Tiny Home Community for People Experiencing Homelessness.

The government and private sector are coming together to build a tiny home community, the first of its kind in Nova Scotia, to help people experiencing homelessness in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

This pilot community will have 52 units, providing housing for about 62 people. The project is a collaboration between the provincial and municipal governments and Nova Scotian companies The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction, part of the Municipal Group. The community will be built on surplus land belonging to HRM in Lower Sackville.

“It’s wonderful to see leadership from the private sector come together with government to help vulnerable Nova Scotians,” said Trevor Boudreau, Minister of Community Services. “This is thanks to the incredible partnership of The Shaw Group and the Municipal Group. They exemplify the compassion and community spirit we need in the midst of the homelessness crisis we’re facing. We also continue to work with HRM and collaborate to address this challenge.”

The Province will invest $9.4 million in construction and $935,000 per year in annual operating costs.

HRM is providing the land at no cost and will also provide custodial support such as snow clearing and general property maintenance.

Dexter Construction will undertake site services and land preparation work using its local workforce and equipment.

The units will be built by Prestige Homes, part of The Shaw Group of companies. Prestige Homes specializes in modular housing units and is committed to using Atlantic Canadian and Nova Scotian products in their construction. Rent will be geared to income, which means that rent will be no more than 30 per cent of a person’s income. Community residents will be selected from the HRM By Name List and will receive the wraparound support they need to help them connect to employment and more permanent housing.

It is anticipated that 30 units will be complete by next spring, and people will be in them next summer. The community will be complete by next fall. If successful, similar communities may be created in other areas of HRM and across the province.

Quotes:

No one should be without a home, and this project is an incredible example of collaboration as we continue to work together to come up with bold and unique solutions to address the housing crisis. Our focus is ensuring as many people as possible have a safe and affordable place to call home, and this community will ensure some of our most vulnerable are given that opportunity.John Lohr, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

We have seen this concept work in other jurisdictions, providing a simple home for people who are unhoused, so we are pleased to see the investment by the Province married with private sector building expertise, and a municipal site. Working together, we will help more people move to better circumstances.Mike Savage, Mayor, Halifax Regional Municipality

The Shaw Group is delighted to be part of this project. We recognize the need to help those who are experiencing homelessness in Halifax and believe that by working collaboratively with government we can find solutions.Kevin Neatt, Vice-President, Planning and Development, The Shaw Group

Dexter Construction, part of the Municipal Group, is honoured to be an early contributor to this important project, helping other Nova Scotians to find safe and secure housing. Our teams of employees take pride in helping to build the community in which we live and work.Ken MacLean, Vice-President, Dexter Construction

Quick Facts:

• a not-for-profit entity will be established to own and oversee the community
• this entity will be operated by a board of management that will initially have representatives from the provincial government, HRM, the private sector and a not-for-profit agency; the board will be responsible for managing the site development and for ongoing site management
• 10 units will be double occupancy
• a community building will be constructed on-site to provide office and programming space for service providers and residents

Additional Resources:

Rendering of the tiny home community: https://news.novascotia.ca/photos/2023/10/11/tiny-home-community

Mandate letter of the Minister of Community Services: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-DCS-OLA-SOW.pdf

Source: Release