Section Break
Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek
GRASSY NARROWS, ONTARIO P0X 1B0 • PHONE: (807) 925-2201 • FAX: (807) 925-2649
The Council of: GRASSY NARROWS FIRST NATION | Date, 25 May 2013 in PROVINCE ONTARIO
of duly convened meeting.
DO HEREBY RESOLVE:
WHEREAS The elected Chief and Council of Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek are mandated to serve in the best interest of the membership;
WHEREAS Housing has been identified by the membership as a long-standing issue in the community;
WHEREAS Chief and Council have worked diligently on the development of a policy to meet the immediate needs of housing;
WHEREAS Revisions to this Housing Policy may be deemed necessary from time to time and any changes must be approved by Chief and Council.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED Chief and Council hereby ratify the Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek Housing Policy as of May 25, 2013.
Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek Housing Policy
To provide adequate, safe, affordable and energy efficient housing for our members, that meets all applicable building standards.
Table of Contents
Housing Policy
MISSION STATEMENT
VISION STATEMENT
GOALS
COMMUNITY AWARENESS & PARTICIPATION
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Chief & Council
• Band Manager
• Projects Manager
• Housing Clerk
• Band Member/Tenant
• CMHC Housing Tenant
TENDERING
APPLICATION & APPROVAL PROCESS FOR RENTALS
CRITERIA FOR POINTS ALLOCATION
ABANDONED UNITS
CRITERIA FOR RENOVATIONS
APPEAL PROCESS
APPENDIX "A" ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FORM
APPENDIX "B" HOUSING APPLICATION FORM
APPENDIX "C" HOME INSPECTION FORM
APPENDIX "D" REQUEST FOR REPAIR/RENOVATION
APPENDIX "E" TENANT AGREEMENT
Mission Statement
Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek will serve its members with effective, open and accountable governance, management and administration in delivering all programs and services. The First Nation will strive to make possible a better quality of life for all members through employment, education, health, culture, housing, social and recreation services and initiatives. The First Nation will ensure that the original ways of our people are acknowledged and respected.
Vision Statement
The Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (ANA) has developed this housing policy for the betterment of our community. Having a structured housing policy will provide Chief and Council, the Band Manager and Projects Manager, with a framework to deliver the housing program to all Band Members in a manner that is unbiased and transparent.
1. GOALS
The following goals have been established and will remain to accommodate our First Nation membership:
• Chief & Council has the overall responsibility for all housing related matters
• Build safe, affordable and energy efficient housing for our members
• Develop a proper maintenance program to ensure a minimum level of health and safety for all tenants
• To extend the useful life of existing housing stock
• Create local employment and provide training opportunities for our members to develop certified trades skills
• Develop housing for elders, singles and families
• Promote and encourage tenants to care for/take pride in their home to lengthen life of unit
2. COMMUNITY AWARENESS AND PARTICIPATION
All community members will be made aware of and will be provided the opportunity to comment on the housing policy. This will be accomplished through notification in the community newsletter and community meetings. The Housing Policy will be available to all band members. A copy will also be available at the Band Office.
3. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Chief and Council:
Chief and Council will not have direct day-to-day responsibility for operations and program management. The Councillor with the Housing Portfolio in general will oversee the implementation of the Housing Policy. Any issues, applications and recommendations will be compiled and prepared for review and decision-making by Chief and Council. Reports to Chief and Council are prepared by the Housing Portfolio holder for the discussion at the Chief and Council meetings.
• Enforce the housing policy in a consistent and transparent manner
• Ensure the effective and efficient operation of the ANA Housing Program
• Review and approve budgets
• On quarterly basis, financial statements and budgets should be reviewed
• Maintain an updated housing list and renovation requirements, as provided by staff
• Review and recommend to Chief and Council necessary changes annually, or as needed, to the Housing Policy
• Review all housing and/or renovation applications on a monthly basis
• Review and recommend allocations for housing and renovations as per approved application forms and criteria
• Ensure compliance with existing external agreements, such as CMHC, AANDC, and others
• Ensure the CMHC Replacement Reserve is fully funded
• Review and remedy, where possible, issues of tenant arrears in regards to CMHC units
• Approve forms developed by staff (e.g., Housing and Renovation applications, Generic Contracts, Agreements with Tenants, etc.)
