1. REGENERATION HSC 2014
By: Darlene Lennie, RPA

2. THE Driver to Provide Affordable Housing
What is driving the need for housing as well as other community initiatives you are trying to address?
How is the need different then previously?
What is the structure you are using (or exploring) to meet the need and solve the gaps?
What are the opportunities (financing, flexibility of using assets, decision-making, political) you hoped (are hoping) to create and sustain to meets those needs?
What are the realities – economic, political that are impacting the options and solutions you’ve identified in meeting those needs?
All these questions are driven by a common denominator……
In preparation for the conference – the panel discussed what would provide the most useful discussion to the how and why’s we set up and engage with the development of Affordable Housing. What is the driver that leads us down the many paths of providing affordable housing. Why is it so important? If we just look for a short answer to these questions, as we all know our business is a lot more complicated, there is a common denominator..”NEED” so if we examine each question and how are MCHC is responding?

3. What is driving the need for housing as well as other community initiatives you are trying to address?
880 units
We all could apply “Need” to all the questions..although our outcomes might be somewhat different.
We include one of the drivers as the expiring of operating agreements and subsidy….what is our next move to continue serving community need without a social safety net protecting our operations.
The age of the portfolio – our average age is 46 years therefore we need to regenerate and build newer accommodations.
We include all the factors that challenge community from seemingly more profound issues such as poverty; family violence; physical and mental abuse; lack of education; lack of employment; seniors abuse; racism and mental illness – therefore need is driven by our most vulnerable citizens
We include consideration for the changing dynamics of the family makeup…baby boomers place additional importance on the need for more seniors and or single person dwellings
These are a few examples related to this question.

4. How is the need different then previously?
Over 741 child deaths in last 15 yrs 78% Aboriginal Children
Serving the aboriginal community we see a larger migration to the urban cities for employment, education opportunities; lack of housing on reserves and settlements. This creates more demand on our housing availability. The social issues have broadened since the incorporation of Metis Urban in that we are dealing with heightened gang activity; drugs and other addictions – this has a direct impact; so our cost go up to provide: security our properties with camera's; tighten up on the responsibility of our tenants, we develop additional resources geared toward additional education around housing; community and family. Edmonton has the second largest population of Aboriginal people next to Winnipeg.; the family size is usually larger than main stream family size; the public rental accommodation is volatility based on the bottom line and doesn’t respond (less rental stock) to need for the folks that we serve. Other factors and the fall out of larger social need can be demonstrated by this graph. (explain the graph)
In June 2012, 12,318 children and youth received Child Intervention services. (7,268 or 59% were Aboriginal)
735 of the 7268 Aboriginal children, youth and young adults who received services were in the Family Enhancement stream.
6533 of the 7268 Aboriginal children and youth received services through the Child Protection stream.
Of those who received services under Child Protection, 5909 were in care, Aboriginal children accounted for 68% of the children in care in June 2012.
Go to next slide to discuss result of this

5. What is the structure you are using (or exploring) to meet the need and solve the gaps?
As an Aboriginal Service Provider we are drawn into participation in the solutions needed to address these types of issues. MCHC responded by developing a FRP.
The Family Reunification Program is a full service program that is dedicated to providing long-term housing and/or emergency placements for Aboriginal mothers, fathers and their children. The goal at the family reunification program is to assist in reuniting children in care with their families in a safe, secure, drug and alcohol free environment. A service and program offered, by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people to produce healthier relationships and to foster better outcomes based on proven results.
A part of Our structure has been altered to provide wrap around services to meet the need and close the gaps. Fee for service arrangement.

6. What are the opportunities (financing, flexibility of using assets, decision-making, political) you hoped (are hoping) to create and sustain to meets those needs?
A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE:
Flexibility to respond to community need and or changing needs
Determining our own business model not driven by government funding
Provides for growth of our portfolios, social enterprise for example, new construction
Opportunities to pursue main stream banking, utilizing the equity in the assets
New Partnerships with the various levels of government, suppliers or business entities ; Holmes Group
Best example I can provide is the how I went about getting MCHC on the road to new business - Lodge

7. What are the realities – economic, political that are impacting the options and solutions you’ve identified?
A few considerations:
→ we need quick access to financial resources
→ find the most efficient ways to cover the cost of new construction
→ still address concerns around NYMBY
→ there is an impact on tenants
→ viability – are we on the right track
→ more demand than supply available (average of 5 new applicants per/day)
→ less financial support from government
Of these the one we deal with most is the impact on tenants:
The effect on tenants has been two fold. They have to pay more for rent and utilities. Hard to do on a fixed income. Mainly difficult on seniors and persons on AISH. They cannot work to get a few additional dollars.
The effect on tenants has also a positive outcome from the change; at least for MCHC; tenants move into basically a new home complete with high efficient furnaces, HWT, appliances, cabinets, windows and flooring; yes there is a trade off;
The reality of these programs is that too many people learned to depend on them and how to abuse them; we are trying to encourage our communities to be more independent, healthier and self sufficient. Rather than see more programs that seems to come from the stand point of one size fits all, the funds for housing and services need to be more specific to the individual need…more options like (homeownership, rent supplement, affordable, market, and services combined with housing)
The greatest impact on tenants is the changing attitude of “who’s responsible”; responsible for their own lives; not something you can expect a company or a government to do for you – this is a reality not easily accepted or promoted
None of this is easy; nothing in life is easy but to encourage ownership over one’s self by holding ourselves responsible for the decisions and choices we make on our journey through this life is the difference between suffering and suffering less…..

8. Metis Urban/Capital Aboriginal Housing Program
 OUR FUTURE BEGINS WITH US
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT!
THANK YOU