Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

Overview

The goals, objectives, strategies and results of Office of Housing and Construction Standards initiatives support government’s Five Great Goals by establishing a solid foundation for healthy living and supports for persons with disabilities, special needs and seniors.

Ministry Goals

The goals of the Office of Housing and Construction Standards are:

• Safety is achieved in the built environment, through establishing codes and standards, and monitoring to ensure compliance and efficacy.
• Housing and support services are targeted to those most in need, through allocating provincial resources to projects that further the integration of those services.
• Low and moderate income households have an expanded range of housing options, through providing access to local governments and community groups to planning tools and materials that promote a broad range of housing options.
• Balanced landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities, through a regulatory framework that promotes balance and through systems that ensure that all clients have improved service quality through timely assistance in avoiding or resolving disputes.

Linkage to the Five Great Goals

To help build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, special needs, children at risk and seniors, the Office of Housing and Construction Standards is:

• developing and implementing Provincial Housing Strategy including:
• delivering the province’s commitments on housing for British Columbians with low-income and/or special needs;
• acquiring responsibility of federal housing stock, and retargeting to priority households;
• implementing Phase II of Independent Living BC, a program to increase independence of seniors with health concerns;
• improving the integration of emergency shelters and transitional housing;
• continuing to deliver transitional housing under the auspices of the Premier’s Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions; and
• promoting accessibility for persons with disabilities through B.C. Building Code provisions that apply to new construction.

Cross Ministry Initiatives

Through the provision of emergency shelters, subsidized housing, residential tenancy services, and building safety regulation, the Office of Housing and Construction Standards contributes to many cross ministry initiatives and themes:

• Children’s Agenda: The Children’s Agenda is a broad multi-sectoral strategy to improve the well-being of children. The Office of Housing and Construction Standards is building and supporting the capacity of vulnerable families to achieve self-sufficiency through stable housing.
• First Nations: Government is promoting self-sufficiency for First Nations by transferring Aboriginal social housing to the Aboriginal Housing Management Association. BC Housing is working with the Association to continue building its organizational capacity.
• Crystal Meth: Housing provides the foundation from which mental health and addiction services can be provided. Office of Housing and Construction Standards policies and programs promote self-sufficiency for persons with mental health or addiction issues.
• Olympics: The Inner-city Inclusive Olympics Housing Task Group has been formed to address housing issues leading up to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. This task group is working to protect rental housing stock, to increase options for temporary accommodations, to ensure people are not made homeless, displaced or evicted as a result of the Olympics, and to provide an Olympic affordable housing legacy.
• Regulatory Reform: The next edition of the B.C. Building and Fire Codes will be published in an objective-based code format. For the first time, the documents will include the rationale behind each provision. This promotes consistent application, and increases opportunities for innovation.

Goals, Objectives and Performance Measures

Safety is achieved in the design, construction and occupancy of buildings through the interplay of technical codes and standards. These standards, which are set by government, together with the good practices that are employed by building owners and their agents responsible for various stages of a building’s lifespan, contribute to ensuring that safety is achieved.

The Office of Housing and Construction Standards is responsible for the adoption of various codes and standards relating to the system by which building safety is achieved.

Strategies:

• Strategies include the adoption of B.C. Building and Fire Codes in an objective-based code format in 2006, and monitoring enforcement of the codes and standards for specific technologies within buildings.
• Through administrative agreements, the BC Safety Authority and ten local governments are delegated responsibility for compliance monitoring under the Safety Standards Act in safety areas such as electrical, gas, boiler and elevating devices. Municipalities are authorized to enforce the B.C. Building and Fire Codes under the Local Government Act and the Fire Services Act. If monitoring shows that the compliance is weak in any area, the Office will work with enforcement agencies and industry to develop and implement strategies to improve compliance. Education and training initiatives are one such strategy.

Performance Measures

*	Trends to be reported in the State of Safety Report to be published by the BC Safety Authority.

1.1.1. Safety index to be established and safety trends by sector are maintained or improved: The BC Safety Authority, through an administrative agreement with the Province, is charged with maintaining or improving safety outcomes. This measure assesses the performance of the province’s technical safety framework in achieving acceptable public safety outcomes.

