varying needs of consumers. The results of the research led Habitat to consider adding rooming houses to its program. In 2000, Habitat began a pilot project to monitor and fund rooming houses. There are currently two rooming houses in the Rooming House Pilot Project.
Habitat funded rooming houses have single room occupancy. Meals are not provided. The cooking and washroom facilities are either individual or shared. Each rooming house has a common area where tenants can gather. The common areas and shared facilities are cleaned regularly. A superintendent is on call, in close proximity to the houses, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. (overnight). 24 hour response to housing-related emergencies is also available by contacting the superintendent. On-site support services for tenants are provided by Habitat Services site support workers.
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Location
The majority of homes are in the Parkdale area of Toronto. There are also homes in the area of St. Clair Avenue West, the Annex, the downtown core east of Yonge Street, and the east end of the old City of Toronto. There are two homes in Etobicoke and one in North York.
The majority of the boarding homes are close to T.T.C. stops. Most are convenient to shops, libraries, medical centres, places of worship, and other services. Some are near parks and recreation centres.
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Rental Charges
The rental charges paid by a tenant depend on his or her income source. Tenants who receive benefits from the Ontario Disability Support Plan or Ontario Works pay set amounts. Tenants who receive other kinds of income are required to complete an application for subsidy form. If the tenant is eligible, his or her rent will be calculated as a percentage of income. Habitat will then determine the appropriate amount the tenant should be paying. If a tenant is not eligible for a Habitat subsidy, he or she may still move into a home, but will pay a rent negotiated with the home owner.
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