Houston’s housing plan not making homes more affordable

HALIFAX – Almost a year after Tim Houston’s Conservative government released their five-year housing plan, there is little to show for it as Nova Scotians continue to face record low vacancy rates and rapidly increasing housing costs.

During a Public Accounts Committee meeting Wednesday, NSNDP Leader Claudia Chender questioned housing officials about the lack of housing being built that Nova Scotians can actually afford.

“Currently, there is no standard government definition of ‘affordable’ and many of the ‘affordable’ homes the Houston government is planning will still cost 80 per cent of market rent,” said Chender. “With the inflated housing prices we’re seeing, 80 per cent of market rent is not affordable for many Nova Scotians. We need a standard definition of affordability that is connected to the actual incomes of Nova Scotians rather than the ever-increasing market rate.”

During the fall sitting of the legislature, New Democrats introduced legislation to officially define affordable housing as housing that costs no more than 30 per cent of a household’s before-tax income and develop guidelines for the funding of programs that prioritize deeply affordable, long-term affordable, and non-profit housing.

More and more Nova Scotian families, seniors and young people entering the labour market are stretched to afford their homes. The current public housing waitlist has ballooned to 7,000, about half of whom are seniors. While the Houston government has announced 273 new public housing units, only 17 were occupied as of Oct. 2.

“We have thousands of people, young workers, families and seniors on fixed incomes who can’t keep up with the rising cost of housing.” said Chender. “This government needs to understand the seriousness of this issue and incentivize homes that people at all income levels can actually afford.”

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