Province investing $19.5 million to improve affordable housing
Posted Dec 13, 2022 04:43:00 PM.
The province has announced it will be investing $19.5 million into affordable housing and modular homes. This is meant to make improvements on existing affordable housing and add more modular housing units.
The majority of this fund, $12.5 million, is going to the Community Housing Infrastructure and Repair Program, which is focused on making repairs to existing community housing, with a focus on accessibility and safety. With this program the province hopes to upgrade 150 units in HRM through forgivable loans to the Housing Trust of Nova Scotia.
Another $2 million, the smallest portion of the fund, will be used to build new modular housing to help people who are struggling with homelessness and sleeping rough get shelter.
The province has not yet said how many units this fund will add, or the timeline of their construction.
$2.5 million is going to the Community Housing Growth Fund. This supports different non-profits and co-ops as they design and plan new affordable housing projects.
The remaining $2.5 million will be invested in the Rental Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. This is meant to help landlords who rent out more affordable units with repairs so they can keep rent on the low end of the market.
The province previously budgeted more than $12.4 million for these three programs, bringing the total investment this year to around $29.9 million.
There are currently almost 700 people experiencing homelessness in Halifax according to a recent report from the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
