Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia Sign Housing Benefit Français

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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Oct 01, 2020, 10:45 ET

DARTMOUTH, NS, Oct. 1, 2020 /CNW/ - Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That is why the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia are providing additional support to hundreds of low-income households across the province.

Today, Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax, on behalf of the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with the Honourable Chuck Porter, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for Nova Scotia, announced that Nova Scotia households will receive the new Canada-Nova Scotia Targeted Housing Benefit this year. This includes about 1,700 new eligible renter and homeowner applicants and about 1,000 eligible households who will be transitioned to the new program when their existing rent supplement expires.

For a total of $120 million dollars, the federal government and province are each providing $60 million dollars over eight years for this program. In the first year, about 2,700 households are expected to be assisted through federal and provincial funding under the new program, which gives individuals, seniors, and families direct help to stay in their own home.

The Canada-Nova Scotia Targeted Housing Benefit builds on the Canada-Nova Scotia Bilateral Agreement, announced last year under the National Housing Strategy, which will provide more than $400 million to protect, renew and expand social and community housing, and support Nova Scotia's housing priorities. Today's announcement demonstrates a shared commitment between Canada and Nova Scotia to prioritize making housing affordable for Nova Scotians.

Quotes:

"The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. Long-term, predictable funding for housing has been needed for more than a decade. Today, with the Government of Nova Scotia, we have taken a significant step toward our goal of building strong communities where Nova Scotian families can prosper and thrive, now and for the future." – Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax

"We know that housing costs are rising and too many people are struggling to keep a roof over their head. No one should have to live with that level of fear and uncertainty, and this new program will directly help more eligible individuals, families and seniors stay in the place they call home." – Chuck Porter, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister of Nova Scotia

Quick facts:

  • The Government of Canada acknowledges that these projects are developed on the unceded and traditional territories of the Wabanaki and Mi'kma'q peoples.

  • The Canada-Nova Scotia Targeted Housing Benefit provides funding directly to people in need so they can choose their own housing. Homeowners will have support to stay in their own homes, and renters will have the ability to take the benefit with them if they move elsewhere in the province.

  • The Government of Canada will invest $2 billion in the Canada Housing Benefit across the country, which will be cost-matched by provinces and territories for a total $4-billion investment over 8 years, starting in spring 2020. The federal government and provinces and territories are working together to co-develop 13 housing benefit programs, one for each jurisdiction, that will respond to local housing affordability challenges.

  • In Nova Scotia, over the 8 years, the Canada-Nova Scotia Targeted Housing Benefit will provide over 6,000 individuals and families with direct support for their housing costs, with a focus on homeowners in severe core housing need; seniors (age 58+); non-elderly singles (under age 58 with no dependents); and those experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

  • The Government of Canada is currently rolling out its National Housing Strategy (NHS), an ambitious 10-year, $55 billion plan that will create 125,000 new housing units and lift 530,000 families out of housing need, as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 percent.

Associated links:

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Media contacts: Jessica Eritou, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, [email protected]; Krista Higdon, 902-220-6619, Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Email: [email protected]; Audrey-Anne Coulombe, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, (613) 748-2573, [email protected]

Related Links

www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca

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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation