By Kendall Worth
Starting
off with reporting on a bit of background of where the idea I am
introducing in this current BLOG post is coming from, it has been
widely known since following COVID in 2021 that Halifax has been
experiencing an ongoing and worsening Housing Crisis. See this link
here for all BLOG posts where I kept readers and BLOG supporters
informed about the
crisis:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/housing%20crisis
Then
I invite readers to see this BLOG post here discussing what I believe
is one of the main backbone causes behind the worsening Housing
Crisis:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/affordable%20housing%20search
As this YouTube video here
explains, there is growing public concern about housing in Halifax in general. Sources are telling me that there are currently approximately 1,150 people homeless in Halifax. Housing experts often state that rent should be no more than 30% of a person’s income. However, when you look at the current Income Assistance rate in Nova Scotia being approximately $1022.00 per month, 30% of that amount works out to only $306.60.
By definition, that would mean rent should be around $306.00 per month for someone receiving basic Income Assistance. Sadly, for many first voice people who I advocate for through my BLOG — and for many Nova Scotians in general — rent is nowhere near 30% of their income. Rent is often dramatically higher.
For first voice stories,
see
here:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/first%20voice
However, there is another side to where this proposal for supportive housing is coming from.
Two
additional issues I regularly report on through my BLOG are Social
Isolation:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/social%20isolation
And efforts toward
mitigating social
isolation:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/mitigating%20social%20isolation
Many people who are fortunate enough to currently be housed are still experiencing severe social isolation in day-to-day life. So in reality, the idea for the Supportive Housing Model I am introducing comes from putting these two crises together:
#1 — The Housing and Homelessness Crisis in Halifax.
#2 — The growing crisis of Social Isolation experienced by many people living in poverty and disability.
I want to make something very clear upfront.
When I say “Supportive Housing,” I do not mean creating more Group Homes, Small Option Homes, Nursing Homes, or Special Care Homes for homeless people. That is not what I am advocating for.
What I am advocating for is a type of housing model that helps solve both homelessness and social isolation at the same time.
According to sources I have been speaking with, there is growing concern within the community that many people currently living in tent encampments and pallet shelters may never be able to successfully re-enter the traditional rental market. Concerns include bad credit histories, mental health struggles, addiction issues, and in some cases negative histories with former landlords.
This means that simply saying “find an apartment” is not enough.
The current system is failing many vulnerable people.
Lately, I have been having conversations with first voice individuals — meaning people who themselves live the reality of surviving on Income Assistance — who have been asking me:
“Kendall, wouldn’t it be nice to live day-to-day life actually feeling like we have community around us?”
My answer was absolutely yes.
The
real question becomes:
How
do we build that sense of community?
One idea I have previously
written about is hosting community BLOG parties and gatherings with
purpose:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2023/05/block-parties-with-purpose.html
Then I started thinking further.
When
you look at some of the apartment buildings located on Washmill Lake
Drive in Halifax, discussed
here:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2023/10/a-solution-one-had-to-resort-to.html
People in those buildings are paying upwards of $2100 or more per month in rent. Yet many of those buildings include fitness centres, common rooms, and social spaces built directly into the building itself.
Meanwhile, many people living in poverty are isolated inside apartment buildings that offer absolutely no community spaces at all.
At this point I ask the question:
What if Income Assistance recipients could also live in buildings that included common rooms, community spaces, and fitness centres?
Because the reality is this:
Having opportunities to meet your neighbours, socialize, participate in activities, and feel part of a community can significantly reduce the crushing social isolation many people experience every single day.
For more on what building
community could look like, see
here:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2023/11/building-community-by-kendall-worth-in.html
I also want to note that there have been times when first voice people I advocate for through my BLOG have complained to volunteers at Food Banks and Soup Kitchens about not having friendships or community outside of those services. In response, some have even been asked:
“Do you know anyone in the building where you live?”
That question alone says a lot about the level of social disconnection many people are experiencing.
At First Glance, the Meaning of Supportive Housing Should Include the Following Factors:
The current Income Assistance household rate in Nova Scotia is approximately $1022 per month. Rent should be no more than 30% of that income. Heat, lights, and hot water should be included within that affordable rent amount. Housing must truly be affordable in order to keep people housed.
Housing must include wheelchair accessibility for residents living with physical disabilities.
While some residents may eventually move toward greater independence, there also needs to be understanding that some individuals living with disabilities, trauma, mental health struggles, or medical conditions may require supportive housing long-term or permanently.
It must also be recognized that some residents may not be able to maintain full-time employment due to disabilities or ongoing mental health struggles.
Life-skills classes, cooking classes, peer support, and social programming should take place directly within the supportive housing environment itself.
Supportive Housing should not only focus on keeping people alive. It should focus on helping people feel connected, valued, supported, and part of a community.
Now Getting Into the Meat and Potatoes of the Idea — Coming Directly From First Voice
The dream would be a Supportive Housing Model where a person is not simply renting an apartment and then being left isolated behind a closed door.
Instead, it would be a model where:
Rent is truly affordable and geared to income.
Landlords calculate rent based on only 30% of a resident’s income.
Buildings contain common rooms and community gathering spaces.
Social programming and community-building activities happen directly within the building.
Residents have opportunities to build friendships and get to know their neighbours.
People feel like they are part of a real community rather than surviving in isolation.
Residents live independently while still having access to on-site personal support when needed.
Because at the end of the day, supportive housing should not only be about preventing homelessness.
It should also be about restoring dignity, human connection, and community to people who have too often been left behind by the current system.
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