A new federal-provincial housing agreement means more seniors, families and persons with disabilities in the province will be able to find an affordable place to call home.
The $102-million, five-year investment announced today, Aug.
5, is cost-shared 50-50 by the governments of Nova Scotia and Canada is an extension to the Investment in Affordable Housing agreement.
“Too many families and seniors still need affordable housing,” said Community Services Minister Joanne Bernard, who is responsible for Housing Nova Scotia. “The extension of this agreement will help us provide more affordable housing, help seniors live independently in their homes longer, and provide assistance to persons with disabilities to make adaptations to their home.
“We can’t do this work alone and I want to thank the community groups and partners who are working with us to ensure more Nova Scotians have an affordable home.”
The federal portion of the funding comes from Economic Action Plan 2013.
“This investment further demonstrates our government’s commitment to helping Nova Scotians access safe and affordable housing in their communities, while also creating jobs for the local economy,” said Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Canada. “Through this considerable investment, the province of Nova Scotia will be able to direct funding towards housing solutions that best meet local needs and priorities.”
Housing Nova Scotia will streamline its programs to help low- and modest-income families make important repairs to their homes. New initiatives under the Nova Scotia Housing Strategy will include a range of affordable housing options for owners and renters, paths to home ownership, and increased support to seniors, persons with disabilities and vulnerable Nova Scotians.
“Initiatives such as this federal-provincial agreement are crucial to ensuring we continue to work together to provide quality, choice and affordable housing for all Nova Scotians,” said Paul Pettipas, CEO of the Nova Scotia Home Builders’ Association.
“Funding such as this also creates work and jobs for contractors, builders, construction workers and tradespeople, while providing needed improvements to housing, making Nova Scotia an even better place to live, work and grow.”
The original Investment in Affordable Housing agreement was a combined investment of about $61 million for 2011-14. Today’s extension, which runs to 2019, was announced at the Bloomfield Centre in Halifax, a former school being redeveloped as a mixed-use, mixed-income community of at least 478 residential units that will also include non-profit, community and commercial space
The original agreement helped more than 183,600 households nationally and about 7,400 in Nova Scotia.
Housing Nova Scotia’s mandate is to deliver innovative housing strategies to ensure Nova Scotians can find a home right for them, at a price they can afford, in a healthy, vibrant community with the services and supports they need. For more information on Housing Nova Scotia, visit http://www.housingns.ca .
To find out more about how the government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, is working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca/affordablehousing . For more information on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, call 1-800-OCanada or visit www.actionplan.gc.ca .
Source: Release
