A walk through many neighbourhoods of Halifax Regional Municipality will show construction of housing underway in new multi unit buildings that have capacity for hundreds of people to live. The target residents for this new construction are not likely to be those most in need of adequate shelter. Fixed term leases have become more common and rent increases have not been capped at levels needed to ensure tenants can expect to be able to continue to finance housing which should be a right for all in Canada.
ACORN Canada news and events presents an article by Brendyn Creamer written for The Coast that reports the NSNDP promises to scrap fixed-term leases and lower rent cap if elected.
In a press release on Oct 31, party leader Claudia Chender said if the NDP form the next government, they would ban fixed-term leases. This practice allows landlords to boot tenants after their lease is up and increase the rent of units, effectively bypassing the 5% annual rent cap enacted by premier Tim Houston’s government.
Chender also said she would cut the cap in half, meaning yearly increases to rent would not be more than 2.5% of what tenants are already paying. She says she would do this immediately.
The release notes that rent increased 18% last year on average, and that the typical one-bedroom apartment costs $2,000 per month in Nova Scotia. They also said the vacancy rate is 1%. The CMHC’s 2023 rental market report shows that the vacancy rate in Halifax last year was 1%, and noted that the average two-bedroom apartment rent is $1,628—up from 11% the previous year, although other sources claim that it has only become worse in 2024. (ACORN Canada, n.d.)
Social Housing & Human Rights, a coalition of organizations and individuals advocating for more federal investment in social housing in Canada, reports that more than 2.68 million Canadians are in core housing need – unable to find a home that meets the acceptable housing standards of adequacy, suitability and affordability.
Adequate
Housing is considered adequate if it is not in need of major repairs.
Suitable
Housing is considered suitable if there are enough bedrooms for the size and make-up of the resident household.
Affordable
Housing is considered affordable if it costs less than 30% of before-tax household income.
Some groups are harder hit than others. Women-led single parent households, racialized and newcomer families, people with disabilities, and First Nations, Metis, and Inuit households are over-represented in core housing need. (Social Housing and Human Rights, n.d.)
Andrew Lam of CBC News reveals that Killam, one of Canada’s largest residential landlords, reports 'largest rental gains' on new leases in the company's history in the most recent update. Rents increased the most on new leases in Halifax, Saint John and Moncton.
Like other landlords, Killam boosts rents to the market rate when new tenants sign a lease, pushing the reported average rent increase above Nova Scotia's five per cent cap. The cap only applies to lease renewals.
Killam's financial results are an example of the overall trends we've been seeing in recent years in rental markets where there's been inadequate housing supply, said Neil Lovitt, a vice-president with Turner Drake, a real estate consulting company.
"That creates an opportunity for for-profit housing providers to raise rents to market prices when they have an opportunity to do so," Lovitt said. "They're … doing what any market participant really can do." (Lam, n.d.)
Andrew Lam of CBC News reports that Killam Apartment REIT, based in Halifax, is one of Canada’s largest residential landlords, owning, operating, managing and developing a diverse portfolio of apartments, manufactured homes and seasonal properties.
The Killiamreit website presents information about their Affordable Housing.
We’re committed to providing clean, safe, accessible housing for everyone, regardless of age, background or income level. That’s why Killam partners with many non-profit housing and government agencies to offer over 800 subsidized units in our communities. (Killam Apartment REIT, n.d.)
Subsidized units in Nova Scotia may be a good long term solution to our housing needs. The work to date to provide “pallet homes” has begun a transition from living rough and tent communities to more adequate housing.
Michael Tutton of the Canadian Press reports for CBC News on a $630,000 installation in Lower Sackville that includes 19 sleeping units, separate washrooms and a laundry facility. Jim Gunn, a board member of Beacon House Shelter, describes the boxy 70-square-foot Pallet shelters — carrying the name of the U.S. company that makes them — as a temporary solution.
"Our greatest concern is that these should never become and be seen as permanent, but there's no affordable housing," the retired educator said during a recent tour of the property in Lower Sackville, about three weeks after it opened. "These shelters will stay here until we find someplace else people can go." (Tutton, 2024)
Cassidy McMackon, of the Canadian Press, writing for Global News reports that a village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.
Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.
Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.
The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.
Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia, the community entity of the federal Reaching Home program for Halifax and rural Nova Scotia. The main objective of Reaching Home is to streamline access to housing and supports for people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, by coordinating local services to achieve community-wide outcomes using real-time data.
They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave. (McMackon, 2024)
The work to address homelessness in Nova Scotia is not complete.
The right to housing is honoured when people can transition from “pallet homes” and a Tiny home village to subsidized accommodation like that just across Cobequid Road in a modern apartment building.
References
ACORN Canada. (n.d.). The Coast: NSNDP promises to scrap fixed-term leases and lower rent cap if elected. ACORN Canada News and Events. https://acorncanada.org/news/the-coast-nsndp-promises-to-scrap-fixed-term-leases-and-lower-rent-cap-if-elected/
Killam Apartment REIT. (n.d.). KIlliam's Approach. Home | killam. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from https://killamreit.com/killams-approach
Lam, A. (n.d.). Killam reports 'largest rental gains' on new leases in company's history in most recent update. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/killam-reit-2024-q3-financial-results-1.7390918?cmp=rss
McMackon, C. (2024, October 24). Homelessness: Tiny home village to open next week in Halifax suburb - Halifax | Globalnews.ca. Global News. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from https://globalnews.ca/news/10828781/tiny-home-village-halifax-suburb/
Social Housing and Human Rights. (n.d.). Housing is a human right. https://www.moresocialhousing.ca/
Tutton, M. (2024, March 18). Tiny shelter community in Halifax suburb up and running, as province seeks new sites. CBC. Retrieved November 26, 2024, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/pallet-shelters-halifax-nova-scotia-installed-1.7147652
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