THEMATIC BRIEF October 2022
People’s School on The Role of Municipalities and Affordable Housing October 19, 2022
The fourth People’s School on Affordable Housing and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, held online, focused on the role of municipalities. Participants included representatives from public health, community health boards, numerous municipalities, community navigators, non-profits, and service providers. Erika Shea, New Dawn Enterprises, was the resource person.
Analysis: Understanding the Issues Complex Funding Requirements: Participants spoke of the challenges faced in applying for federal and provincial funding for projects in their smaller, rural municipalities. The level of expertise required to complete applications is often beyond the capacity of volunteers and even municipal staff, leading to reluctance to embark on projects.
Challenges in Attracting Construction: Larger municipalities have employed a range of incentives to attract new housing developments such as tax relief and density bonuses. However, it is hard for smaller municipalities to leverage such tools when they do not have the budget to cover such costs. The booming housing market across the province means developers can charge whatever the market can handle making affordable options more difficult to create.
Actions: Community-Based Solutions Convening: Municipalities, when staff are supported to act, can play a convening role with non-profits to secure capital funding and support the development of other supporting services. Engagement with local partners can help officials identify where the deficits are, and when help is needed for funding or addressing other barriers.
Education: Recognizing the learning curve for elected officials to take on housing issues, a growing number of councillors welcome supports to make informed decisions. Erika notes the decade-long awareness raising process in HRM to help people acquire the skills, language, and understanding of housing to be able to move towards concrete actions.