Housing crisis must be addressed ahead of colder weather

HALIFAX -- One month since the removal of temporary shelters in HRM, the Conservative government has still taken no significant action to address the housing crisis. The NDP is calling on the provincial Conservatives to make rent control permanent and address the urgent need for housing, ahead of the winter.

“This is not an issue that can be ignored,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “Today, we are hearing that people who had been in hotels have been asked to leave with nowhere else to go. If Tim Houston and the Conservative government keeps failing to give the housing crisis the priority it demands, we will go into the colder months with more people homeless and living in unsafe conditions, whether sleeping in their cars, on the streets, or in tents.”

The vacancy rate in Halifax remains one of the worst in the country at 1.9 per cent.

“Everywhere you look in Nova Scotia, people are facing a crisis with finding affordable housing. Families are worried about rent increases in the fall or winter that could put them out on the streets,” said NDP Housing spokesperson Suzy Hansen. “Extending rent control, and rapidly increasing affordable housing are essential to ensure people have a safe and affordable place to live in the weeks and months ahead.”

The NDP continues to call for permanent rent control and rapid increases in truly accessible, affordable housing for all those in need.

-30-