Tag: unit allocation

Wheelchair adapted units – Member Approval and Unit Allocation bylaw

Woodsworth has three units that have been adapted to those who use a wheelchair in their units: 306, 307, and 310. For example, the kitchen has been fitted with equipment that can be used while sitting in a wheelchair.

Our membership bylaw, Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw covers the allocation of these units.

Overview of Article 9:  Wheelchair-adapted units, Member approval and unit allocation (membership) bylaw

  • The co-op has a small number of units that are specially designed for people who use a wheelchair full-time inside their home. These units are only for people who need these features to live in the co-op.
  • Members who use a scooter or another mobility aid, but do not regularly use a wheelchair inside their unit, can apply for a regular unit with accommodations if needed. They are not eligible for wheelchair-adapted units.
  • The co-op will use Woodsworth’s accommodation policy to decide whether an applicant qualifies for a wheelchair-adapted unit.
  • When a wheelchair-adapted unit becomes available, it will be offered in this order:
    1. Current co-op members who qualify
    2. People on the external waiting list who qualify
    3. If no one on these lists qualifies, Management and the Membership Committee will work with community agencies to find someone who needs the unit
  • The co-op may keep a separate list of people who have asked to be considered for wheelchair-adapted units. This list is separate from all other waiting lists, including the Priority List. A member can be on more than one list if they qualify.
  • Moving into a wheelchair-adapted unit does not count as an internal or external move when applying the alternating waiting-list rules (see Membership Bylaw, Article 4.1).
  • Because co-op membership and housing are linked, the co-op will try to process an external applicant’s membership as quickly as possible before they move in.
  • If the Board decides that a member living in a wheelchair-adapted unit no longer needs the adaptations, or that the unit was assigned by mistake, the Board can require the member to move to another unit. The member will be placed on the internal waiting list and may refuse up to three units that are offered. If the member does not move into the third unit offered, they may be evicted, following co-op policy.

See also: Making Woodsworth Accessible policy

Priority internal waiting list and priority relocation

Based on the Membership Bylaw: member approval and unit allocation, Articles 5.2, 5.5, Schedule F.

Members may be eligible for placement on a separate Priority Internal Waiting list if they are experiencing a Medical or Disability Accommodation needs, severe Financial Hardship, or Domestic Violence.  See Article 5.2.1 Priority Internal Waiting List

By legal requirement, Medical and Disability Accommodation requests have priority. Applications regarding Financial Hardship or Domestic Violence will be processed on a first come, first serve basis.

The priority waiting list is

– For members experiencing medical/disability accommodation needs, severe financial hardship, or domestic violence.
– Requires documentation.

Summary of Priority Criteria – Membership Bylaw: Member Approval and Unit Allocation, Schedule F

– Priority eligibility: Medical/Disability, Financial Hardship, Domestic Violence.
– Medical/Disability has legal precedence over others.
– Applications are confidential.
– Board approves the final Accommodation Plan.

More details about priority requests for relocation

Membership Bylaw, Article 5.2.1 – Priority Internal Waiting List

(a) Eligibility
Members may qualify if facing:

    • Medical or disability accommodation needs.
    • Severe financial hardship (must not be in arrears).
    • Domestic violence.
    • Disability and medical accommodations take legal precedence.

      (b) Human Rights
    • Requests for accommodation under Ontario Human Rights legislation receive top priority.

(c) Application Process

  • Submit a Priority Move Application.
  • For medical/disability accommodation: also submit an Accommodation Request Form.
  • Meet with the Woodsworth Manager.
  • Board of Directors makes the final decision.
  • If approved:
    • An Accommodation Plan is developed collaboratively.
    • If denied, members can still apply to the regular internal waiting list.(d) Unit Offers
  • Member gets up to three (3) offers for suitable units.
  • After three refusals, priority status is revoked; member must join the regular waiting list to continue pursuing a move. (Article 5.5.5)
Special rules for priority moves based on accommodation
    • Waiving Residency Requirements – Article 5.2.5
      Normally, members must live in their unit for 2 years before being eligible to move.  The Board may waive this requirement for priority cases (e.g., accommodation needs).
  • Woodsworth normally fills vacant units by alternating between the Internal Waiting List and the External Waiting List. (Membership Bylaw, Article 4.1(f))