• Housing Portfolio holder will report to the membership at general band meetings
• Keep up to date with relevant First Nations Policies and By-Laws
• Administer the housing program by reviewing applications and making recommendations/rejections to Chief & Council
Band Manager
• Liaise between Chief and Council and housing project-related staff
• Provide regular finance information related to Housing
• Prepare proposed annual budgets and work plan for Housing for approval by Chief & Council
• Present quarterly financial & work plan report to Chief & Council
Projects Manager
• Hire maintenance and renovation staff
• Complete inspections for all work done on units, before and after work is done
• Award tenders for new construction
• Inspections on homes will be conducted on an as-needed basis
• Ensure building code, National (or Ontario) Building Code as a minimum, is being adhered to in new construction
• Provide construction and renovation updates to the Band Manager on an as-needed basis
• Work with technical services department at Bimose Tribal Council when conducting any needed inspections of housing units
• Prepare proposed annual budgets and work plan for Housing and submit to Band Manager.
Housing Clerk: (This position is subject to funding)
The Housing Clerk in cooperation and consultation with the Band Manager shall be responsible for all administration and day-to-day operations of the housing program. The Housing Clerk and Housing Portfolio Holder shall deal with housing issues on a daily basis. The Housing Clerk's responsibilities regarding the Housing program are:
• Prepare the agenda and the minutes from each meeting
• Provide Band Manager with administrative support to prepare quarterly and annual reports to Chief & Council and any community meetings as requested
• Keep the Chief and Council up-to-date on workshops, training, funding opportunities, and any relevant correspondence
• Update, on a monthly basis, the level of arrears
• Maintain and update correspondence, tenant files, housing list and renovation requests
• Register & date all incoming correspondence (letters, applications, etc.) and give copies to Band Manager & Chief and Council
Band Member Responsibilities
Tenants who live in a CMHC or in a Band-owned house have certain responsibilities which must be adhered to in order for them to continue occupying such a house.
Band Housing Tenants Shall:
• Keep the house in good condition, including the yard, and be responsible for performing minor maintenance on the house and to prevent damage from occurring
• Be prohibited from switching units with another tenant without the express written consent of the Chief and Council
• Not assign or sub-let any band-owned unit or any other related band-owned unit
• Have the hydro bill in their own name and pay the bill as related to their housing unit
• If the tenant moves from their unit to another unit, the tenant is responsible for transferring the hydro account immediately
• If tenants modify the structure, plumbing or electrical work of the home without written approval by Chief and Council, the tenant indemnifies Chief and Council from all liabilities related to the housing unit (for example, tenants that move an interior wall without approval by Chief & Council and the ceiling collapses, Chief & Council are not liable for damages or injury)
________________________________________
5. APPLICATION AND APPROVAL PROCEDURE FOR HOUSING
Housing Application Requirements
• A Housing Application must be completed and submitted to the Housing Clerk or Band Manager and it must be updated annually (Appendix D)
• A Band Member must be 18 years of age or older in order to be considered for any housing allocation
• Given the size of the waiting list for housing, existing tenants will not be eligible for a new allocation as priority will be given to members on the housing waiting list
• Band Member applicants will be responsible to have an updated application on file with the Housing Clerk, who shall provide updates to the Band Manager. An application that has not been updated on an annual basis will be considered inactive and removed from the housing list. This process will be completed on or before the last day of every year (March 31st)
• If at any time after allocations have been awarded and situations have changed within the family make-up, the Chief and Council reserves the right to have a tenant change locations without notice. (Meaning: family size depleted or family breakup, and no longer utilizing a larger unit)
• Must sign a Move In/Out inspection report prior to moving in and must accompany the Housing Clerk or Project Manager on the inspection to confirm unit is in satisfactory condition (Appendix "C")
________________________________________
6. CRITERIA FOR POINTS ALLOCATION
Points will be allocated for the following criteria:
• Number of people living in the house. An overcrowding ratio will be applied. Persons included must normally be residing with the applicant or are family members who for various reasons are not able to live with the applicant but would do so if space were available. The ratio will be applied by taking the number of people living in the house divided by the number of bedrooms
• Special Conditions – An example of these might be people who only need single units; Elders or people who have medical/disability problems which would be alleviated by having a new house
• It is the responsibility of the band member to update their application every fiscal year. Calling to update your application is also acceptable by calling the band office at 925-2201
Since the First Nation is unlikely to receive sufficient funding in any one year to provide housing to all applicants, a point system will be used to determine who will get housing in any particular budget year. This system will ensure that no nepotism or conflict arises.