1.1.2. B.C. Building and Fire Code³ adopted in an objective-based format: The new codes will enhance the ability of the construction industry to adopt innovative building techniques while achieving the same level of safety. The target adoption date has been reset, to reflect delays in the availability of the model National Building Code of Canada, model National Plumbing Code of Canada and the model National Fire Code of Canada, on which the British Columbia Building and Fire Codes are based.

Over time, the Office of Housing and Construction Standards will develop strategies and performance measures to gauge the effectiveness of the B.C. Building Code and the B.C. Fire Code.

3	The B.C. Building Code and B.C. Fire Code are adopted by Minister's Order as a regulation to the Local Government Act and Fire Services Act.

Safety can be judged by the lack of building failure. Building failure can be determined by the number of claims made under warranty programs. The Homeowner Protection Office, which reports to the Minister Responsible for Housing, requires residential builders to be licensed and monitors the performance of the mandatory third-party home warranty insurance system for new home construction and building envelope renovations.

Strategy:

• The key strategy in support of this objective is to monitor the number of claims made under home warranty programs, and, if the number of claims is greater than acceptable levels, to work with industry on measures to improve the quality of construction.

Performance Measures

*	Data Source: Homeowner Protection Office

1.2.1. Home warranty claims within industry norms: This performance measure gauges the level of safety of buildings through the lack of claims or complaints. Industry norms are well documented. Targets have been set to reflect the fact that claims are made for a variety of reasons, including faulty products and poor building practices.

Effective integration of housing services, supports and resources is required to improve the graduated independence of people along the housing continuum from temporary shelters — to transitional housing — to supportive or permanent housing.

Recent research indicates that the most effective approach to addressing homelessness is the "continuum of care" model. The model emphasizes the delivery of housing with integrated support services. Benefits are not only better health and personal outcomes for homeless people but also avoidance of higher cost institutional services (i.e., hospitals, emergency health services and correctional facilities).

With the shift to giving B.C.’s most vulnerable citizens priority access to social housing, linking housing with other social supports has become increasingly important. This shift will require clearly defined roles and responsibilities as well as new working relationships among the partners supporting vulnerable social housing tenants. Partnership strategies and initiatives are key to ensuring the availability of appropriate programs and services.

Homelessness is a serious issue faced by some British Columbians. As a first step in addressing the needs of the homeless, government provides emergency shelter bed funding to community agencies to assist individuals who are temporarily without accommodation. Funding provides for year-round beds and is enhanced during the winter months when additional beds are needed most.

The economic and social cost of homelessness to Canadian communities is extremely high. Recent research in British Columbia estimates the cost of homelessness at $30,000 to $40,000/person for one year.⁴ The IBI Group estimates that the societal cost of homelessness in Canada is approximately $1.4 billion per year.⁵ The greatest expenditures are in health care, criminal justice, social services and shelters. Ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to secure housing and support services at an early stage reduces the demand and costs on institutional and emergency support systems.

By improving the ability of people to move from shelters into transitional housing and on to more permanent and supportive housing, the emphasis shifts away from providing greater numbers of temporary shelter beds.

4	Eberle, Margaret, Deborah Kraus, Steve Pomeroy, and David Hulchanski. 2001. Homelessness: Causes and Effects. Volume 3. The Costs of Homelessness in British Columbia. Victoria: Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security.
5	IBI Group. 2003. "Societal Cost of Homelessness". Prepared for the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing and the Calgary Homelessness Foundation.

Strategies:

Strategies to meet this objective include building new transitional and supportive housing with integrated support services for the homeless, and introducing outreach teams to work with the homeless as part of a three year pilot.

Performance Measure

*	Data Source: BC Housing.

2.1.1. Percentage of nights where shelters are at full capacity: Measuring success in alleviating homelessness is difficult because of the transient nature of the population, the complexity of the problem, and the privacy considerations and access to information issues that arise from collecting the data. The measure allows government to track emergency shelter bed usage and to ensure that resources are allocated where they are needed most by recording the number of nights where emergency shelter beds are at full capacity. The measure is a comparison between the number of nights where emergency shelter beds are fully occupied and the total number of nights these beds are available.

