Public Housing in Nova Scotia: I never experienced something this terrible
Check out Jodi Brown’s video for a glimpse into the horrible living conditions faced by two seniors both in their late sixties who live in a public housing unit in Halifax.
Housing
How hunger and bad housing make you sick —The social determinants of health, part 4
Homelessness, housing in bad repair and malnutrition can make you sick, both physically and mentally. Yet when we talk about healthcare we rarely talk about addressing root causes and mostly focus on things like wait lists and doctor shortages. Although tremendously important issues, we should not forget about these social determinants of health, says regular contributor Alex Kronstein.
Community Services: We cannot fix this unfairness for bureaucratic reasons
Barry Walters’ rent in a public housing apartment building for seniors went up from $285 per month when he first move in in late 2015, to a whopping $812 today. It”s all the Feds’ fault, says Housing Nova Scotia. Well, that’ doesn’t really help me, Walters says.
Knowledge is power! NS ACORN launches province wide survey on landlords and housing conditions
After a successful community meeting in Dartmouth Nova Scotia ACORN is launching a province wide online survey on rental housing conditions and landlords. It needs the data to pressure municipalities on landlord licensing and the province on rent control.
How dare you! Brenda Thompson on welfare activism in the eighties
Brenda Thompson was a welfare activist in Halifax in the eighties. Being a single mom who spoke her mind rather than know her place, she became the target of vicious attacks by the then minister of social services Edmund Morris. But Morris went too far, she took him to court, and won. We talk to Thompson about an especially vibrant period in Nova Scotia welfare activism, the strong support of the feminist movement, Alexa, journalism, slut shaming, and lots more.
Toronto approves landlord licensing, will Halifax be next?
Toronto is implementing a landlord licensing system to protect tenants from landlords who don’t look after their properties. Halifax is considering doing something similar. It’s early days, and landlords are expected to fight back.
Affordable housing conference targets rural expertise
Issues around affordable housing in rural Nova Scotia are not the same as those in Halifax or even Sydney. Rural housing advocates from across Nova Scotia are getting together this month to exchange ideas and hopefully lay the foundation for a more coordinated approach to advocacy in the future.
Harbour City Homes tenants want seat on Board of Directors
Tenants of Harbour City Homes on Brunswick Street don’t know that their landlord is up to. Last summer the not-for-profit was forced to sell nine buildings and 34 affordable housing units were lost to the North End. Are things going better now? Having a seat on the Board of Directors would answer such questions, tenants suggest. Right now the company isn’t talking.
The right to not go hungry. NDP proposes changes to Human Rights Act
“To have a roof over your head and to not go hungry are fundamental human rights,” NDP leader Gary Burrill told the Nova Scotia Advocate to explain the party’s proposed amendments to the Human Rights Act. Lawyer Claire McNeil tells us why this would be a very significant change, and one that is long overdue.
Chew on this, Halifax! Activists visit City Hall for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
October 17 is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and a group of people living in poverty and their friends descended on City Hall. The Mayor was in…