A report released by Nova Scotia’s Auditor General Kim Adair on Tuesday paints a dire picture of public housing in the province and how it’s managed.
It found that the average wait time for public housing is two years in normal circumstances, but can be much longer depending on the size of the family and the location they are looking to live.
There are 6,000 families on the wait list for one of Nova Scotia’s 11,200 public housing units.
In total, the report includes 20 recommendations for the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing to implement and the department has already come out and said they intend to begin implementing them as soon as possible. They indicated work on some has already begun and they hope to have all 20 changes implemented by the end of 2025.
In a statement by Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr, he fully accepted the findings and spoke about the work already being done to address them.
“We have made progress already on some of the areas highlighted and are working on plans to modernize operations so we can help more people and families. We are reviewing our policies and making changes to ensure consistency and fairness across the province. We have implemented a standardized application process across the various housing authorities and are making it easier for people to apply for public housing.”
-Statement from Muncipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr
For the most part, the report’s findings did not come as a surprise to Minister Lohr who says his government has been aware of most of the issues since the release of the 2021 Affordable Housing Commission Report, which reached many of the same conclusions as the new AG report.
One issue raised in the AG report that did catch Minister Lohr by surprise was the scope of overhousing in the province.
Overhousing is when a family or individual resides in public housing that is designed to house more occupants than they have. It most commonly occurs when families get assigned housing to accommodate their young children, however as the children age and move out many parents remain in the housing they were initially assigned and was designed for a full family.
The AG report indicates that of the 11,200 public housing units in the province 1,500 are being used by families that are smaller than the housing’s intended capacity.
“That was somewhat of a shock to me,” Minister Lohr said. “I would have guessed it was around half that”. Although Minister Lohr recognizes that it can be difficult for families who have lived somewhere for many years to move on he says his department will strive to ensure people are housed in facilities that make the most sense for the size of their families.
“We already have the ability to move these people to single-family apartment units, and we have been doing it for years, but we obviously need to become more efficient so we can better utilize the resources we have, “Minister Lohr said.
Minister Lohr also indicated they will be creating a new entity to provide independent oversight and governance for public housing as recommended by the Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Commission.
