Affordable Housing Project Announced For Halifax

COMMUNITY SERVICES--Affordable Housing Project Announced For Halifax

Six metro families will be able to make the move to home ownership thanks to $240,000 in joint funding under the Canada- Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Agreement.

The new affordable housing project announcement was made today, Dec. 8, by Nova Scotia Community Services Minister David Morse and Steven Mahoney, Secretary of State responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The Creighton/Gerrish Development Association is receiving the federal-provincial funding to construct six semi-detached dwellings on Creighton Street in Halifax. The units will be sold to moderate-income families who are able to move to modest home ownership.

(l to r Grant Wanzel, Steven Mahoney and David Morse)

"This new affordable housing project means that moderate-income families -- many of whom already live in the neighbourhood -- will be able to make the move to home ownership," said Mr. Morse, who is co-chair of the National Housing Ministers' Conference to be held in Halifax in 2004. "Affordable home ownership is an important part of the housing mix for a strong, healthy community."

"Accessibility to home ownership is an important component of meeting the affordable housing needs of Canadians," said Mr. Mahoney. "This project will provide that opportunity to Halifax families and also help to revitalize this neighbourhood for current and future residents."

"We are very pleased with the announcement of funding for the second stage of the Creighton/Gerrish development," said Grant Wanzel, president of Creighton/Gerrish Development Association. "Together with our friends and colleagues around Nova Scotia, we look forward to further such announcements. There's no question of the need for affordable housing in all parts of the province. We are grateful for the significant contributions of the federal and provincial governments, and the municipality."

The two-storey, semi-detached homes will be constructed on Creighton Street in Halifax. Each home will contain three bedrooms and feature 1,100 square feet of finished space, along with an unfinished and fully street-accessible basement with roughed-in plumbing. Construction on the project will begin immediately and is expected to take about six to nine months.

The Creighton/Gerrish development is the second project to receive funding under the new affordable housing program. The first project -- a 15-unit complex for low- to moderate-income earners in the Annapolis Valley -- was completed last month.

It is expected that up to 1,500 affordable housing units will be created or renovated under the $37.26-million Affordable Housing agreement by 2007. The government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, will contribute $18.63 million. These funds will be matched by the province of Nova Scotia and other housing partners, as part of a larger strategy to provide a range of housing options for Nova Scotians.