However, this alternating system does not apply in the following cases:

  • Priority Waiting List– If an applicant or member qualifies for special priority and requires a unit of the available size, that person is considered first, regardless of whose turn it is under the alternating system.
  • Wheelchair-adapted units – The alternating system is also bypassed when filling wheelchair-adapted units, which are allocated according to the applicable bylaw provisions.
  • In these situations, the priority rules take precedence over the normal alternating process.
What isn’t a Priority Move – Article 5.2.4

  • Priority under Article 5.2.4 is based on a member’s accommodation requirements. Other situations that use the word priority or require a member to move do not give priority on the Internal Waiting List unless Article 5.2 specifically says they do.

    Examples include:

    • Being required or encouraged to move does not automatically move you ahead of other members on the Internal Waiting List. For example:
      • Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9.4 – Not Meeting Minimum Household Size
      • Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw, Article 2.5 – Overhoused Households
    • Requesting only certain units for relocation does not reserve those units for you or give you priority when one becomes available. You must still be the highest-ranked eligible member on the waiting list at that time. Limiting the units you are willing to accept does not change your position on the waiting list. (Membership Bylaw, Article 5.2.4(b))
CRITERIA for priority moves

(Schedule F, Membership Bylaw: Member Approval and Unit Allocation)

Medical or Disability Accommodation

A request for a Priority Move due to Medical or Disability reasons must follow the Woodsworth’s Accommodation Policy for Residents with Disabilities based on the Ontario Human Rights Code. An Accommodation Request Form will also need to be filled out as part of this process.
The Co-op’s obligations are limited to accommodating disability-related needs, not members’ preferences.

The manager will request documentation from an appropriate health practitioner detailing the nature of the individual’s disability, any restrictions resulting from the disability, the expected duration of the restrictions, and the basis for the medical conclusions.

Each person’s situation will be individually assessed by the Co-op Manager. If the manager determines a current housing unit is detrimental to a member’s medical condition and a different unit is needed soon, then the member would qualify for the Priority Move waiting list.

The manager and member will go through the accommodation procedure together. The manager may propose other accommodation options that meet the member’s needs. If the member accepts an accommodation option other than priority relocation, the member can join the main internal waiting list requesting a different unit.

Management and the Co-op website can provide detailed information on the Woodsworth Accommodation Policy and the Accommodation Planning process.

Financial Hardship

If a member is experiencing severe financial hardship and has an urgent need for a less expensive unit, the member must present third-party financial or legal documents to the Co-op Manager as part of the application for a Priority Move.

Proof of severe financial hardship might include, but is not limited to the following documentation:
bankruptcy documents (filing documents, proof of claim etc.), creditors letters, bank statements, record for employment for job loss.
Those with financial issues must not be in arrears. See Article 5.1.2 (c)

Domestic Violence

Woodsworth’s Occupancy Bylaw #82, 7.3, defines violence against another person in the same household as domestic violence. 7.4a of Occupancy Bylaw states: The co-op does not tolerate domestic violence. It will try to
assist victims of domestic violence. Members who engage in domestic violence may be evicted.

If a member has experienced domestic violence, is no longer living with the abuser, yet fears for their safety by remaining in the same unit, they can request a Priority Move to another unit. Documentation may be required. Examples include a restraining order and a peace bond.
The Occupancy Bylaw outlines the co-op’s response to domestic violence. Article 7.4.

Application form:  Priority move application form for members

 

Unit allocation procedures – internal and external waiting lists

This summary is based on the Membership (Member Approval and Unit Allocation) Bylaw #84 and covers internal and external waiting lists.

