Let's Talk Affordable Housing!

Convert some offices. Maybe in the former Alliant building or in the Nova Center.

The Nova Center is not full of tenants.

Update high energy cost producing appliances and heating systems

Affordable housing is only affordable if the costs to run them is too. Often in some rentals, tenants need to pay heat, water, electricity and those bills can be quite high, making it more difficult for people to rent.

Better city planning

New developments needed to have a broader scope in ensuring they have a variety of options - not just high end, not just affordable, but a mix. In addition, they should be required to ensure that they link communities through a variety of transportation (not built around needing a car). For example, side walks for pedestrian traffic need to be included in plans.

More wheelchair accessible homes for disabled and seniors .

We still have seniors having to give up their family homes because some can not get to their second floor . These seniors are looking for homes that are manageable for their needs and affordable on their pensions without having to entry a retirement home. Maybe we can make it mandatory that half of the new projects be for seniors / disability and built with quality and easy access , no outdoor steps .

AirBnB Regulation in Rural Mi'kma'ki/NS

I live in Lunenburg county. Gratefully, I am a home owner, but I have many friends who rent. It is extremely difficult for many of them to find stable and affordable long-term rentals. Many of the buildings in our area are are either full-time AirBnB buildings or seasonal AirBnB rentals. This causes families to either have to move every six months, or get pushed out of the community altogether!

We have individuals reling on the government that make $10k a year & less... Income per year 10K = 30% Rent = $250 per month

Like the Canadian center for policy alternatives does- 30% of income.

Define low income first. This is different for each place. After that target housing to each income decile ensuring >30% after tax income.

Set income standards...

Set income standards based on cost of living so more people can qualify for affordable housing.

Expand social housing run by non-government organizations

Communities know how to best meet their housing needs, echoing many of the comments here, simply funding those initiatives is a good start. Many models exist that take care of governance and financing, see below: https://futuredistributed.org/social-housing-denmark/

Certain public buildings may be convertible. Existing public lands are likely the best option. Develop policy for surplus lands.

Work with municipalities. They usually already know the housing needs. Fund the projects.

Facilitate expansion of existing coops, i.e. land purchase/donation, creating accessible, affordable housing for aging coop members.

Support for cohousing models

I am only beginning to learn about cohousing, an innovative model of creating “intentional communities” where individuals own their unit or home but share land and other resources, such as a common gathering/eating area (in addition to kitchens in individual units), playgrounds, gardens, etc. The people within the community design its vision but often these communities are multi-generational and there’s a commitment to acting together as a community. This model, in addition to providing an affordable way of living (obviously dependent on the scope and scale of the community) also offers a remedy to social isolation. There are two cohousing developments currently underway in Nova Scotia in Bridgewater and Wolfville. I would love to see something similar in HRM and would be happy to be involved in helping to shape it. However because there is no grant or funding model to support start up costs or enable loans, it requires a significant financial investment and risk on the part of those starting it up, as well as a huge investment of time, making it almost out of reach. This model of housing has been highly successful in Scandinavian countries, the US and even other parts of Canada. There is a HUGE opportunity here!

Converting already existing buildings and forming co-operatives.

A New Crown Corporation for Assisted Living

Many seniors are looking at relocating to assisted living facilities as they age. Unfortunately, there’s a shortage of assisted living units in the province and demand is rapidly rising. The province should establish a new crown corporation to build and run assisted living facilities that can cater to the broad spectrum of seniors needs. Pricing could even be dynamic, with wealthier seniors paying a bit more, and those with lower incomes paying less. We can also subsidize the stays of residents who choose to sell or rent their long-time homes at below market rates, increasing affordable housing stock for younger Nova Scotians.

Accessibility is a Must

Senior housing must be accessible and near city and town amenities. We need more single level housing with adequate space for both singles and couples. Turn around on existing spaces must also improve. It is terrible to see units vacant for months when there is a waiting list for homes.

Sell land to them or give them land. Use Cogswell for that.

All the housing units should be equipped with solar panels

I believe that all low income housing should have solar panels to create their own power to avoid the large bills from the power corp . Housing with children and seniors are always have to be warmer and the heating bills are very hard to pay for low income . With the money saved we would be able to put it towards the internet bills , which everyone needs these days .

Our income doesn't match the cost of living in NS. We need a basic income to help bridge the gap to cover things like rent, not a supplemnt

Convert the convention center meeting rooms for housing. The municipality and the province already own it.

Mandating Enough New Units be Built Each Year to Account for Population Growth

"Sometimes the problems are complicated, and the answers are simple" – Dr. Seuss. There will be a housing crisis as long as we don't have enough dwellings for all the people living in the province. We can assess the number of newcomers from existing records (we already keep track of this), divide by average household size (which we also already keep track of), and write into law that we must build that many new units per year every year. If traditional developments don't provide that many, then the province steps in to fill the gap. We can also refine this to make sure new builds account for the provincial income distribution, and regional differences (again, data we already have). Incentives and grants are great, but if they don't have the desired results, we need a robust back-up.

Encourage private supply and entry to market by effecting changes to the RTA to deal with bad tenants quickly and effectively.

Encourage private supply and entry

Build social housing

Either through agreements with community housing orgs or directly by housing authorities, build homes for people.