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Provincial and municipal investments will help ensure that more affordable housing is built and preserved in the Annapolis Valley.

Kings North MLA and Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr announced more than $4.3 million in funding for five affordable housing projects at the Kings County council chambers in Coldbrook on May 23.

Lohr said that the government is making the Annapolis Valley more affordable and is helping communities and the local economy grow through the province’s five-year housing plan.

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“People often think that access to affordable housing is a big city issue, but of course anyone who lives in rural Nova Scotia can tell you that’s simply not the case,” Lohr said.

He said the supply of affordable rental units in rural Nova Scotia is considerably lower than in urban centres, and access to affordable rental stock is even more challenging.

“Having access to safe and affordable housing is much more than just four walls and a roof. It contributes to the health and wellbeing of our residents and helps to create vibrant communities where people want to live, work, raise a family, grow, and thrive,” Lohr said.

He said the five projects involved in the funding announcement represent 142 units that are “helping to move the bar forward on access to quality, affordability, and energy efficiency in the rental market in our region.” Some involve preserving existing affordable housing while others involve new construction.

Support for Open Arms

The Open Arms Resource Centre recently received a $1.3 million low-interest mortgage through the provincial government’s Community Housing Acquisition Program (CHAP) to purchase a property on Park Street in Kentville, along with $32,800 in Kings Vision Grant funding from the County of Kings. Built in 1979, the two-storey building features 15 affordable, two-bedroom units.

Open Arms Resource Centre executive director Leanne Jennings said they are deeply grateful to the province and municipality for their support. It will allow the resource centre to expand its impact and respond to the immediate needs of the community.

“At Open Arms, our vision is that everyone living in the Annapolis Valley has dignified, affordable, accessible and stable housing in the community of their choice,” Jennings said.

She said they’re on a mission to create lasting, positive change for individuals experiencing homelessness. They provide tailored support to everyone they help along the housing continuum.

They have an outreach program for “people who are living rough” without shelter or in structures that aren’t deemed habitable for human beings. Open Arms operates two shelter sites, including a transitional shelter, Tiny Meadows, where they’ve seen “incredible success.”

Jennings said they now have 14 keys hanging on their wall representing 14 individuals who, since August, now have leases in their name.

Open Arms also has a housing support program where individuals are connected to a support person who can help them identify and secure housing and sustain it over the long term. With the apartment building on Park Street, Open Arms is now becoming a direct operator of community housing that they can maintain as “forever affordable.”

“For many individuals, this funding will help break the cycle of housing instability and poverty and it will provide a foundation for a brighter future,” Jennings said.

Kings County Mayor Dave Corkum said the municipality is proud to join the province in helping Open Arms ensure that the Kentville apartment building continues to offer affordable housing options in a central location close to services, shops, and public transit.

“The seller of this apartment building wanted to sell to a non-profit organization with a plan that would allow the current tenants who are paying well below market value for their rentals to be able to stay in their homes, and that’s a very honourable thing to do,” Corkum said.

The mayor said Kings Vision Grants are awarded for projects that contribute to the municipality’s vision of being a community of communities, where all people belong. He commended Open Arms and the provincial government for taking decisive action to protect affordable housing at a time when safe and affordable housing options are in high demand locally and throughout Canada.

Other project funding

Four other projects are receiving assistance through various housing programs. Lohr announced $1.6 million through the Community Housing Infrastructure and Repair Program (CHIRP) will go toward infrastructure upgrades and repairs to 63 existing affordable units for seniors on Post Road in Wolfville, which is operated by Wolfville Habitat Co-operative Limited (Tideways).

A total of $560,000 will go toward infrastructure upgrades and repairs to 23 existing affordable units in North Kentville operated by the Apple Blossom Housing Co-operative Limited.

Lohr announced $600,000 in forgivable funding through the Affordable Housing Development Program to support eight new affordable units at 6638 Highway 1 in Coldbrook. This is to be built by Greg Spinney Construction.

The Annapolis County Housing Association will receive 3.2 acres of provincially owned land at Magee Drive and Main Street in Middleton for a proposed 67-unit development, which will include 33 affordable units.

Lohr said he doesn’t know that the government’s work to address the housing crisis will ever finish, but the projects represented in the funding announcement would certainly help the situation across the Annapolis Valley. Every affordable unit counts.

“As a government, we’ve really focused on lifting the boat of the not-for profit or co-op housing sector,” Lohr said.

He said the province has invested about $120 million into that sector over the past few years through programs like CHAP and CHIRP. Lohr said this level of government support is “unprecedented.”

Annapolis MLA David Bowlby, who served as master of ceremonies for the funding announcement, said housing is important but “even more important are the people who will have the opportunity to call these affordable units their homes.”

He said the provincial government would continue working to improve affordable housing in the Annapolis Valley.

Since 2023, the provincial government has paved the way to create 51,352 new housing units under the Action for Housing plan. More than 3,500 affordable and supportive housing units have been enabled across Nova Scotia through government support.

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