A commission looking into Nova Scotia’s affordable housing shortage is calling on the province to swiftly invest $25 million to support 600 to 900 households in finding reasonably priced, safe accommodation.
The 61-page report prepared by the Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Commission and released today comes after a public outcry last fall over a series of evictions of low-income tenants and rising homelessness in Halifax.
The provincial Liberal government brought in temporary rent controls in November, capping annual increases at two per cent annually, and appointed a 17-person commission to propose solutions to a low-income housing shortage that it said was growing worse during the pandemic.
The commission’s report says rising housing costs, high energy costs, a growing population and Nova Scotia’s high poverty rate created a “perfect storm” last year that pushed the housing system to a breaking point.
It calls for the government to commit within 100 days to provide funding for quick access to affordable housing to 600 to 900 households.
The commission notes the longer-term funding need is much larger but says this initial investment would help deal with the current crisis in the province.