• 1 point for every member in the household
• 3 points for persons living in substandard conditions (mold, flooding)
• Overcrowding (Number of people residing in existing home divided by number of bedrooms):
o 4 Points for ratio greater than 4.0
o 3 Points for a ratio greater than 3.00 to 3.99
o 2 Points for a ratio greater than 2.0 to 2.99
o 1 Point for a ratio greater than 1.0 to 1.99
o 0 Points for a ratio of 0.0 to 0.99
• 1 point for updated application (max 1 per year)
• 3 points for physical disability
If a tie should exist, the tie shall be broken by means of who applied first. (Recorded dates of application received.)
If a tenant had a home in the community and gave it up, they will not be eligible for another home for two years after the date of their new application. For example, if a tenant gave up their home in 2010 and applied for a new home November 01, 2011, they would not be eligible to be considered for a home until November 01, 2013.
The Housing Clerk will prepare all points for each application, which will be reviewed by the Chief and Council. Conflict of Interest guidelines as established by ANA policy must be followed by Chief and Council.
________________________________________
7. ABANDONED UNITS
An abandoned unit is defined as a unit that is unoccupied by the tenant for a period of 30 days without advising the Chief and Council in writing. A letter will be sent to the tenant after the 30-day period and if the tenant does not respond or resume living in the home within 10 days, the house will be re-allocated based on the selection criteria and housing waiting list.
________________________________________
8. CRITERIA FOR RENOVATIONS
The Projects Manager will conduct inspections upon request. Repairs and renovations will be considered in the following order:
• All health and safety work are classified as priority
• Structural and preventative measures that will extend the life of the home
• Large families requesting an addition and/or renovations
• Repairs to plumbing, heating, electrical, roofs, siding and insulation
• An older person living in substandard conditions and the house is not condemned
All repairs will be classified and prioritized in the following manner (subject to funding availability):
• Urgent – Health and Safety requiring immediate attention
• P1 – Priority 1 – Requiring action within one year
• P2 – Priority 2 – Requiring action within three years
• P3 – Priority 3 – Requiring action over three years
For CMHC units, the First Nation will access the Replacement Reserve Fund and rely on reviews as well as annual inspections to prioritize work.
Ineligible Renovations
• Neglect and deliberate damages by tenant (i.e., parties)
• Renovations initiated without the approval of the Projects Manager, except health and safety work
When a unit receives major renovation, that unit will not be eligible for renovations for the next five years (starting from the date of completion).
9. APPEAL PROCESS
Band members may seek to appeal any decisions made in the selection process for housing applications or requests regarding their own individual application or request. Band Members must appeal within 15 (fifteen) working days from the date of decision by the Chief and Council. Appeals must be delivered to the Housing Clerk in writing, which will be added to the agenda for the next scheduled Chief and Council meeting.