Housing Wage: Lunenburg and Queens Counties
In July 2019 the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released their report, “Unaccommodating: Rental Housing Wage in Canada”. This report maps rental affordability in neighbourhoods across Canada by calculating the “rental housing wage,” which is the hourly wage needed to afford an average one bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of one’s earnings. Nationally, the rental housing wage is $22.40/hr for an average priced two-bedroom apartment and $20.20/hr for an average priced one-bedroom apartment. For Halifax, it is slightly higher at $22.57/hr for the average two-bedroom apartment.
Unfortunately housing market data is not collected for our region, so it is not possible to determine the average costs of rental units by size. However, 2016 Census of Canada data for our region does provide us with some information about housing in our communities, including rates of core housing need and the average monthly shelter costs for both renters and owners, which provide a sense of the housing situation across our communities. Read the report to see the housing wage required to afford the average rental and home costs in our region.
Short Term Accommodations: Status Reports
As the Short Term Accommodation (STA) market continues to growth in our region, the rental hosing market is feeling the pressure. To support understanding about the extent to which the STA market is influencing availability and affordability of rental housing in our region, we have prepared reports for each of our Towns and Municipalities.
Documents
Evaluating the Quality and Effectiveness of Minimum Housing Standards in Nova Scotia
How effective are current minimum housing standards in municipal units across Nova Scotia in achieving the outcomes intended? What are the opportunities to improve the standards and living conditions for residents?
These are some of the questions addressed in this research report recently completed by Nikolas Wensing, a Master’s of Planning student from Dalhousie University’s School of Architecture and Planning.
Evaluating Minimum Housing Standards in NS
What is Affordable Housing: Overview of Housing Models & Options
The Shelburne County Housing Coalition prepared this report to support community understanding and dialogue about the housing continuum and various housing models which support people to living in communities.
Housing Alternatives: What Could Work Here?
We’ve been curious what housing alternatives could our communities support? We did some digging and have pulled some options together that we believe could work. Check them out, here:
2018 Housing alternatives for Lunenburg County FInal_2
Housing Needs Assessment Results: Shelburne, Yarmouth, Digby, Annapolis, Kings and West Hants Counties
Housing coalitions, community stakeholders and municipal units covering Shelburne, Yarmouth, Digby, Annapolis, Kings, and West Hants Counties recently completed a housing needs assessment. This collaborative project has produced a series of reports to support further understanding of the complex and diverse housing challenges encountered in our rural communities and are intended to support innovation and action. Learn more here.
Lunenburg and Queens Counties
Households, Housing and Income: Census Highlights 2006-2016
SSHAC is pleased to share our Census Highlights report about households, housing and income in Lunenburg and Queens Counties. The report (available as a combined report, or as individual reports) looks at Census data from 2006, 2011, and 2016 to help support our understanding of housing related issues in our communities.
Households, Income and Housing 2016
Town of Lunenburg 2016 Profile
Affordable Housing On Nova Scotia’s South Shore: A Policy Toolkit for Lunenburg and Queens
The South Shore Housing Action Coalition is pleased to share this resource, prepared for us by Ross Grant, a Master of Planning student from Dalhousie’s School of Planning and Architecture.
The report builds on previous work on best practices by SSHAC and provides an over view of the regulatory framework of affordable housing in Canada, Nova Scotia and the municipalities representing Lunenburg and Queens counties.
Affordable Housing On Nova Scotia’s South Shore: A Policy Toolkit for Lunenburg and Queens
BEST PRACTICES FOR SUPPORT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SMALL TOWNS AND RURAL AREAS
In 2014 SSHAC reviewed best practices related to supporting affordable housing in small towns and rural municipalities. The document below provides a quick overview of the options and opportunities available. If you would like to learn more about any or all of these, please contact us at sshousingaction@gmail.com.
Housing: A Basic Human Right
Colchester Anti-Poverty Network
SSHAC HANDBOOK
SSHAC Handbook provides information about our history, areas of focus, group structure, activities, a glossary of terms and other relevant information about the South Shore Housing Action Coalition
HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITIES: THE NUMBERS
Housing in our communities provides a snapshot of housing in Lunenburg and Queen’s counties, with profiles for each of our municipal units. This document is a collection of some of the available housing data for our communities.
SSHAC BROCHURE
Housing Links:
Housing Nova Scotia
Clean Foundation
Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia
Housing Trust of Nova Scotia
Affordable Antigonish Updates
Smoke Free Housing Nova Scotia
South Shore Housing Action Coalition 