More Affordable Housing for Strait Region
New housing units on Reeves Street in Port Hawkesbury. (Province of Nova Scotia)
The Province is investing to build more affordable housing in Port Hawkesbury and Arichat.
Projects in the communities will add a total of 29 affordable units among the 50 under construction.
“We said we would build more housing, faster, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” said Kyle MacQuarrie, MLA for Inverness, on behalf of Growth and Development Minister Colton LeBlanc. “Projects like these in Port Hawkesbury and Arichat not only increase access to housing and enhance affordability for people in the Strait region, the investments are also helping the local economies grow and communities thrive.”
DC Developments Inc. is constructing 40 new housing units, including 20 affordable units, at 100 Reeves St. in Port Hawkesbury. The new development features a mix of studio and one-bedroom units and is within walking distance of the Nova Scotia Community College Strait Area campus. Total development costs for the project amount to $7.82 million, with the Province providing more than $2 million in forgivable funding through the Affordable Housing Development Program.
In Arichat, Lennox Place Limited is converting a commercial building at 818 Veterans Memorial Dr. to residential housing. The project will see the addition of 10 new housing units in the community, nine of which will be affordable. Total development costs for the conversion project are about $2.1 million, with the Province providing $990,000 in forgivable funding.
The two projects represent a combined investment of about $3 million in affordable housing. Since 2021, the government has invested $283 million in 3,054 affordable units, and these numbers continue to grow.
Quotes:
“We’re excited to work with the Province on an affordable housing project that will support the Strait area, an important hub for so many rural communities in Nova Scotia. Quality housing strengthens communities, and we are proud to play a role in that success for the Strait region.”
— Jeremey Carroll, Director, DC Developments Inc.
“Lennox Place Limited is incredibly grateful for the support from the Province, which has been essential in bringing this project to life. This 10-unit apartment building in rural Arichat, Nova Scotia, will provide safe, affordable homes for local residents in a region where housing options are limited. As a local developer, I’m proud to contribute to a project that supports the retention of families, seniors and individuals in our community.”
— Rachelle Samson, owner, Lennox Place Limited
Quick Facts:
- Brela Homes is managing rentals for DC Developments Inc.
- since 2023, the Province has paved the way to create 51,352 new housing units under the Our Homes, Action for Housing plan
- in 2024, four modular housing units purchased for a program that provided temporary housing to people displaced by wildfires were repurposed for healthcare and other skilled workers and their families in Port Hawkesbury; all four units are occupied
- community housing organizations and private developers can apply for forgivable loans from Nova Scotia’s Affordable Housing Development Program to help fund the construction of new housing or the conversion of non-residential buildings
Additional Resources:
Brela Homes: https://brelahomes.ca/
News release – Housing Plan Progress Exceeds Targets in First Year: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/02/24/housing-plan-progress-exceeds-targets-first-year
News release – More Housing Options for Healthcare Workers in Guysborough, Port Hawkesbury: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/03/26/more-housing-options-healthcare-workers-guysborough-port-hawkesbury
Our Homes, Action for Housing: https://novascotia.ca/action-for-housing/docs/strategic-plan-action-for-housing.pdf