Province Creates Community Housing Growth Fund
The government is investing $2.5 million to create a community housing growth fund to strengthen the sector and grow the number of non-profit housing units in Nova Scotia.
“Non-profit and co-operative housing play an important role in helping to create healthy, vibrant and affordable communities,” said Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr. “Growing the sector is key to increasing the supply of affordable housing options and that means groups need the tools and expertise to oversee new developments and manage ongoing operations effectively. This delivers on the Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Commission’s recommendation to create a community housing growth fund.”
The Community Housing Transformation Centre will administer the program and allocate funds to approved projects over the next two years. Areas of focus include:
- capacity building
- planning and pre-development
- research and innovation
- creation of a new Provincial Non-Profit Housing Association.
The centre will also contribute $550,000 to support capacity building in the sector and the operational needs of the non-profit housing association.
Selection committees, which will include representatives of the centre, Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing and community housing sector, will review and approve projects.
The program guidelines are in development and a call for proposals will be issued in the coming months.
Quotes:
“The centre is very pleased to see this major project come to fruition. This is an important step forward in structuring community housing in Nova Scotia and we are proud to be part of it.”
– Stephan Corriveau, Executive Director, Community Housing Transformation Centre
“This is an exciting and essential development. It puts the province on a path in the right direction. Developing the capacity of the community housing sector is a central and key component to addressing affordable housing in Nova Scotia.”
– Timothy Crooks, Executive Director, Phoenix Youth Programs; Board President, Canadian Housing and Renewal Association
Quick Facts:
- the Community Housing Transformation Centre is a non-profit group that provides financial support and organizational development tools to community housing organizations across Canada
- the centre has allocated more than $800,000 in grants to community housing in Nova Scotia over the past three years
- in 2021-22, the Province invested more than $35 million to create over 1,100 new affordable housing units across the province, including 425 rent supplements
- Budget 2022-23 contains $15 million more for affordable housing programs and funding for 550 new rent supplements
- the Province now offers more than 5,500 rent supplements every month to help Nova Scotians with the cost of rent
Additional Resources:
The Community Housing Transformation Centre website: https://centre.support/nova-scotia-community-housing-growth-fund/
A Healthy Nova Scotia: Solutions for Housing and Homelessness: https://beta.novascotia.ca/documents/solutions-housing-and-homelessness/
Mandate letter of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-MAH-EMO-MR.pdf
Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Commission Report: https://beta.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/documents/1-2679/charting-new-course-affordable-housing-nova-scotia-en.pdf