Seniors' housing income cap rises

Vivian Osmond is still waiting for the call that will tell her she and her husband have a space in seniors' housing.

The Port aux Basques couple can qualify to live in the affordable housing after Western Health raised the income cap by $10,000 last month.

It's a move that Mrs. Osmond, and many others, was happy to see.

Although all run by Western Health, the income caps for housing in Port aux Basques, Stephenville and Corner Brook were different.

To qualify for the cottages and apartment complex in Port aux Basques, seniors had to make less than $22,500. In Corner Brook, the figure was $38,500.

The new cap is $32,500, which applies to all seniors' housing operated by Western Health.

The change meant that 13 applicants in Port aux Basques now qualify who previously did not due to the income cap, according to Kelli O'Brien, Western Health's chief operating officer, long-term care and rural health.

The Osmond's are one of those applicants.

Mrs. Osmond said their basement apartment in Mouse Island isn't near church, stores or the hospital. It's a significant issue for the

couple who don't have their own transportation and need to pay for taxis and depend on friends.

She said they were living downtown, but had to move when they could no longer deal with the stairs of the upper floor apartment they were renting. Both the Osmond's walk with canes, suffer from arthritis and have other health concerns.

Most of all, said Mrs. Osmond, it's lonely.

"We go for weeks and don't see a soul," she said, adding her sister lives in the affordable housing, regularly sees other seniors and participates in various activities such as card games.

"It was bad when we found out we couldn't qualify," said Mrs. Osmond, who says she's been told now that the cap is no longer an issue, they have a good chance at getting in when one of the 41 local units becomes available.

Change is good

The Gateway Status of Women Council is one of the groups pleased by the change to the cap.

"We have been advocating for raising the cap on these apartments and cottages for the past four years," said Susanne Ingram, executive director of the women's centre. "We have met with various representatives of the senior housing and expressed our concerns many times."

Mrs. Ingram said the higher cap will mean finances will be removed as a barrier to applying for the housing for many of the centre's clients.

Some applicants in Corner Brook aren't so fortunate. The lowering of the cap there means 25 applicants are no longer eligible for the housing, said Ms. O'Brien.

But she said having a single cap that applies to everyone has other benefits, most of all making the process fair for all applicants.

It also allows people who may be willing to move to apply for housing in more than one location, such as both Port aux Basques and Corner Brook.

The different caps stem from a time before the various health boards merged to become Western Health. Those boards had partnerships with Newfoundland and Labrador Housing to build some of the units, and separate agreements with Canada Mortgage and Housing for the construction of other units. The income caps for residents were part of those agreements.

Changes to the application and approval process were made last fall. There is now a single application form for all housing under Western Health, which is considered by a regional selection committee.

editor@gulfnews.ca