1. Halifax Housing Needs Assessment Planning & Development CDAC October 28, 2015

2. Date

5. Housing & Homelessness Partnership The Halifax Housing and Homelessness Partnership is a multi- stakeholder coalition committed to working together to put an end to homelessness and housing poverty in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The Partnership is committed to evidence-based approaches to developing solutions. Project identified by the Affordable Housing Working Group Study undertaken by SHS Consulting in partnership with CBCL and Jozsa Economics (Nov. 2014 – July 2015)

6. Housing Needs Assessment

7. Research Questions

8. Study Geographies Regional Centre Halifax Urban Dartmouth Urban Bedford/Sackville Urban Commuter West Commuter North Commuter East Rural Res./Agricultural

9. Housing Demand IndicatorHRMRegional Centre Population Growth (2001-2011)9%2.2% Household Growth (2001-2011)14.3%3.7% Change in Population 0-24 yrs-1% Change in Population > 65 yrs29%-8% % Homeowners62.8%35.9% % 1 & 2 Person Households65%78.1% % Households Couples with Children 25.3%13.4% % Households led by Aboriginal person 2.3%2.8% % Households led by immigrant8.8%9.9% % Households with member with a disability 12.6%11%

10. Housing Demand IndicatorHRMRegional Centre Unemployment Rate (2011)7%9% Average Household Income (2011) $ 76,193$63,860 Median Household Income (2011) $62,049$44,827 % change 2001-201132.2%28% % Households in first 3 income deciles (2011) 30%43.5% % Renter households with incomes in first 3 income deciles (2011) 52.9%57.9%

11. Housing Supply IndicatorHRMRegional Centre % Change in dwelling # (2001- 2011) 14.3%3.7% % Apartment starts of total starts (2014) 60.6%94.7% % Housing stock built prior to 1980 (2011) 52.3%74.4% % Housing stock requiring major repairs (2011) 7.4%10.1% Average house price SUD (2014)$279,294$330,556 Vacancy rates (2014)3.8%3.5% (apts); 10.8% row Average rent in 2014 (all bedroom types) $936$933 # Res. properties with 2 or 3 dwellings (2014) 7,077 (4%)3,608 (13.1%) Student housing units (est)3,4493,202

12. Housing Continuum 4% 34%62%

13. Affordability Analysis (2011) 41,785 households (25.2%) spent 30% or more of household income on housing costs 26,215 (47%) of these were renters & 15,570 (15%) were owner households 19,570 households (1 in 8) were spending 50% or more of household income on housing Core housing need is another measure of housing affordability – in 2011 20,415 households (13%) were in core housing need

14. How does Halifax compare? Paying >30%Core Housing Need Canada25.2%12.5% Nova Scotia22.0%12.5% Halifax - CMA25.4%13% St. John's - CMA21.6%11.9% Moncton - CMA21.9%9.5% Québec - CMA20.1%8.6% London - CMA26.4%12.9% Regina - CMA22.1%12.0% Edmonton - CMA23.7%11.3% Victoria - CMA31.1%14.7% Source: SHS, 2015 and 2011 Census

15. Where is the greatest need? > 30%> 50% Halifax CMA25.3%11.8% Regional Centre37.9%19.4% Halifax Urban27.6%12.3% Dartmouth Urban17.1%6.5% Bedford/ Sackville Urban18.7%7.7% Commuter East14.6%5.7% Commuter North13.5%5.9% Commuter West14.0%7.2% Rural Resource/ Agricultural17.9%8.9% Source: SHS, 2015 based on 2011 Census

16. Who needs non-market housing?  33,070 households (20% of all households) earning less than $29,566 were spending 30% or more of their incomes on housing costs & can’t afford average market rent without paying more than 30%  15,195 households (45% of the 33,070 households) had incomes of less than $17,065 per year.

17. Housing & Income Continuum

18. Households with Low Incomes 29.9% of all lone parent households 43.1% of all one-person households 32.1% of all recent immigrant households 27.2% of all households with a person who has a disability 27.9% of all households led by an Aboriginal person 50.4% of all youth households (those led by someone aged 15 to 24 years) 26% of all senior-led households (those aged 65 years and over) 37.4% of all renter households

19. Input from Housing Service Providers Need more housing options which are affordable and safe Need for more long term care/ nursing home beds Groups with particular challenges include: low income individuals and persons with mental health issues, addctions and/or concurrent disorders Current programs do not address the needs of larger families prevalent in diverse communities Opportunities: a more coordinated approach to providing housing and supports Barriers: lack of funding and increasing cost of housing

20. Input from Private Sector Rental housing affordability a key issue Social assistance is inadequate to afford housing There is a sufficient amount of housing units, particularly rental housing units The gap is in the supply of housing which is affordable to households with lower incomes Opportunities: stimulate the creation of housing through a rental subsidy program Barriers: planning barriers; restrictive policies; lengthy planning approval process; and the cost of land and construction costs

21. Key findings 20% of the households in the Municipality (30,030 in 2011) are not able to afford average market rent and may require non-market housing. –These households are earning $29,566 or less in 2014 Households in need of non-market housing include a high proportion of: –lone parent households, one-person households, recent immigrants, persons with a disability, Aboriginal-led households youth households, and senior-led households.

22. There is a need for a range of housing options throughout the Municipality but the Regional Centre has the greatest number and proportion of households facing affordability challenges. There is a need for a sufficient supply of rental and ownership housing options affordable to low and moderate income households (those earning $29,567-$52,266 per year).

23. Future trends Shift of residential development to urban areas Shift to rental housing Lower demand for ownership housing Aging population Smaller households Need for non-market housing will continue and is expected to increase

24. Next Steps Inform the Housing & Homelessness Partnership Work Plan Inform policy and program development of individual Partners Engage a broader spectrum of stakeholders on housing issues CPED request for staff reports on: –Potential of the community land trust model –Ensure no net loss of affordable housing during redevelopment –Potential of inclusionary zoning –Quantify the # and types of below market units needed Engage on housing affordability during the Centre Plan process

25. Thank you