[Article references are to Woodsworth’s Membership bylaw unless noted as referring to the Occupancy Bylaw]

Outline:

– Management’s role
– Internal relocation requests
– Exceptions:  There are some cases where a member or household can’t join the internal waiting list.
– Splitting households (internal)
– External waiting lists for units
– All unit allocations, internal and external
– Unit preferences, internal and external
–  Making and receiving unit offers – Woodsworth alternates between waiting lists of the same size.
– Timelines for contacting people, and accepting units, for internal and external unit allocations.
– Move-in date requirements
– No fee
– Special situations – priority list and wheelchair-adapted units

1. Management is responsible for:

– maintaining waiting lists and ensuring that applicants are on the appropriate waiting lists based on the occupancy standards in the Occupancy Bylaw.
– unit allocation:  making offers of units to members based on the Membership bylaw and the Occupancy Bylaw; and tracking refusals

 2. Internal relocation requests

(a)  Members normally are allowed to apply to relocate within Woodsworth. [5.1. Member’s right to apply to relocate in Woodsworth]

(b) Members may apply to transfer to any size or type of unit that meets applicable occupancy standards. (See chart in #6)

Occupancy Standards
The minimum number of persons required for occupying each of the co-operative’s unit types. See Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9 for details and about when the standards do not apply.

(c) Households living in Woodsworth and Returning Members who have been approved by the Board of Directors as members may join the internal waiting list. Households must apply using the Relocation request form.   [Membership: Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw #84, Article 5.7]

(d) There are copies of the Internal Relocation Application form in the Photocopy Room and on the co-op website.

(e) Position on the internal waiting list

An applicant’s place on the internal waiting list is determined by the date that a completed Request for Internal Relocation form is received by the co-operative office, subject to any restrictions on joining the waiting lists, regardless of unit size request changes.  [Membership Bylaw Article 5.1.1. Position on the internal waiting list]

(f)  Once a household has accepted a unit, the household is removed from all waiting lists. [Article 4 k]

3.  Exceptions:  Cases where a household can’t join the internal waiting list.

(a)  A household in arrears can’t be on the waiting list. (Exception: on subsidy) [Article 5.1.2 c]

(b)  Minimum period of residence in a unit – Members must live in their unit for at least two (2) years before they can apply to relocate. [See Article 5.2.5] This applies to all relocation requests . However the Board may waive it.  [Article 5.1.2 a]

(c)  New members who became members as long-term guests or Turning Sixteens (Turning 16s) must wait two years after Board approval of membership before joining the internal waiting list. Exception: if already on the waiting list as of Sept 26, 2023, the old bylaw of 1 year wait applies. [Article 5.1.2 b]

They cannot join the internal waiting list until the required waiting period of two years has elapsed. The time the new member lived in the co-op previously to becoming a member does not count as part of the two (2) years’ wait. [Article 2.3.3 I]

They cannot inherit a unit alone until they have lived with the household for two (2) years after membership approval. Exception: Occupancy Bylaw, Article 10.4 Death of a member. However, they may be eligible to move with the rest of the household.

See restrictions on joining the waiting list in Article 5.1.2 (b).

4.  Splitting households (internal)

(a)  This is in the Occupancy Bylaw but the new Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw has more specific information.

(b)  There may be a requirement to move if one or more occupants move out and the remaining household does not meet occupancy standards. [Occupancy Bylaw Article 9.4] unless the remaining household has lived in the unit for three years and achieved tenure. For details see [Occupancy Bylaw, 9.4a].

(c)  The households on subsidy have their own rules on occupancy. See Appendix C of the Occupancy Bylaw and the Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw.

(d) There are more details in the Membership Bylaw, Article 5.3 Splitting a household.

(e) No trading of units
No trading of units directly between members will be permitted. [Article 5.4 No trading of units]

5.  External waiting lists for units

(a) Households who used the external membership process and have been approved by the Board as members are put on the external waiting list. (Staff transfers the information from the application form to the external waiting list. All prospective occupants must be listed.)   [Article 6.1]

(b) Management transfers requests from the external application form to the external waiting lists.

(c) Position on the external waiting list
The record date for determining an applicant’s place on the co-operative’s external waiting list will be the date when a completed application is received by the office.

6. All unit allocations, Internal and External

(a) All prospective occupants of the requested unit must be listed on the application form in order to meet occupancy standards.

