The images ofbaton-wielding and pepper-spraying policeviolently moving protestors from city workers’ path so that people living in tents could be evicted from the Memorial Library lawn and so that shelters could be torn apart with a chain saw is perhaps the most stark recent example of just how dire Nova Scotia’s housing crisis has become — but it’s not the only example.
Rising housing prices have been making a material difference in people’s lives for years. As rent increases by $100, $200, $500, and more a month, people are moving to lower quality apartments, moving farther from their jobs and schools and grocery stores, living with roommates or family, and often, couch surfing or sleeping rough. The percentage of their income going to rent increases, so the percentage going to quality food and medication and their kids’ clothes goes down.
When housing prices increase, quality of life goes down. People work more and longer hours. Their commuting time increases. Stress and mental anguish build. Time with loved ones is shortened or eliminated.
大流行的微小银衬里是征收租金控制,这据说预防房东从每年增加2%以上的房东 - 尽管大量房东发现他们可以通过翻译和其他人超出限制work-arounds.
And now, as Nova Scotia heads into Phase 5 of the reopening plan, short-term rent control is set to expire. In his first televised press conference since the election, Premier-Designate Tim Houston said in no uncertain terms that rent control will be lifted as the state of emergency ends.
在预期时,房东正在向租户发送信,建议在提升租金时,他们可以预计每月租金增加数百美元,有时超过1000美元。正如Covid正在下降的那样,住房危机将成为一个普遍的紧急情况,影响来自收入频谱的人。
因此,哈利法克斯审查员因此将其整个报告团队重点关注这些问题,并通过调查系列,我们称之为:解决住房危机。
Given the breadth of this crisis, we’re asking for your help in deciding what we should report on, and from what perspective. That’s why we have an ongoing series of reader engagement sessions hosted by Examiner editor Suzanne Rent; we’ve already assigned reporters to stories based on what we’ve heard from readers, but there’s still plenty of time to be heard. You can call or text our housing reporting project message line at 1-819-803-6215, and tell us your story or your concerns.
Our work so far:
Your stories
•Nova Scotia fighting to evict 63-year-old man with terminal cancer from public housing(2021年8月30日)
News
•As winter approaches, residents of People’s Park, volunteers, and neighbours wait for a better housing solution(November 12, 2021)
•Council votes to approve $3.2 million for purchase of new modular housing units for locations in Halifax, Dartmouth(November 9, 2021)
•Nova Scotia rent cap would continue under proposed PC legislation, but loopholes remain(October 28, 2021)
•PC政府法案将允许部长批准未公开咨询的哈利法克斯发展(October 28, 2021)
•Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia converting Dartmouth hotel to supportive housing for 65 people(October 28, 2021)
•Houston’s housing plan: rent control stays, 1,100 new affordable units, interventions in Halifax planning(October 20, 2021)
•Halifax police board seeks second opinion on its authority to review response to homeless evictions protest(October 18, 2021)
•Halifax releases more details on planned modular housing for people living in parks(October 1, 2021)
•城市在哈利法克斯和达特茅斯设置拖车的城市为目前住在公园的人(September 29, 2021)
•Halifax council approves mobile shower pilot program, doubles housing grant program(September 28, 2021)
•Volunteers call for moratorium on Halifax tent, shelter evictions after residents lose hotel rooms(September 17, 2021)
•Nickel and dimed: How landlords skirt the law to hang onto damage deposits(September 9, 2021)
•Study to look at “portable” housing subsidies(September 3, 2021)
•Halifa 27套保障性住房合作社如何x were sold off for cheap(September 1, 2021)
•People’s Park: ‘None of this is sustainable’(September 1, 2021)
•Halifax councilvotes在联邦资金中使用1300万美元以资助85个经济实惠的单位,承诺在新住房支出中获得500,000美元(September 1, 2021)
•Halifax police arrest, pepper spray protesters as city evicts homeless people from parks(August 19, 2021)
•Halifax issues eviction notices to people living in tents in city parks, threatening fines and arrest(August 17, 2021)
•哈利法克斯州立房东,通过制造月到月的租约更昂贵(August 11, 2021)
Commentary
•John Lohr是驻约斯科舍省住房文件的部长,但似乎并没有理解住房危机(September 3, 2021)
•Gaslighting Halifax: how the mayor, a councillor, and the chief of police created a false narrative about the violent eviction of rough sleepers from city parks(August 20, 2021)
•When developers and landlords speak, Tim Houston listens(2021年8月29日)
•价格出来,烧毁,政治局:在有的人和有些人之间深化鸿沟(August 25, 2021)
Here’s what we’re working on:
Resources for tenants
We’ll compile a list of legal resources, organizations that can help, and otherwise help you work through your situation. What do you do when you’re faced with a landlord who won’t maintain the property or rental increases you can’t afford, and what can you do if you’re renovicted?
