Affordability, supply among issues MLAs put to N.S. Housing Department

NDP Leader Claudia Chender questioned Rafuse on the department’s definition of affordable housing. Rafuse said there were several, but outside public housing, new rental units coming available are considered affordable if they are available at 80 per cent of the area market rental rate, with 20 per cent of those needing to be maintained at the rate for a minimum of 20 years.

Chender said that in her riding of Dartmouth South, that level is still not affordable for anyone who is feeling pinched and is not a high-wage earner, and wondered why the 30 per cet of income for public housing isn't the accepted standard.

“Why won’t the department consider defining affordability as rent geared to income? For some that might be 80 per cent of market rent, but for those who need it, you’re actually creating something that is, by definition, affordable… Is there a reason why there has been a resistance to adopt that more standard measure of affordability?”

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