More Housing for Nova Scotians, Op-ed

NOTE: The following is an op-ed from John Lohr, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Every Nova Scotian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Right now, we need more homes, faster. Our government understands the urgency, and we are taking bold action.

When we took office, no government had given housing any meaningful attention for years. Old rules and red tape were slowing down development, investment was stalled, and no new public housing had been built in close to 30 years.

This was unacceptable. Things had to change.

We got to work on solutions and created a plan. Our Homes, Action for Housing is the first plan of its kind that clearly sets out how we will work with partners to create the conditions for an additional 41,200 housing units over the next five years. The plan represents a $1.7-billion investment in Nova Scotians from one end of the province to the other. We’ve already made significant progress, and because of our bold approach Nova Scotia is now a national leader when it comes to our growth rate of housing starts. That means more shovels in the ground than in most other provinces.

Our focus is on people and families and, since taking office, our investments in housing have skyrocketed, helping thousands of Nova Scotians either stay in their homes or find housing. For the first time since the 1990s, government is building 273 new public housing units that will help over 700 people access safe and affordable housing.

Increased investments in our home repair programs helped 2,250 Nova Scotians last year, many who are seniors, stay in their homes. Our investment in community housing has increased ten-fold, with more than $120 million invested in the last two years. This has almost tripled the number of households supported.

Every affordable unit counts, and we must protect as many as we can. That is why, through our nationally recognized loan programs like our Community Housing Acquisition Program (CHAP), we have been able to preserve 483 affordable units, 187 which are supportive housing for our most vulnerable. We’ve also made it easier for first time homebuyers to purchase their first home by increasing the investment in that program to more than $4 million. Before we took office, it was only $400,000.

Rent supplements also help make life more affordable for Nova Scotians. That’s why we’ve quadrupled our investment in this program to $69 million annually. The year my government took office, about 3,000 Nova Scotians received a rent supplement. This year, more than 8,500 Nova Scotians will receive a rent supplement and that means people and families getting the help they need.

We are proud of our progress, but by no means are we done. I want all Nova Scotians to know housing is important to us, and we won’t stop until all Nova Scotians have a home.