Bruce County Social Services is dealing with dwindling federal funding.
Susan Earle told the Bruce County Social Services committee said that the government subsidy is geared toward what they owe, so as they pay off the debentures, the funding gets decreased.
“As debentures drop off, our income drops off,” Earle said.
The Bruce County Housing Corporation has $75 million in assets and $5 million in liabilities, but they can’t re-mortgage properties, Earle explained, because the properties are bought with “debentures,”?which is a loan backed by credit, rather than assets.
Earle said she expects two buildings to be paid off within the next five years.
“It’s a huge issue around the province,” she said.
“And we’re just talking operating, not even looking at capital,” Earle added.

Applications down

Affordable housing applications are going down in Bruce County, but that’s not necessarily a good thing, Earle said.
“Some of our units don’t include utilities, and some potential residents can’t afford to pay their arrears,” she said, so they ask to be taken off the list.
“It’s very sad.”
Director of Social Services Terry Sanderson told the committee that there are supports in place through their agency to help people pay their bills, but with mounting increases, those funds don’t last long.
“We get a lot of people phoning, saying they can’t afford their bills, and we could probably spend $100,000 a year helping people pay them, but the resources aren’t there,” he said. “It’s a really critical issue.”
Social Services has a $10,000-per-year emergency energy fund. “But that money goes very fast,”?said Sanderson.
He noted the United Way also has money available to help low-income families pay their bills.
Earle said anyone needing more information on the fund can call the Social Service Help Line at 211.

Rent increase

A rent increase for market rate affordable housing in the county has caused a bit of upset for some residents.
Housing manager with Social Services Christine McDonald said a market increase was approved on 633 units in the county in September.
She said those living in a two-bedroom unit felt the biggest impact, with an increase of $100 per month.
Earle said the increase was to compensate for increased utility bills, which are included in the rent for these units, as well  as to “reflect the market rate rent in the private sector,” Earle explained in a telephone interview late last week.
Municipal councillors have been fielding calls about the increase, and  and Arran-Elderslie Mayor Paul Eagleson said that sudden hike was unfair.
“It doesn’t seem like much to some people, but if you’re that senior, and boom, you need an extra $100, that’s a lot,” he said.
A better approach, Eagleson suggested, would be to have phased it in over four years.
“I?would hope in the future we do a two or three per cent increase,” he said.
But Earle told the WHT they do increase rent every year, but this time, a significant one was needed.
The Bruce County Housing Corporation is exempt from the Landlord Tenant Act, which dictates the percentage for allowable annual rent increases, however they followed those guidelines, until the $100 hike.  
McDonald said however, that the tenants were notified that if they felt they couldn’t afford the increase, they could apply for the “Rent?Geared to Income” program, where if they qualify, will pay 30 per cent of their income for rent.