3. Results - Canadian Forces Housing Agency Annual Report 2019-2020
3.1 Housing
Investments in the Housing Portfolio
- Invested over $118.5M into the housing portfolio
- 81% of the rent revenue was directed back into the portfolio
- 59 recapitalized RHUs
- 119 new bathrooms
- 99 new kitchens
- 12 new RHUs built, six single houses in Trenton and six apartments in Moose Jaw
- 331 exterior renovations completed
- 95 interior renovations completed
- 83.6% of the housing portfolio considered to be in average or above condition as stated in the Departmental Results Framework
Noteworthy
- All RHUs in North Bay are now equipped with air-conditioning
- Halifax completed the recapitalization of two apartment building basements with storage and laundry room and a dedicated modern utility room
- Both Cold Lake and Edmonton provided new furnaces and hot water tanks for 114 and 26 RHUs respectively
- 24 roofs were replaced in Shilo
- Better drainage was provided for 38 RHUs in Wainwright and Winnipeg
- Roofs were replaced in Halifax of three conjoined apartment buildings to sloped steel instead of the flat bitumen asphalt, which will provide better drainage and will help with insulation; this is not only more energy efficient, but will also last for over 20 years
Results full text
59 recapitalized RHUs
119 new bathrooms
99 new kitchens
12 new RHUs built
331 exterior renovations completed
95 interior renovations completed
| Investments in the Housing Portfolio |
Amount | |
| RHU recapitalization/renovation |
*394 | $36.5M |
| RHU maintenance and repairs |
$36.2M |
|
| RHU lifecycle – replacement of major components that are at or near the end of their useful life |
$37.6M | |
| RHU – new builds |
12 | $5.3M |
| RHU demolitions |
21 | $2.3M |
* CFHA implemented 394 recapitalization and renovation projects last year, of varying scopes; units may be impacted by multiple projects throughout the year, depending on the nature of the work.
3.2 Occupant survey results
In 2019-2020, CFHA surveyed occupants through a third party to ascertain the level of satisfaction with their RHU and Agency services. Survey results indicate an improvement in satisfaction with housing, housing services and with occupant communication.
The most determining factors that influence our occupant satisfaction remain the condition of their RHU, experiences with repairs and renovations, and communication on house-related issues.
Noteworthy highlights from the survey results include:
Experience and satisfaction with DND housing
- 85% of occupants are at least somewhat satisfied with their current accommodation
- 68% of occupants say the condition of the house to be the most important housing attribute
Experience and satisfaction with CFHA Services
- More than 6/10 occupants now rate CFHA service as excellent or good
- 50% of occupants give a rating of excellent to staff friendliness and courteousness
- Occupants are strongly satisfied with the quality and speed of both renovations and repairs, and with the promptness of the contractor
- 79% of occupants are satisfied with services received after hours
CFHA communications
- 6/10 occupants say that CFHA’s communication is excellent or good
- 50% of occupants use the CFHA website
Quality of life
- 45% of occupants believe that quality housing contributes to their overall satisfaction with life in the CAF
- Almost all occupants continue to say that the distances between home and regular destinations like work, their child’s school or daycare, recreation, and shopping are reasonable
Full text - quote
79% of occupants are satisfied with services received after hours.
3.3 Modernizing our services
In response to Beyond 2020’s vision that promotes a modern and agile workplace, CFHA is committed to providing the necessary tools and equipment to staff in order to achieve customer service excellence. In 2019-2020, we successfully implemented the use of new communication products and processes to improve the occupant experience.
3.3.1 Digitizing our services
A pilot project was initiated in 2019-2020 with the goal of modernizing services for occupants. Technicians were provided with tablets in order to assist them in performing their work on location. In addition to streamlining the service order request process, the project was also part of an environmental initiative. Technical Service Officers (TSO) from five Housing Service Centres (HSCs) were part of the pilot and they will continue to use the technology as other HSCs are on boarded. The pilot was met with enthusiasm from the staff who were more than happy to adapt to a modern and agile workplace. Indeed, TSOs from Esquimalt, Greenwood, Moose Jaw, Montreal and Ottawa, supported the expansion of this initiative for implementation across the country.
In following with the occupants’ preference for receiving more digital communications, we launched a digital welcome kit. This essential information featuring quick links and helpful guides is now provided to occupants through email and readily available for quick reference. Customer service representatives were consulted in the making of the digital welcome kit during a country wide workshop. Their participation was crucial to assess frontline key communication that would meet occupant needs and in adapting communication products going forward.
3.3.2 Twitter
We saw a steady increase in followers on Twitter. CFHA’s account was used to increase awareness of the Agency’s services, initiatives, investments, and job opportunities. The Twitter account was also useful to foster relationships with stakeholders. Our increased engagement on the platform enabled us to reach thousands of occupants and key stakeholders every week. Indeed, within the year, we doubled our number of followers and we reached an average of 21,000 impressions a month.
Full text - Twitter statistics
2019-20 @CFHA_ALFC Twitter summary
Tweets: 176
Retweets: 347
Likes: 522
Average engagement rate: 1.16%
Links clicks: 555
Impressions: 256,609
Followers: 282
New followers: 134
*Average engagement rate on Twitter is of 0.5%
3.3.3 Military housing on Canada.ca
The Agency continued to update content on Canada.ca and improve the user experience. Multiple efforts were made to increase the use of web content through occupant communications, such as notices, tweets and the digital welcome kit.
| 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | |
| Yearly average of monthly visitors | 3,799 | 9,233 |
| Yearly average of page views monthly | 15,760 | 33,853 |
Over the 2019-2020 year, we have seen:
- Over 110,000 visitors
- Total visitors increased 2.4 times over the previous year
- Over 406,000 pages viewed
3.4 Recipient of a platinum level excellence award in November 2019
At CFHA, it is in our second nature to strive for excellence and continual improvement in all that we do. We are committed to working together across the Agency to provide the very best in housing services to the CAF and their families. As such, CFHA has been on a journey with Excellence Canada (EC) for several years. The support to daily work, improvements made to our governance, the willingness to innovate, and the wellness in our workplace has been the direct result of the team’s dedication, and in the background of our complex machine, the pivotal guidance of Excellence Canada in supporting the advancement of our journey. Together we produced outstanding results year over year. In recognition of that achievement, CFHA was recognized by EC for meeting the mark of a world-class organization and received a Platinum Certification, making it our third Canada award for Excellence, Innovation, and Wellness from EC.
Page details
- Date modified: