HOW THE GOVERNMENT HELP BUILDERSIN AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Building and Maintaining Affordable Housing

Affordable housing is not affordable because it’s built with cheap or shabby materials; rather, it is affordable because innovative developers with or without government funding have kept the constructions and/or operating costs low. Affordable just means that housing should cost no more than 30% of a household’s income. It must comply with the same building restrictions and design standards as market-rate housing; as such, it will be designed to fit in with the character of the neighborhood. When it is funded with public money, additional restrictions and higher standards are sometimes required.

A lack of adequate affordable housing has many community health and economic impacts and often forces people to seek any form of shelter, compromising their health and wellbeing. Excessive rent or housing costs also create financial burdens that contribute to hunger, mental stress, harsh parenting, overcrowding, isolation and crime. Communities that promote integrated, affordable housing choices through the design of their built environments, by encouraging safe and affordable housing development and promoting integrated rental, subsidized and market housing options, can break down the social conditions that contribute to poor health and well-being outcomes.

“Housing is one of the most fundamental needs for Nova Scotians and their families. And its impact goes well beyond our basic requirement for shelter. Our homes – and the communities they are part of – shape nearly every aspect of our lives: health, educational achievement, success in the workplace, even the security of our retirement and our dignity in old age.”

(A housing strategy for NS, Spring 2013)