Your stories
We’ll be putting human faces to the housing crisis by profiling everyday people facing real-world challenges in finding and maintaining housing they can afford.
Just how big is the crisis?
We’ll be using our skills at data journalism and court reporting to define the crisis: What are rental costs in terms of a percentage of income, and how has that changed over time? Who is being enriched by high rents? How much money is leaving the community as a result of out-of-town REITs buying up apartments?
租赁控制
We’ll be asking experts to weigh in on the rhetoric around rent control, and to what degree it can help take the edge off the crisis.
危机中的社区
We’ve assigned African Nova Scotian reporter Matthew Byard to examine issues specific to the ANS community. What is the future of Uniacke Square? What does the housing situation in North Preston look like? How is Upper Hammonds Plains affected by white exurbia? How is a new sprawling development affecting the character of historic Beechwood?
农村住房
We recognize that the housing crisis is not limited to the urban area, but is instead spread throughout the province. In fact, in some rural areas the crisis is even worse than in Halifax, as increased rents translate into much longer commutes and are pricing some people out of communities entirely. We’ll be assigning reporters to look specifically at the housing crisis in communities across the province.
Social housing and cooperative housing
为什么不上市和公共住房在危机中有很大的帮助?我们将看看Nova Scotia的合作住房悠久,并询问为什么各国政府还没有支持可负担能力的可行解决方案。而且,我们将在哈利法克斯中查看一个特定的住房组织,该组织在幕后悄然工作,几十年来为年轻家庭提供经济适用的住房,并询问是否可以重复和扩展努力。
The housing insecure
In 2013, newly elected Halifax mayor Mike Savage joined a coalition of government and nonprofit agencies called the Housing and Homelessness Partnership, which promised to embrace theHousing Firstapproach to homelessness — simply providing housing for people immediately and helping them deal with their life problems afterwards. The ambitious aim, said Savage, was to eliminate homelessness in Halifax in five years. Five years came and went, and now, rather ending the problem by providing housing, Savage is overseeing a city government that is siccing cops on the homeless. What happened? Why did the high idealism of the Housing and Homelessness Partnership fail? And, might it be resurrected and succeed?
The economics of housing
We’ll be asking: Does it have to be this way? Is it necessary that most housing should be at the whims of private landlords and the fickle market, or is there a better approach to housing generally? And, in the moment, we’ll be looking to document the effect of the increased financialization of the housing stock on renters’ lives.
But the list above is not exhaustive. Our reporting will grow and change depending on what we learn from readers. We really do want to hear from you!
Check back on this page often. We’ll update it with newly published articles, notices of community engagement sessions, and more.
我们也喜欢换句话说。由于住房危机正在影响每个人,从各种收入水平,这份报告将免费为每个人读取,无论是用户是否是订阅者。但当然,完成工作的费用是花费的,提出信息自由请求,在某些情况下支付法律审查,并支付记者。如果你能够,我们会问你subscribe to the Halifax Examiner, or donate specifically to help fund PRICED OUT.
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Colin Maysays
REITs are primarily owned by pension plans, insurance companies and individuals seeking income in retirement. I don’t have any holdings in REITs…92% of my RRIF is in bank stocks.
Bottom line : we are all invested in REITs.
On the same day that CAO Dube sent HRP to clear out the homeless he quietly signed off a $2.2 million tender for the Dahlia-Crichton bikeway to Ocean Contracting ( it includes some work for drains and a sidewalk). No explanation as to why the item was not on the agenda for the HRM council meeting the day before the camp clearout. I await the announcement of the federal funding by Liberal MP Darren Fisher……
Zane Woodford.says
来自City Shokesperson Klara Redler:
区域理事会于2月23日2月23日批准实施Dahlia-Oak-Crichton积极运输联系项目。
在招标HRM-21-255下,建设招标以及附近的街道重组,交通镇定和人行道安装工作。
As outlined in Administrative Order 2020-004-ADM, the municipality’s current procurement policy allows for the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to award competitive procurements for street, sidewalk and active transportation construction projects of any amount without Council approval. The CAO awarded this contract to the lowest bidder on Aug. 18, 2021.
…
Tender HRM-21-255 involves the following scope of work:
Implementing a local street bikeway connection on Dahlia Street and a new multi-use pathway through Sullivan’s Pond Park;
调整大丽花和橡树资本的街道,萤火虫ing sidewalk and curb repairs and replacement, as well as repaving;
Implementing traffic calming measures on Maple Street; and,
Installing new sidewalks on Victoria Road, Crichton Avenue, and Oak and Dahlia streets.
弗兰克福斯特says
This is a very complex issue and big part of that problem is lumping people into a certain group in this case the homeless. There are many sets of conditions that can result in homelessness and not all are drug, alcohol and laziness related.
