PATI Information Statement - Bermuda Housing Corporation

Introduction:

The Public Access to Information Act 2010 (PATI) legislation was designed to make central Government, and the larger public sector, more open and accountable by giving the public the legally enforceable right to request and access information subject to limited and prescribed exemptions.

The Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) outlines its mandate and legislative authority to provide affordable and quality housing and to promote home ownership to all Bermudians. The public will be able to identify the Minister for Public Works and the BHC Board as the governing authority of the Corporation. The

Information Statement outlines the roles and responsibilities of the various departments within the

Corporation and the requisite services that they provide. The Statement identifies the resources and assets of the Corporation and the allocation of those resources and assets to the extent that it does not breach confidentiality and security clauses of this legislation. The Statement provides the general public with an overview of the ongoing Capital development projects and the statement supports the BHC's mandate.

CLASSES OF INFORMATION NOT GENERALLY INCLUDED

While BHC is committed to disclosing information in compliance with the Public Access To Information (PATI) Act, there are compelling reasons to protect certain types of information. The following categories of information/documents will not be accessible. The potential harm caused by their disclosure outweighs the benefit to be derived from accessibility Employee Personnel information

Tenant Financial information

Tenant's personal and social reports considered to be confidential.

Court Matters

Legislation

BHC is subject to the following legislation which mandates the functions and activities of the organization:

Bermuda Housing Act 1980

Bermuda Housing Act Amendment 2006

SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CORPORATION

BHC provides a variety of services to ensure that its mandate and mission is fulfilled. In addition, it provides the assurance, through its services, that tenants will receive the necessary support to develop life skills that will assist them in achieving rental stability and/or the pursuit of homeownership opportunities. BHC provides landlord services to BHC owned units, Private Sector Rental Units, Leased properties, and Transitional Rooming Houses.

Implemented in 2007, BHC manages and operates the "Helping the Unemployed Sustain Themselves through Limited Employment" also known as the H.US.T.L.E. Programme which has assisted over 500 unemployed persons with time limited employment.

BHC also works in partnership with private developers in the development of new housing initiatives.

GOVERNANCE

BHC's decision making body is its Board of Directors. “The governing body of the Corporation shall be a board of directors (hereinafter referred to as the Board) consisting of a Chairman and Vice-Chairman appointed by the Minister, the three ex-officio members set out in the First Schedule and not less than seven or more than eleven further members appointed by the Minister, who together with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are hereinafter referred to as the appointed members.”[i]

The Board delegates some of its decisions to Sub Committees, and or to the BHC Management team. The Sub Committees of the Board are: -

Bermudiana Beach Resort & Finance, Property Development, Support Services and Human Resources.

Mission Statement

The Bermuda Housing Corporation's (BHC) Mission Statement is:

“To provide accessibility to adequate, affordable housing and promote independent living to enhance the quality of life in Bermuda"

The Vision Statement of the Bermuda Housing Corporation is:

"Every Bermudian will reside in an adequate and safe environment"

To provide an information statement for the public and promulgate it [s5],

To provide other information to the public so that the public needs only to have minimum resort to the use of the Act to obtain information [s6]. This includes:

General information, e.g. activities of the Authority

Log of all information requests and their outcome Quarterly expenditure (upon request) [s6(5)] Contracts valued at $50,000 or more.

To respond to information requests in a timely manner [s 12-16]

• To track information requests, and provide this data to the Information Commissioner

  To respond to requests from the Information Commissioner [s9]

  To amend personal information held by the Authority that it is wrong or misleading following a written request by the person to whom the information relates [s 1 9] To conduct an internal review if formally requested [part 5]

To give evidence for review by the Information Commissioner [part 6, 47(4)], or for judicial review [s49], if required

• To provide an annual written report to the Information Commissioner of the status of information requests [s58 (3)].

To do anything else as required under the PATI Act and subsequent Regulations [s59, 60], including:

Fees for Requests for information

Management and maintenance of records

Procedures for administering the Act

• To train staff and make arrangements so as to facilitate compliance with the Act [s6 1 ]

To designate one of its officers to be the person to whom requests are directed [s62]

Services:

FINANCE DEPARTMENT:

The Finance Department is responsible for ensuring that proper accounting records are maintained. It sets out guidelines and enforces policies and procedures relating to financial control and fiscal prudence at the Corporation. Significant policy documents include the Expenditure Authorization document that details the process for procuring contracts and the requirements for administering Purchase orders to opening Sealed Tender documents. The Finance team is tasked with managing the RGI set up and applying recharge maintenance expenses to tenant accounts. The Finance Department play a significant role in managing the payments made to Contractors for major Capital projects.

