New Office in Port Hawkesbury

The province is taking a step to improve services to its clients in the Strait area. The Cape Breton Island Housing Authority will open an office in Port Hawkesbury next week, Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Ray White announced today.

"It was unreasonable to expect seniors in the Port Hawkesbury area to drive almost three hours return to Inverness to discuss an issue with authority staff," said the minister.

The office, in the vocational school, will be staffed as of Monday, Feb. 15. Clients will be able to obtain information about housing programs, fill out applications, pay rent and meet staff to discuss their housing issues.

"We will monitor the new office over the next few months to see if we are meeting the needs of our clients," said the minister.

The Cape Breton Island Housing Authority is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the province's public housing in the counties of Cape Breton (2704 units), Inverness (337 units), Victoria (62 units) and Richmond (117 units). The 3220 units provide affordable housing to families, seniors and other individuals in need. Residents are charged a rent based on income. The authority operates through offices in Sydney, Inverness, St. Peter's and Port Hawkesbury.