Since BC Housing has recently assumed responsibility for this program and historical data are limited, a baseline for this measure will be established in 2006/07 and specific targets will be reported in the 2007/08 service plan.

The most acute need for housing is found among low income people who have special housing and support needs. Included in this group are people with mental or physical disabilities, seniors with special needs, the homeless or those at risk of homelessness and individuals or families who have experienced domestic violence. Government’s response to this group is not limited to housing, but also to providing health and other social supports. This group is often referred to as “the most vulnerable”.⁶ Research indicates that by providing adequate, stable and affordable housing to the most vulnerable, government can avoid costs in health care and other social service areas.⁷

6	The "Most Vulnerable" are defined as those individuals who have a low income and a special housing need that inhibits their ability to find appropriate housing in the private market. A special housing need refers to the requirement for accessibility modifications or provincially funded support services in order to live independently in the community.
7	Eberle, Margaret, Deborah Kraus, Steve Pomeroy, and David Hulchanski. 2001. Homelessness: Causes and Effects. Volume 3. The Costs of Homelessness in British Columbia. Victoria: Ministry of Social Development and Economic Security.

Strategies:

Strategies to meet this objective include the completion of a devolution agreement and the harmonization of federal and provincial policies for the social housing stock, continuing to build new units, conversion of existing subsidized housing or provision of rent supplements for low income households with special needs including Phase II of the Independent Living BC program.

Performance Measures

*	Data source: BC Housing.

2.2.1. Percentage of assisted clients belonging to priority groups: Current priority groups include seniors with special support needs, persons with physical or mental disabilities, and individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, including women with their children who have experienced domestic violence. The target reflects the number of households currently living in social housing or receiving assistance in the private market that come from one of the designated priority groups and who face a combination of challenges in addition to low income. The percentage of households assisted from one of the designated priority groups will continue to increase as existing units turn over and new units reach completion.

2.2.2. Number of units/beds created or adapted for priority clients: This measure reflects the number of new units or beds expected to be added throughout the housing continuum as well as existing units within the social housing portfolio that have been adapted or retargeted to serve a higher priority group.

To account for the large variations in rent in different parts of the province, Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters (SAFER) program rent ceilings have been updated to reflect the costs of homes available for rent to low income households. Updated rent ceilings raise the average benefit levels for many seniors, significantly increase the number of eligible seniors, improve fairness, and help to improve the system of support for seniors. Because manufactured homes are a viable and affordable housing option for many seniors, the SAFER program has been expanded so that rents paid for manufactured home sites are also eligible for assistance. As a result of these enhancements, annual provincial government funding for SAFER benefits has approximately doubled.

Strategies:

Strategies in support of this objective include providing rent assistance in the private market, providing those in need with access to social housing, and providing access to housing and supports through Independent Living BC.

Performance Measure

*	Data source: BC Housing.

2.2.3. Number of senior households assisted through housing programs: This measure reflects the province’s commitment to meeting the needs of seniors with low incomes and seniors with special support needs by reporting on the number of senior households assisted through the Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters Program (SAFER), Independent Living BC (ILBC), and social housing.

Affordable rental housing in the private market is becoming increasingly scarce, particularly in Greater Vancouver and Victoria. The Vancouver CMA⁸ vacancy rate is 1.4 per cent with Victoria’s CMA vacancy rate even lower at 0.5 per cent.⁹ This is due primarily to the lack of new affordable housing supply, coupled with a booming economy and an in-migration of workers.

There is minimal construction and investment in affordable rental housing in the private market and those units being added are in the higher rent ranges. Evidence suggests that in spite of the high levels of demand, market rent levels are below the levels required to generate a reasonable return on investment for new construction.

On the other hand, investor-owned condominiums and secondary suites in new and existing homes provide opportunities for expanding the supply of available housing. Over the past few years, the province has worked closely with local governments to promote the development of affordable market rental housing and permissive secondary suite bylaws. This work will continue.