The Finance Department is tasked with ensuring that expenditures are managed, and cash flow is maintained in order to cover the expenditure presented. The Finance Department plays a significant role in steering the actions of the respective departments in requests for cash outlays and future planning. The Department manages the timing of the cash payments and ensures that the respective departments can carry out their mandates as efficiently as possible.

PROPERTY OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT:

The Property Operations Department is responsible for the maintenance of over 600 Bermuda Housing Corporation housing units. The Property Operations Department maintains an overall proactive approach to the maintenance of units. The Department currently operates with a full-time team of eleven personnel. They are supported by independent outside contractors who ensure that the Department can fulfill its mandate to maintain BHC properties.

The Department is tasked with three main areas of emphasis: preventative, emergency repair and remedial repair. The requests are managed via two direct telephone lines and one after-hours/on-call mobile phone. Tenants are issued the relevant numbers and contact detail of personnel in order to report emergencies and general maintenance requests. All maintenance requests are logged into the MRI property management database which facilitates electronic assignment of the call to a maintenance officer or an independent contractor. MRI also allows for the tracking of expenditures to Bermuda Housing Corporation properties. Completed capital developments are transferred from the Projects Department to the Property Operations Department to manage as part of existing BHC properties. The Department is guided by the regulatory framework of the Bermuda Housing Act of 1980 and all subsequent amendments. Departmental policies and procedures are in place to manage contractor lists and assign contracts while adhering to the Expenditure Policy document.

ADMINISTRATION:

The Administration Department operates under the direction of the General Manager and/or the Chief of Human Services and performs a wide variety of general clerical duties in support of BHC clients and the public. The department is comprised of four full time personnel. The Executive Assistant to the General Manager and BHC Board Secretary is the conduit for access to the General Manager and Board Chairman. The receptionist receives and directs all telephone calls and receives and directs all attending clients. The receptionist also receives mail, logs and distributes it. The Administration Department has the help of two office assistants who have responsibility daily for managing all office supplies, filing and messenger duties.

     SUPPORT SERVICES DEPARTMENT:

The Support Services Department (SSD) within the Corporation is responsible for ensuring that all applicants, tenants and other clients receive services applicable to their needs. SSD endeavors to efficiently and respectfully manage clients from a social perspective by assisting them with their immediate and future housing requirements prior to them obtaining housing or during their existing lease agreements with BHC.

Application Process

All clients seeking housing are required to complete an application form. All applications are valid for six months - clients must re-apply should they not remain in contact with the Corporation. Each client is

required to submit, in addition to the application, his/her Social Insurance number, a driver's license or passport and a current paystub or letter verifying employment and salary information. From a list on the application form clients indicate the reasons for their application to BHC. Each reason has a value computed that results in the client’s placement on either the critical, urgent or regular priority Waitlist. Following receipt of the application, clients are scheduled for an interview with the Support Services Department to ascertain actual need and priority.

Income is taken into consideration during the application process. Bermuda Housing Corporation subsidizes housing and therefore in comparison with the open market, rents are more affordable.

Rent

BHC has adopted a policy of Rent Geared to Income (RGI) for tenants in BHC owned units. This policy allows tenants who have low to moderate incomes to pay rent based on the combined household income rather than the BHC market value for that unit. Total household income applies to all working household members over the age of 18 who are working full-time. Rent Geared to Income is equal to 35% of the total household income; 25% is paid to BHC as rent and  is a required and mandatory tenant savings plan. Tenants on RGI will pay 25% of the household income for rent unless the market value for the unit is less. The purpose of RGI is to assist clients toward homeownership by including the mandatory savings plan.

Tenant Processes

Applicants who become tenants (clients) are required to pay a deposit which is equal to half of the BHC market value rent for that unit. Deposit and 1 ^st month's rent is due at the signing of the lease agreement.

Rent is due on the 1 ^st day of the month.

One month after initial occupancy tenants will be visited by a Rentals Inspector to initiate the first unit inspection. Inspections are performed every 6 months to ensure that BHC properties are kept in a reasonable state and to also check that the tenants are abiding by the tenant lease agreements. During the visits Rental Inspectors listen to clients concerns.

Social Service Agencies

Several Bermuda Housing Corporation clients have significant challenges that require specialized assistance. SSD often makes referrals to a variety of local social service agencies that will be of assistance to clients.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The Project Management Department is tasked with the responsibility to oversee, analyze and critique critical material data and statistics in order to produce cost effective solutions that facilitate Capital Projects for the Bermuda Housing Corporation.

The Department provides multifaceted approaches to the Building Environment through the use of Architecture, Urban Planning, Community Planning and Construction. The Department produces and contributes to significant portions of Architectural documentation in conjunction with private firms to ensure quality and comprehensiveness from which to make cogent decisions.

