About half of the 7,000 Nova Scotians waiting for public housing are seniors

Nova Scotia’s lawman lodging curate says astir half of nan 7,000 households connected nan wait-list for nationalist lodging are composed of seniors.

Byron Rafuse told a legislature committee coming that seniors besides constitute much than half of nan 17,500 low-income residents surviving successful Nova Scotia’s 11,200 nationalist lodging units.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender says nan authorities should person an “enormous magnitude of shame” astir nan number of seniors who are struggling pinch nan costs of nan living.

However, Rafuse says nan authorities is making “fairly good” advancement toward shrinking nan wait-list, adding that nan state has reduced nan clip it takes to hole a portion for a caller tenant aft nan erstwhile residents move out.

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Brian Ward, nan caput of nan Nova Scotia Public Housing Agency, says portion turnaround times person been reduced by 25 per cent since December 2022.

It now takes 134 days, aliases almost four-and-a-half months, for nan agency to get a portion fresh for a caller tenant.

This study by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.