Nova Scotia Plans Largest-Ever Investment in New Public Housing

February 14, 2025

Nova Scotia is building more public housing to provide safe, affordable homes for about 600 more Nova Scotians. 242 new public housing units will be built in communities where demand for affordable housing is high.

The units are in addition to the 273 units, including 51 modulars, announced in the last 18 months, bringing the total number of new public housing units planned, completed or under construction to 515, marking the first major investment in public housing in 30 years.

“Building more public housing is a key part of addressing the housing needs of our communities,” said Minister LeBlanc. “Our government is investing and working quickly to get more Nova Scotians into homes faster. With today’s announcement, hundreds more Nova Scotians will have access to the housing they need to thrive.”

The 242 new units represent an investment of $136.4 million, the Province’s largest ever in new public housing. It is contingent on the 2025-26 budget being passed in the legislature, with the locations to be announced in the coming months.

Update on previously announced public housing units

In September 2023, the Province announced 222 new units to be built at existing public housing sites in Lower Sackville, Halifax, Kentville, Bridgewater, Glace Bay, Grand Étang and Bible Hill:

• buildings in Glace Bay (22 units) and Lower Sackville (20 units) are expected to be complete this summer
• the building in Kentville (11 units) is expected to be ready in the fall
• the target completion date for buildings in Grand Étang (11 units) and Bridgewater (21 units) is the summer of 2026
• another building in Lower Sackville (100 units) and buildings in Bible Hill (seven units) and Halifax (30 units) are expected to be ready by summer 2028.

The 51 new modular public housing units are in Glace Bay, Ingonish, Port Hawkesbury, Antigonish, Amherst, Springhill, Westville, Barrington, Shelburne, Digby, Liverpool and Wedgeport:

• 13 single-family homes in various locations are complete
• two four-unit buildings in Glace Bay and one in Springhill are complete
• an eight-unit building in Shelburne is targeted for completion this spring
• eight-unit buildings in Digby and Liverpool will be ready this summer
• target completion for a duplex in Wedgeport is also this summer.

Quick Facts:

• tenants living in public housing do not pay more than 30 per cent of their income on rent

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Additional Resources:

Eligibility criteria for public housing: https://nspha.ca/applicants/eligibility

News release – New Public Housing for Nova Scotia: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2023/09/27/new-public-housing-nova-scotia

News release – More Public Housing for Nova Scotians: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/02/23/more-public-housing-nova-scotians

News release – More Public Housing for Western Nova Scotia https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/05/22/more-public-housing-western-nova-scotia

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