CMHC Housing Accelerator Fund Applications: Lunenburg County Municipalities
Announced by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in March 2023, the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) will provide incentive funding (contributions) to local governments to encourage local initiatives that remove barriers to housing supply, accelerate the growth of supply and support the development of complete, low-carbon and climate-resilient communities which are affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse.
The HAF is expected to result in permits being issued for 100,000 more housing units across Canada. Local governments within Canada, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit governments who have delegated authority over land use planning and development approvals were eligible to apply to the HAF.
There were two streams of funding within the HAF:
- Large/Urban: A jurisdiction located anywhere in Canada with a population1 equal to or greater than 10,000, excluding those within a territory or an Indigenous community.
- Small/Rural/North/Indigenous: A jurisdiction located anywhere in Canada with a population1 less than 10,000 or within one of the territories or an Indigenous community.
More information about the HAF is available here: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs/all-funding-programs/housing-accelerator-fund.
A brief overview of the applications submitted by municipal units in Lunenburg County is presented in the document below. To date (March 2024) there have been no announcements of funding from the HAF applications submitted by local municipalities. In total, HAF applications from Lunenburg County sought funding of nearly $43 million dollars, which would represent a significant investment in our region, aimed at addressing housing related issues.
2023 Nova Scotia Housing Need Reports
The long-anticipated Nova Scotia Housing Need Reports were released in October 2023. We are pleased to be sharing the Provincial Report, including the key findings, as well as reports for the municipalities in Lunenburg and Queens Counties.
2023 Short-Term Rental Status Report
The 2023 Short-Term Rental Status Report provides a snapshot of the short-term rental market for each of the municipal units across Lunenburg and Queens Counties Nova Scotia.
2021 Census of Canada Data: A Quick Look at the Numbers
A Quick Look at the Numbers provides a snapshot of data from the 2021 Census of Canada. Here you will find county, municipal, provincial and national data for the South Shore (NS) and county level data for Western NS. View A Quick Look at the Numbers: https://sshac.wordpress.com/2021-census-data-quick-look-at-the-numbers/
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 