NSNDP

February 18th, 2020

Housing crunch worsens with government inaction

HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia has a growing housing crisis with low vacancy rates and huge rent increases that are pushing people out of their homes. The Liberal government has failed to react to an issue that affects more and more people each day.

“We know that we need to make investments in new affordable housing units. Since 2013, the Liberals have abandoned building more affordable housing units and now we’re facing a housing crisis,” said NDP Housing spokesperson Lisa Roberts. “We need to work with communities to create more safe and affordable housing. We should be encouraging more housing co-ops, which create affordable options for diverse housing needs. And we need to revisit the NDP’s 2013 affordable housing strategy which would have invested $500 million over ten years.”

The housing situation in many parts of Nova Scotia is unsustainable. The vacancy rate in Halifax has dropped to 1 per cent and rent hikes in the hundreds of dollars are commonplace. One fifth of all households that rent now spend 50 per cent of their income, or more, on rent and utilities.

“It’s getting harder and harder for people to find a place to live that they can afford. Massive rental increases and low vacancy rates are pushing people out of their homes,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “We could have rent control which would help stabilize rents and we could properly regulate Airbnb so more long-term housing options stay available for residents to live in our communities. And we need a plan that adds more types of housing into the mix.”

The NDP’s 2013 plan would have included mixed-market development and neighbourhood revitalization at the Bloomfield site, including 400 new homes ranging from townhouses to high-rises. New Democrats are focused on proposing solutions, including rent controls, regulating short-term rentals, and building more housing units.

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