Subsidized housing

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Subsidized housing (aka social housing) is government supported accommodation for people with low to moderate incomes. Forms of subsidies include direct housing subsidies, non-profit housing, public housing, rent supplements and some forms of co-operative and private sector housing,

Types

Co-operative housing

Co-operative housing is controlled by the members of the co-op, which is run by a board of directors. There is no outside landlord. All residents of the co-op must become members and agree to follow certain by-laws. Residents pay a monthly charge that is set by the co-op in its annual budget. In some countries, co-ops get government funding to support a rent-geared-to-income program for low-income residents. In addition to providing affordable housing, some co-ops serve the needs of specific communities, including seniors, people with disabilities and artists.

Housing subsidies

Housing subsidies are government funding to aid low income owners/tenants. This can be done on a percentage of income basis or some other formula.

Non-profit housing

Non-profit housing is owned and managed by private non-profit groups such as churches, ethnocultural communities or by governments. Many units are provided by community development corporations (CDCs). These use private funding and government subsidies to support a rent-geared-towards-income program for low-income tenants.^{[1][2][clarification needed]}

Private sector housing

Private sector housing is subsidized by the government. This could be in the form of low cost housing or supplements to the builder, owner or tenant.

Public housing

Public housing is real property owned and managed by the government. Tenants must meet specific eligibility requirements.

Rent supplements

Rent supplements are subsidies paid by the government to private landlords who accept low-income tenants. The supplements make up the difference between rental "market price" and the amount of rent paid by tenants, for example 30% of the tenants income. These may have the unintended effect of increasing rents at nonsubsidized units, by distorting the local supply and demand.

The Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC)

In Canada, Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC) is a leader in providing group services for social housing providers. SHSC was created in the Province of Ontario in 2002 to provide group services for social housing providers (public, non-profit and co-op housing) following the downloading of responsibility for over 270,000 social housing units to local municipalities. It is a non-profit corporation governed by a board of municipal, non-profit and co-op housing representatives. Its mandate is to provide Ontario housing providers and service managers with bulk purchasing, insurance, investment and information services that add significant value to their operations.

With an annual budget of $4.5 million, SHSC and its two subsidiaries, SOHO and SHSC Financial Inc. offers a dedicated insurance program for social housing providers, bulk gas purchasing and an innovative energy efficiency retrofit program which coordinates energy audits, expertise, funding, bulk purchasing of energy-efficient goods, training and education, and data evaluation. SHSC manages and provides investment advice to housing providers on capital reserves valued at more than $390 million. Working closely with other housing sector organizations and non-governmental organizations, SHSC also supports and develops independent housing-related research, including a new Housing Internship program for graduate-level researchers.

Beneficiaries

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Participants in subsidized housing include, but are not limited to, people from these demographic groups:

• Aboriginals
• Domestic violence
• Homeless
• Low income
• Mental or physical disability
• Seniors
• Immigrants

See also

• HLM
• National Housing Act (Canada)
• Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC)
• Section 8 (housing) (USA)
• Migration of the disadvantaged
• Mitchell-Lama Housing Program (New York)
• Social welfare
• Welfare state

Notes

Further reading

• Koebel, C. Theodore, and Bailey, Cara L., "State Policies and Programs to Preserve Federally Assisted Low-Income Housing", in Housing Policy Debate (journal), v.3, issue 4, 1992, Office of Housing Policy Research, Fannie Mae, Washington, D.C.
• Koebel, C. Theodore, "Shelter and Society: Theory, Research, and Policy for Nonprofit Housing", SUNY Press, 1998. ISBN 0791437892
• Minford, Patrick; Ashton, Paul; Peel, Michael; The Housing Morass: regulation, immobility & unemployment, Institute of Economic Affairs, 1987.
• Minford, Patrick; Ashton, Paul; Peel, Michael; The Effects of Housing Distortions on Unemployment, Oxford Economic Papers, New Series, Vol. 40, No. 2 (Jun., 1988), pp. 322–345, Oxford University Press. The authors study the effect of rent subsidies in England on mobility and unemployment.
• UK Housing Review, University of York, England.

External links

• Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC)
• Settlement.org
• RMD Services 1, LLC