(b) All households must meet occupancy standards for the unit size they have requested. There is a minimum of 1 occupant per bedroom except for the mid-rise and Wilton Street where a single member household can have a 2-bedroom unit. [Membership Bylaw Article 4 c, Article 4d; also Occupancy Bylaw 9.3]

Unit size

Minimum people

Exceptions
1 bedroom Minimum – 1 occupant None
2 bedroom Minimum – 1 occupant in mid-rise and Wilton Street only 2 occupants required for 2-bedroom townhouses.
3 bedroom Minimum – 3 occupants None
4 bedroom Minimum – 4 occupants None

(c) The household can be made of up people currently living in the co-op or those who will apply for long-term guest status when a unit is offered to their family / household. [Membership Bylaw, Article 4e]

(d) Management handles waiting lists, unit offers, and moves. Applicants, please update Management on contact information and household names. Delays in response may affect your position on the waiting lists.

7.  Unit preferences, internal and external

(a)  Applicants can join the lists for a maximum of two choices at any one time, for any unit for which they qualify. [Membership Bylaw, Article 4g]

(b) Applicants may specify that they only wish to live in a particular area of the co-operative, a particular floor, a particular type of unit or a particular unit or units.

(c) Adding special requests may delay being offered a unit. See 5.2.4 (b). This information is listed in the relocation application form.

(d) Applicants are skipped over by Management if the available unit does not meet the criteria selected by the member. This does not count as a refusal. [Article 4h]

(e) Adding criteria such as location does not give the household any priority for units when their preferred unit becomes available. They must be next on the waiting list when a match comes up for their preference. Adding criteria does not give the household the right to skip members above them on the waiting list.  [Article 4h] [Article 5.2.4b]

(f) Members can make changes to unit size or other preferences or household names without losing their place on the waiting list. [Article 4g]

8.  Making and receiving unit offers – alternating between waiting lists of the same size

This is the full Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw Article 4.1
See https://www.woodsworthcoop.ca/index.php/alternating-between-internal-and-external-waiting-lists-unit-allocation/

This  alternating between waiting lists is not the usual practice for Ontario co-ops but adopted by Woodsworth members, first just for 1 bedroom units, and then in 2023, all units in Membership Bylaw: Member Approval and Unit Allocation, Bylaw #84.

9.  Timelines for contacting people, accepting units, for internal and external unit allocations.

(a)  Contacting people with unit offers: if unable to contact the person next in line on the waiting list within three (3) business days, the unit will be offered to the next eligible member. It is considered a refusal.  [Internal – Article 5.5.1] [External – Article 6.2.4]

(b)  Making a decision: a household offered a unit will be given three (3) business days to decide whether to accept the unit  [Internal – Article 5.5.2] [External – Article 6.2a]

(c) Three refusals bump the household to the bottom of the list. [Internal – Article 5.5.3] [External – Article 6.2.5]

(d) No matter how many unit types or sizes or criteria the member indicates on their Request for Internal Relocation or application form, the number of allowed refusals does not change. [Internal – Article 5.5.3] [External – Article 6.2.5]

(e)  No reply or no contact/no response counts as a refusal. [Internal – Article 5.5.1], [External – Article 6.2.4]

(f)  For Priority Moves, after three refusals, they are removed from the priority waiting list. Management must notify the member. [Article 5.5.5]

(g)  Once a unit is accepted, the household is removed from the waiting list for other sizes or types of unit. [Article 4k]

10.  Move-in date requirements

(a)  Internal waiting list:  Members will be provided with at least thirty (30) days notice for an internal relocation. [5.5.7]
(b)  External list: They will not be required to take occupancy and commence payment of the housing charges until the first day of the third month following the offer, approximately sixty (60) days. [6.2.8]

11.  No fee

There is no relocation nor application fee. [Article 5]

12.  Special situations – priority list and wheelchair adapted units

(a) There is a priority waiting list.
Members who require accommodation for disabilities or other special circumstances can request a priority move. There are special rules in place for this. Contact Management. See Article 5.2.1 of the Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw and Schedule F.

(b) A few units designated as wheelchair adapted are filled differently. See Article 9 of the Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw, Wheelchair adapted units.

See the Membership Bylaw #84 and the relocation application form