At its November 26th meeting councillors asked staff to prepare asked Request for Proposals (RFP) that collects data to collect updated housing market data and address key data gaps.
Rising housing costs, high rental rates and increasing homelessness have been identified as significant challenges by the South Shore Housing Action Coalition. But without reliable data, the issues are hard to address, and funding for affordable housing projects is even harder to secure.
“The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and other agencies rely on accurate local housing data to support funding for affordable housing projects,” said Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile. “However, due to a lack of local data, current and future housing developments are at risk of losing out on accessing funding.”
Right now the CMHC is using outdated data from other parts of the province which doesn’t reflect the situation in Lunenburg County leading to a disconnect between reported housing conditions and the lived experience in the area.
“The Town of Bridgewater has already agreed to contribute to the study, and we will be reaching out to neighboring municipalities in Lunenburg County to see if they would like to join the district in funding this important study,” said Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile.
The estimated cost of the study is $50,000.
Nova Scotia Government met with a coalition to address intimate partner violence
