Province Celebrates Access to Safe, Affordable Housing on World Habitat Day

NOTE: The following is an op-ed piece from Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse.

Access to adequate, affordable housing is the foundation of our fight to end poverty.

As Minister of Community Services, I am proud to say that more Nova Scotians today have a safe and affordable place to call home compared to previous years. In partnership with the federal government, the province has invested $145 million into affordable housing since 2009.

On the first day of October, Nova Scotia is marking World Habitat Day by reflecting on recent accomplishments and focusing on the work ahead to address the housing needs of many Nova Scotians.

Last year alone, the Nova Scotia Housing Development Corporation provided assistance to create or preserve thousands of homes across the province, helping:

• thousands of households carry out needed health and safety related home repairs
• hundreds of seniors or persons with disabilities to adapt or modify their homes so they can continue to live independently in their communities
• to create new affordable rental units through new construction or conversion of existing non-residential buildings
• developers preserve affordable rental units.

Our efforts are making a difference in the lives of many Nova Scotians. Working closely with our housing partners, we know we can do even more to reduce housing poverty and provide more affordable and sustainable housing throughout the province.

We recently heard from the people that lead the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and they recognized our work with housing co-operatives to help protect, preserve and restore the valuable supply of mixed-income, affordable housing. In fact, Nova Scotia was one of the very few provinces to earmark funding for co-operative housing in its last budget.

An innovative pilot project is targeting people living in shelters to help transition them to long-term, supportive housing. So far, this initiative has helped 200 people make the move into safe, long-term housing.

While it is important to celebrate the progress we've made so far, we must now turn our attention to the challenges ahead. Later this fall, a series of public consultations will get underway that will help shape a bold and comprehensive long-term housing strategy. I encourage everyone to get involved so we can continue to build more prosperous and inclusive communities.

For more information about affordable housing in Nova Scotia, visit www.gov.ns.ca/coms/affordablehousing .