Mayor Mike Savage in Halifax on Oct. 3, 2016.Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press
Halifax regional council has endorsed three projects that would create a total of 52 rooms with federal funding, as the city faces rising levels of homelessness and worries over evictions of low-income tenants.
Council voted today in favour of proposals from the Mi’kmaq Native Friendship Centre, Adsum Women and Children and the North End Community Health Association to receive $8.7 million of funding provided for Halifax through the rapid housing initiative.
The money is part of a $1-billion, short-term initiative by the federal government to help cities and housing providers buy properties and turn them quickly into affordable units.
Advocacy groups in Halifax have warned of a growing housing crisis as low-income tenants are evicted to make way for renovations and recent estimates put the city’s homeless population at 477 – more than double the figure a year ago.
In a unanimous vote, council approved the three proposals for the new units, with some members noting staff had evaluated 12 submissions asking for more than $38 million in proposed construction.
Mayor Mike Savage said during the meeting that while the new units are just a portion of what’s needed to house the city’s poor, “it’s going to make a big difference.”
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