Presently, the Department consists of a Project Manager, Assistant Project Manager and a Project Officer.

Each post requires a unique and cohesive set of skills. Both the Project Manager and Assistant Project Manager are required to manage Capital Projects and major renovations. The Project Officer provides assistance to managers along with overseeing minor and major renovations. A large portion of the daily operations include but is not limited to; accounting tasks, various correspondence, contractor tendering, quality control and troubleshooting new / existing systems of newly constructed or existing properties. The Project Management Department solicits significant services from external providers, ranging from maintenance contracts to capital works projects. The Projects department is obligated to adhere to mandatory Government regulatory processes for Tendering and processing Customs Duty relief for the importation of construction materials, the procurement process and contractor selection process. When submitting periodic payment requests for capital work all documentation must adhere to BHC's policy for managing payments and retentions on capital projects.

HUMAN RESOURCE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The Human Resource Department of Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC) is independent of the Government Human Resource Department. BHC manages the complete HR process from recruitment to hiring, compensation and benefits, training and development, workforce planning, restructure and retooling, employee relations and salary negotiations.

Policies and procedures currently employed to guide HR practitioners in their day to day operations are the BHC Code of Conduct, The Collective Bargaining Agreement, Leave Policy Document, and Uniform Policy.

Additionally, Employment Act 2000, The National Pensions Scheme 2000, CURE Legislation, Human Rights Legislation, Payroll Tax Act and Old Age Pensions Legislation (Social Insurance).

Employee personnel records are managed within the HR Department. Public access to specific names of employees is not permitted in accordance with the PATI Legislation.

The HR Department can provide information pertaining to the organization structure, the number of employees within the organization, the number of positions available and a description of the positions. The HR Department can provide the Job Descriptions and the salary range applicable to those positions. In accordance with PATI, no specific employee information may be disclosed in relation to Position and Salary scale.

PROGRAMMES

Budget setting procedures and financial governance is paramount when managing the daily operations of the Corporation and planning future capital developments and/or major maintenance overhauls to existing properties. The BHC Board is responsible for the setting of policy and procedures. The Corporation must also follow industry best practices and is guided by the terms and conditions as established in the Government of Ben-nuda's set of financial instructions. The Corporation is required by law to produce a set of Audited Financial statements on an Annual Basis, currently audited by The Auditor  General. The latest statements are included as Appendix Il.

Capital Projects:

Currently the Corporation is managing the construction and redevelopment  of the site known the Grand Atlantic Development as it is  transfigured into a Condo Hotel to be known as the Bermudiana Beach Resort.. An active sales team is in force to facilitate the sales of this multi-unit project comprising of studio, one (1) bedroom , two (2) bedroom and (3) bedroom condominiums .

Operating Contracts:

Operationally the Corporation is engaged in contractual agreements for services in various areas relating to property maintenance, rentals, and development.  These are gazette once a year as part of our PATI requirements.   In response to the significant increase in serious crime in Bermuda, and the required precautionary measures due to the COVID 19 pandemic being instituted, it is sensible to engage security personnel to be available on site specifically at BHC's multi dwelling rooming-house complexes. These contracts amount to approximately $600K per annum.

Bermuda Housing Corporation

2023/2022 Budget Estimates

Mortgage Policy

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Dress Code Policy

Expenditure Authorization Policy

Rentals Policy

Maintenance Policy

Procedure for Capital Projects Policy

The Collective Bargaining Agreement

Code of Conduct     Leave Policy Document

Uniform Policy.

Bullying and Sexual Harassment Policy

Additionally, the HR Department is bound by Legislation applicable to employment practices such as the Employment Act 2000, The National Pensions Scheme 2000, CURE Legislation, Human Rights

Legislation, Payroll Tax Act and Old Age Pensions Legislation (Social Insurance).

YOU MAY DIRECT YOUR REQUEST TO:

Mrs. Joy Symonds

Chief of Human Services

The Bermuda Housing Corporation

Tel: (441) 295-8623 ext. 221

Fax: (441) 295-2605

             Email: Joys@bhc.bm

LISTS AND REGISTERS

The Property Asset List can be obtained from the Land Valuation Department and the BHC MRI database.

      The Finance Department maintains copies of the Property Deeds that are held by BHC along with the information asset register.

Every public authority shall update its information statement at least once a year, and make it available for inspection by the public at reasonable times by [s5(I -5), PATI Act]: Date Information Statement was updated: December 13^th , 2021

Locations of Information Statement:

The Bermuda Housing Corporation, Seven Arches Building, 44 Church Street, Hamilton: 

The Bermuda National Library:

The Bermuda Archives:

Available electronically: Website for public authority www.bhc.bm:

With the Information Commissioner:

Sign and Date:

Paul Martin, General Manager