In another life I was a trouble shooter and often I was asked to work on problems out of my realm of expertise.
All problems share a common thread in that they can be divided into smaller bits and by attacking those first you have at least started.
Priority one is as said often in Game of Thrones “Winter is Coming” this means temporay shelter has to be in place quickly.It’sobvious that existing structure/s would be the way to go given the time frame.
Councillor David Hendsbee suggests the Future Inn property and that is a likely candidate.
有两种基本方法将一艘船热或cold buildings are the same. If your plan is to preserve a structure for future use a hot layup with supervision is usually the path taken. Providing heat and power and scheduled checks to monitor the health of the building or ship. Flooding and fire of course would be the main concerns but the overall condition reflects on its worth so maintaining a good condition only improves and holds it’s value.
A cold layup usually in buildings indicates their abandonment. The structure takes the path to decay and has to be eventually demolished.
So if the Future Inn is on hot layup it may indeed bear even the correct name and may provide a win win. Now if Mr. Hendsbee were to push this idea to fruition a small victory and a little positive PR might be coming councils’ way. Or will this die without a try?
So maybe there are things that HRM are doing but obviously it’s not fast enough nor is it enough.
Laurie Campbellsays
为什么不能将控制租用为工具,而各种各样的政府工作在提供“经济实惠的住房库存”?
As many have pointed out the current rent control doesn’t seem to be slowing the pace of new construction of non-affordable units.
Nicksays
问题的一部分是,土地和建筑的伴侣rials are so expensive that it is not possible to make money building affordable units. The cost difference to build a unit built with cheap flooring, plumbing fixtures, countertops and a unit with nicer floors etc. is almost nothing. Imagine if you could get paid 30% more just by spending 50% more on the clothes you wear to work.
auscasays
I was thinking the same thing.
LeeCampbellsays
I would love to discuss co-operative housing more. Part of the problem with co-operative housing is quite simple – people don’t want to invest money in something with no return. The return is maintaining the co-operative. The housing co-operative I live in is amazing. Our units are spread around HRM, and we have a very financially stable co-op, our units are repaired as needed, and have plenty of money in our reserve.
The problem is, most of the money available for co-operatives to increase their units is for new builds only, and most co-ops don’t have the funds to purchase the land to build the new units because there simply isn’t land available (at least in the city core).
When the money came down to the province from the federal government for affordable housing options, our co-op wanted to take advantage of that (and there were several existing buildings we were interested in purchasing to renovate and create new affordable units), but the province had already allocated all money before the announcement of the money was available hit the media.
For those that saying 2% rent caps are not enough for landlords is, quite frankly, untrue. Our units, (even before the rent cap was put in place due to the pandemic) would raise the rent annually, a maximum of 2%, and we still have enough money for any capital repairs that are needed. (and honestly, would pay a landlord and still have money leftover). The difference is, landlords want to maximize their profits, and don’t honestly care about the wellbeing of their tenants.
There is going to be a portion of the population who don’t treat rentals well, just like a portion of the population don’t treat their owned houses well. Being a landlord, you take on that risk. If you don’t want to risk that, perhaps you shouldn’t be in the rental business.
Joanne Lameysays
I totally agree with what you said. Thank You.
DamnYankeesays
Tearing down old buildings to build new units will not solve HRM’s affordable housing problems. HRM would do well to see what US cities are doing to address affordable housing. In many cities, developers are converting older hotels, offices and industrial uses into affordable housing units. Denver created a $10 Million Revolving Affordable Housing Loan Fund to help widen the capital pool for affordable housing projects. The fund is used to subsidize the preservation and upgrading of older buildings to create affordable housing . Denver also has piloted a program to buy down vacant high end apartments to be converted into affordable housing. Adapting existing buildings to new uses is cheaper than new construction and is a more stable construction activity during economic downturns,” according to the Preservation Green Lab report.
Especially in light of COVID and its aftermath, there are good reasons not to be in a rush to support new development. Having become used to working from home, many downtown businesses may find that their employees would prefer to work remotely as opposed to in downtown offices. Also, COVID has changed the buying preferences of well heeled folk so that many will not choose to live in the luxury apartment buildings that have already been constructed. In Manhattan, the prices of luxury high-rise apartments, co-ops and condos have plummeted; and the prices of low rise housing in outlying areas and in Manhattan has skyrocketed. After COVID, folks prefer to live where they do not need elevators have have some space. One can expect the same approach in HRM.
修复HRM的老房住房并重新播放旧学校,办公室和其他未使用的建筑物,以获得经济适用住房是一种保守的和相对速度的方式,可以解决经济适用的住房危机。HRM纳税人最终将支付不良的构思发展,这些发展将在中心留下空的公寓楼和没有小企业。