Communities Get $128 Million in Affordable Housing Funding

Communities from Sydney to Yarmouth are receiving stimulus funding to provide affordable housing, and create construction jobs for Nova Scotians.

A federal-provincial housing partnership will deliver $128 million for the construction and renovation of affordable housing throughout the province.

Premier Rodney MacDonald, Community Services Minister Chris d'Entremont, together with MP Greg Kerr, on behalf of Diane Finley, Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation today, May 1, in Halifax, outlined regions where the new housing investments will be made.

Work includes the creation, renovation and upgrading of social housing units.

About $20 million will be spent on more than 2,000 units in Cape Breton, northern Nova Scotia will receive about $10 million for 1,300 units, central Nova Scotia will get about $50 million for about 3,700 units and about $16 million will be invested in more than 1,600 units in the western region.

"This investment in affordable housing is a major part of Nova Scotia's Building for Growth provincial infrastructure plan, which will inject close to $2 billion into our economy over the next three years," said Premier MacDonald. "The housing stimulus funding is also a major component of the province's poverty reduction strategy."

In total, 400 new housing units will be created and renovations and energy upgrades will be done to over 1,100 public housing buildings, co-ops and non-profits. The program includes about 8,600 individual social housing units.

"Our government is moving aggressively to ensure Canada's Economic Action Plan is implemented rapidly here in Nova Scotia and across Canada," said Mr. Kerr. "I'm pleased that more lower-income individuals, families, seniors and persons with disabilities, will benefit from safe, affordable housing in their communities."

"This federal-provincial partnership to build new and renovate existing affordable housing will provide jobs, a better quality of life for many Nova Scotians and a stronger provincial economy," said Mr. d'Entremont. "We will build more affordable housing, help seniors stay in their homes longer with renovations, and help the disabled with rent subsidies."

The remaining $32 million of the $128 million will go towards continued funding for existing provincial repair programs and affordable housing, made possible through partnerships with private developers and non-profits.

On April 29, the federal and provincial governments signed extensions to two Canada-Nova Scotia Housing program agreements, which contain funding for the new Housing Stimulus Plan, the continuation of the Affordable Housing Program, plus the Housing Renovation Program Agreement.

To date, under the Affordable Housing Program, more than 1,200 affordable housing units have been created or preserved around Nova Scotia.