8	CMA = Census Metropolitan Area.
9	CMHC Rental Market Report, B.C. Highlights October 2005 Survey.

The provincial government’s ability to impact market housing affordability is limited. Local governments are best placed to improve the affordability of market housing through innovative planning and development practices. The province is committed to improving the flow of information on best practices in this area.

As part of an educational strategy, the Office is working with local governments and industry stakeholders to develop and deliver customized workshops on improving market housing affordability. Best practices, case examples, and break-out sessions allow participants to delve more deeply into what has worked in other communities.

Since 1996, the province has surveyed all local governments every three years to measure the use of planning tools that promote housing affordability. The results of the survey are summarized and published, and are useful to local governments in describing their individual advances in planning for housing affordability.

Strategies:

Strategies to meet this objective include providing resources, research and expertise on market housing affordability for local governments, providing legislative and regulatory development to limit regulatory impediments in the housing market, and surveying local governments to determine the use of planning tools provided.

Tools, guides and workshops are being developed in partnership with local governments, non-profit housing providers and industry to enhance affordability and increase housing options. Planning guides assist with addressing a number of housing issues: secondary suite programs, community planning initiatives, design guidelines, financial incentives and land use planning and zoning tools. Legislation has been introduced to allow developers access to purchasers’ deposit monies if those monies are appropriately insured. By lowering development costs, it is expected that the consumer will benefit.

Performance Measure

*	Survey completed every three years.

3.1.1. Percentage of local governments in communities over 100,000 that apply affordable housing planning tools and techniques: Use of these tools indicates local governments are enhancing their capacity and moving toward the goal of improved affordability.

The Office strives to support a balance between landlords and tenants with respect to their rights and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancy Act and the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act. The Residential Tenancy Office (RTO) provides landlords and tenants with information about their rights and responsibilities, and dispute resolution services, including arbitration.

At present there are limited consumer protections and dispute resolution services available for landlords and tenants in assisted living and supportive housing tenancies. These tenants are particularly vulnerable, and may have difficulty with the formal and adversarial arbitration system used by landlords and tenants in the traditional rental market to resolve disputes. Mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution may, in many circumstances, provide a better resolution for both parties than the formal arbitration process.

Clients contact the RTO approximately 120,000 times per year by telephone, fax, e-mail or by an in person visit to one of its three offices. In addition, the RTO conducts approximately 18,000 arbitrations annually. With such a high demand, the RTO must provide efficient, cost-effective services. It must also ensure that times for completing arbitrations are within time limits set by legislation. Landlords and tenants want convenient access to high quality services responsive to their needs.

Strategies:

The Office will develop appropriate consumer protection and dispute resolution models that address the special circumstances of these vulnerable tenants and their landlords.

Amendments to the Residential Tenancy Act to address the specific consumer protection needs of landlords and tenants of assisted living and supportive housing tenancies will be introduced in 2006/07. The RTO will provide a range of services, appropriate to their needs and abilities, to help these landlords and tenants resolve disputes.

Performance Measure

	Data Source: Residential Tenancy Office System.

4.1.1. Legislation in place to extend protection to landlords and tenants in assisted living and supportive housing relationships: In the coming year the Office will introduce legislation amendments which are specific to assisted living and supportive housing tenancies. Subsequent to the approval and implementation of the legislation, an outcome-based performance measure to assess results will be developed.

An effective residential tenancy system means that landlords and tenants are provided with timely information about their rights and responsibilities to help them resolve disputes on their own, and that disputes are arbitrated if needed. With improved access to information, the parties are more likely to resolve disputes among themselves, thereby reducing demand on the arbitration system.

Strategies:

Strategies to meet this objective include improving the quality of information materials; quicker response to requests for information; full implementation of the case management system, including web application for arbitration for major landlords; and restructuring the arbitration process and procedures to reduce wait times.

Performance Measures

*	Data Source: Residential Tenancy Office System.

4.2.1. Percentage of residential tenancy arbitrations scheduled to take place within six weeks or less: This measure reflects the ability of government to meet the statutory time limits for arbitration. The more quickly disputes are resolved, the better the rental market can function.

Performance Plan Summary