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NEEDS ASSESSMENT
RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
ABOUT
20 municipal units, 6 counties, 4,600 responses, and 18 community engagement sessions
- to increase our knowledge of housing needs
- to engage the community
- to generate reports and document local needs
Housing and Homelessness in
Rural NS
FRAME
Until recently, the thought, that a person living in a rural environment in Canada could be homeless was not considered as a possibility for any significant number of people.
RURAL
Housing First in Rural Canada, 2014
The inability of many people to OBTAIN and PAY for housing, and to MAINTAIN the housing they have underlies much of the homelessness problem in Canada.
IMPACT
The State of Homelessness in Canada, 2014
WHAT WE LEARNED
%
37
said they can't keep living where they are
I've had to move 2 times in the last 2 years because the house I was renting sold. I looked for 4 months to find suitable housing but still had to spend the summer in a camper because of the lack of rentals and/or being denied because I have children.
Community Engagement / Survey Comment
They are at risk for homelessness
who are they?
people most likely to report housing insecurity
60-80% of people experiencing these challenges report housing insecurity.
Homeless youth are not all terrible people. We haven't all been kicked out of our houses because we are terrible. Some of us had to leave. Being a homeless youth changes you forever. Everyone judges you. It's unfair.
Community Engagement / Survey Comment
About 40% of adults and seniors report housing insecurity.
income less than $40,000
...where affordability falls apart.
If something happened to my husband, I'd be in trouble. There is no way I could afford to live in my house, and I couldn't afford rent or find a suitable place to rent.
Community Engagement / Survey Comment
availability of rental stock
or lack thereof
- Demand for rental stock increasing: Youth, seniors and older adults all indicated a desire to move into rental accommodations.
With bank criteria and the housing criteria... why bother? It's easier to just get a mortgage, have one criteria and then rent it to who you want. There are enough seniors out there that I can rent to for $1000/month. Why wouldn't I just do that?
More affordable housing is needed. I have dealt with so many clients this past year who have needed a place to live and can’t find one. Many get refused repeatedly and end up living with family and friends in temporary arrangements that go on for months.
- Up to 45% of movers indicated there were not enough rentals they could afford.
- 15-35% could not find a suitable place to rent.
- 20% said there was not enough of the kind of housing they needed.
Community Engagement / Survey Comment
supports that would help
financial, repair, social connectedness
Trying to get your kids to school while going thru all this housing stress is really hard. My kid has been late more than fifteen times, so we got in trouble. If you don't have power it's hard to get going in the morning. I had complaints from school about what was in my kid's lunch. They called DCS. I can't pay rent and buy good food.
- Reducing inequities so people are not forced to make heat or eat decisions. (rent supplements, rent-geared to income, social housing availability, guaranteed basic income)
- Maintaining aging stock - a need for repair and renovation grants, help with basic home repairs, odd jobs.
- Addressing social connections, having someone to call and safety.
Community Engagement / Survey Comment
ACTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS:
ACTIONS
Community residents need safe and affordable housing, and they need it in order to work, to continue to contribute to the economy, and to avoid the risk of becoming homeless.
Finding opportunities to shift from a crisis response to one of prevention is at the center of the needs assessment recommendations.
Building Safe and Affordable Housing
BUILDING
HOUSING
- R1: Applying a Human Rights Lens
- R2: Use the Spectrum of Prevention
- R3: Address Gaps in the Housing Continuum
- R4: Create Partnerships to Increase Affordable Housing Infrastructure
- R5: Design Healthy Build Environments
- R6: Housing First Supports
Precarious Housing
PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS
R1: Acknowledge Homelessness
R2: Understand The Factors that Lead to Homelessness
R3: Advocate for Homelessness Prevention
R4: Reduce Inequities
HOUSING CONTINUUM
HOUSING CONTINUUM
A home provides shelter, security, and a place to raise our families. All people deserve a dignified place to call home.
A human rights approach to housing recognizes that supporting people to get and maintain housing before they experience homelessness is the right thing to do.