| A release sent out by the St. FX Extension Department ANTIGONISH: If 2020 taught us anything, it is the importance of having a safe home. St. Francis Xavier University’s Extension Department (Extension), in partnership with the Community Housing Transformation Centre (the Centre), is pleased to announce the launch of Build Together: Strengthening the Community Housing Sector in Nova Scotia. The project will engage members of the community housing sector in a process aimed at supporting and strengthening the sector in Nova Scotia by sharing successes, recognizing strengths and challenges, identifying areas for capacity enhancement, and developing ways of working together for greater collective impact. “Together we have an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the community housing sector in Nova Scotia, which plays a huge role in ensuring people living on low income in our province have adequate housing,” Pauline MacIntosh, Program Staff at Extension says.
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| “It is critical to engage with the community housing sector in Nova Scotia at this time to see how it can best be supported to do its work better and faster for greater positive impact.” – Pauline MacIntosh, Extension |
| The Government of Canada announced its first-ever National Housing Strategy (NHS) in 2017, followed by an increased investment in 2019. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is leading the strategy and the $55 billion associated investments. The Centre, governed by eight community housing associations, is responsible for disseminating more than $50 million in NHS funding through its various community housing funds. “This funding provides the housing sector with an unprecedented opportunity to make significant inroads in addressing the core housing need experienced by approximately 1.7 million Canadians,” MacIntosh says. “With a housing crisis now plaguing most major cities in Canada, we stand at an absolutely pivotal crossroad in developing projects and policies that will pave the way for the future of community housing,” Renée Hébert, the Centre’s Program Manager for the Maritimes adds.
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| “When several organizations within the community housing sector in Nova Scotia expressed a need to organize and work together to create a provincial structure, it was imperative the Centre lends its support. We are happy to grant $100,000 to strengthen the sector here, as well as offer resources and support to bring this project forward.” – Renée Hébert, the Centre |
| To launch the engagement process, people working and volunteering in non-profit and co-operative housing groups across the province are being asked to complete a survey. Those who participate will be able to enter their name in a draw to win one of two $250 donations to a community housing group of their choice. A core element of the Build Together project is a calendar of approximately 20 engagement sessions for non-profit and co-operative housing groups in Nova Scotia, including sessions for groups focused on housing for Indigenous peoples, persons of African descent, the LGBTQQIP2SAA community, and others.
Based on the findings of the engagement process, the group aims to define sector priorities and determine a sustainable model for moving forward in tandem. “Our goal is that the engagement process will lead to a better supported, connected, and more unified community housing sector in Nova Scotia.” For those interested in participating in the survey and engagements sessions, they can do so by visiting, www.coady.stfx.ca/extension/build-together.
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