Municipality of Clare releases plan to boost affordable housing

More affordable housing is in the works for the Municipality of Clare, but when the new units will be built and exactly how much it will cost is still unclear.

The municipality on Nova Scotia's southwestern tip recently released a housing study and affordable housing action plan, which proposes to build multiple affordable housing units of various sizes.

Pam Doucet, director of community development for Clare, said the plan is coming at just the right time.

"[A lack of affordable housing] is plaguing our community, but it's also very rampant throughout the entire region," said Doucet.

But Doucet said it's too early to say how many housing units will be built or when exactly construction will begin.

"We think that the end result of the action plan creates a great roadmap for what we can look to the future to try and establish in terms of housing for this community," said Doucet, adding that the cost of the projects will also need to be finalized.

Plan will help those with low and moderate incomes

She said the municipally-organized study and action plan were compiled following extensive consultations with the community, including residents, business owners and municipal staff.

"Council has been made aware on a number of occasions in the last few years about problems with housing, not just with finding housing for residents, but also for businesses looking to grow and to accommodate people coming from away to work with no real housing options," said Doucet.

Doucet said having more affordable housing in the community of roughly 8,000 people will not only help those considered low income, but also moderate income individuals who are unable to find more practical living spaces such as duplexes or apartments.

"'It's really [about] hoping to find a solution for really, across the board, everybody in our community," said Doucet.

The municipality began an assessment last winter with the goal of identifying Clare's specific housing needs.

The study, released in July, outlines four major gaps: an overall lack of rental housing, a lack of rental housing for lower-income single parents, the cost of operating housing and insufficient housing that's affordable to moderate income households.

Jim Graham, executive director of Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia, was encouraged by Clare's plan.

He said other municipalities should follow suit in consulting the community about their area's specific affordable housing needs.

"The very first step is examining what you have, [asking things like], 'What's here now? What's the landscape around affordable housing here now? Where do we see the need? What are our assets? What can we contribute?'" said Graham.

He said a lack of affordable housing is an issue across the province, including in the province's capital.

Cost not yet finalized

The issue came to a head this week in Halifax when the municipality evicted homeless people from public parks and green spaces and destroyed their shelters and tents.

"It's everywhere you look, there are challenges around adequate, affordable housing for mid to low income households," said Graham. "It's not unique, and it takes initiative like Clare's, at the municipal level, to start the push that forward."

Clare's affordable housing action plan outlines their intentions to work with others, including major employers, to increase the number of daycare spots as well as outlines some potential build sites for new housing units.

The plan said École Joseph-Dugas Francophone School, École Stella-Maris Elementary School as well as a long-term care home called Villa Acadienne are scheduled to be relocated elsewhere in Clare within the year, and so these sites could be used to build affordable housing.

Doucet said the cost of the projects will depend on the area and kind of unit that is built, however the action plan has some estimates. It notes a unit at École Joseph-Dugas Francophone School could cost around $272,000.

The municipality is also looking to acquire other potential sites, such as rural plots of land.

"We'll be putting out a request for proposal probably early fall to look at what other options are out there if anybody has some land for sale that we could possibly look at developing," said Doucet, noting they will be seeking partners to help fund the projects.

The action plan said the municipality will also be seeking funding from the federal government, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Nova Scotia Housing, as well as private lenders.

Graham said while Clare's plan shows promise, governments across Nova Scotia need to start prioritizing affordable housing.

"There's no silver bullet. There's no quick fix, and it's going to take time and it's going to take a concerted effort and it's going to take constant effort," said Graham.