SHARED HOUSING RESPONSABILITIES IN A FEDERAL REGIME : THE CASE OF QUEBEC IN CANADA James McGregor Vice-President Development

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada OUTLINE 1.Political and administrative structure 2.Evolution of housing responsibilities 3.Canada 4.Québec 5.Municipalities 6.The social economy 7.Lessons learned James McGregor, Vice-President Development, SHQ

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada Population: Canada 32.9 million Québec 7.7 million CANADA

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada 1,115 municipalities 86 regional counties 2 metropolitan communities (Montreal and Quebec) QUÉBEC

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada EVOLUTION IN HOUSING RESPONSABILITIES Steady shifting of responsibilities Federal  Provinces  Municipalities  Local Each shift creates its own advantages and disadvantages  Shared funding  Local administration  Greater flexibility  Better cross sectoral solutions

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada HOUSING FINANCE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL The federal government has largely concentrated on housing finance and production systems.  Central bank policy  Fiscal policy Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)  Mortgage insurance  Secondary market  Technical, social and market R&D 1950 to 1990 the federal government was involved in urban policy development and funded rental and social housing construction through CMHC.

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada TRANSFERING RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PROVINCES 1967 creation of the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ), charged with housing policy and programs Canada-Québec agreement confirmed Quebec’s responsibility for implementing social housing and home improvement programs Canada ended funding of new social and affordable housing programs various federal funding initiatives where provinces have full charge of design and delivery.

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada QUEBEC EXPANDS ITS ROLE IN HOUSING Policies and practices to regulate the markets.  Building quality, safety and security.  Landlord – tenant relationships (over 40% of all housing).  Urban planning practices.  Consumer protection.

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada THE SOCIÉTÉ D’HABITATION DU QUEBEC (SHQ) Three main families of program.  Public and community housing  Public housing (73,275 units)  Community housing (18,105 units)  Financial support to low-income tenants  Housing allowance (117,248 households)  Rent supplement (20,285 households)  Private housing – renovation & adaptation  Low-income home owners (3,000 annually)  Adaptation for physical handicaps (+1,800 annually)  Low-rent buildings (8,300 units annually)

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada LOCAL LEVEL ENCOURAGED TO INITIATE AND ADAPT The Federal  Provincial transfer is echoed by a similar one from Provinces  Municipalities. SHQ provides regulatory and financial framework.  Municipalities implement programs  Administrative agreements signed with SHQ The local level includes:  Regional counties  Municipalities  Local housing authorities  Non-profit and cooperative associations

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada PRIVATE HOUSING

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada PRIVATE HOUSING Two kinds of program. 1) Programs designed and financed by SHQ and implemented locally by regional counties.  Assistance to low-income homeowners  Adaptation for physical handicaps 2) Framework for municipalities to design, co-finance and implement their own program within certain guidelines.  Rental repairs  Homeownership  Demolition and reconstruction  Integrated urban renewal Leverage – 1:1:6 Government : municipal : private

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada PUBLIC HOUSING Shared funding: Federal 55% - Provincial 35% - Municipal 10% Local involvement has helped ensure that projects are well integrated into their communities.  Smaller buildings  Integrated into neighbourhoods  Reinforce the residential framework

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada COMMUNITY AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AccèsLogis Programme since 1997 Shared funding: Government 50% - Local 15% - Project 35% Municipalities co-finance, some manage delivery Local communities  Initiate and manage projects  Strong local buy-in and support  Response to local needs ranging from urban development to supportive housing

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada COMMUNITY AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada GROWING ROLE OF SOCIAL ECONOMY ORGANIZATIONS Growing and varied role of social economy organizations.  Construction and management of housing  Support services for specific groups  Local leadership and cooperation  Development of community housing with services, for people with special needs as well as housing.  Seniors  Physically disabled  Homeless Linkages and financing provided through Ministry of health and social services, local charities and volunteers.

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada EVOLUTION OF ROLE OF SHQ: IMPLEMENTATION  ENABLING Twenty years ago SHQ took full responsibility for designing and building projects, delivering programs directly to beneficiaries. Presently, the SHQ designs no projects, does no construction, but provides more assistance to more diversified projects for more households. In order to ensure local capacity, the SHQ facilitates a network of organisational and technical support throughout the province.

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada STRENGTHENING AND EMPOWERING LOCAL INITIATIVES 1) Technical resource groups  Local non profit organisations  Act as facilitators and community housing specialists 2) National and regional associations  Offer ongoing training, support and some services 3) Regional service centres  Based in larger municipal authorities and coop and non profit federations  Offer technical support to smaller organisations Together they represent and support some 1,500 agencies and 140,000 units of housing.

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada CONCLUSIONS Increasing role of local authorities has helped better align housing assistance with local priorities and needs. Local initiatives provide a rich and diversified mix of solutions.  Innovation and adaptation  Local stakeholders – public, private and community – co-operate in the pursuit of locally integrated solutions Shared financing is key. Ensuring local technical support for project design and management is essential.

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada REFERENCES CMHC: SHQ: Montréal: Gatineau: Social Economy:

Shared Housing Responsibilities – A Joint Approach For Better Living: The Case of Quebec in Canada Merci Gracias Thank you