The New Brunswick provincial government has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build affordable homes for working-class people struggling to find a place to live.
The partnership includes funding through the province’s housing strategy that will provide an investment of $70,000 per unit for up to 10 new homes per year. This year, six families will move into newly built affordable homes over the next few months.
“Habitat for Humanity has a proven track record of success in providing homes to low-to-mid-income families. This new funding program and partnership is one of the initiatives in our strategy aimed at making homes more affordable,” said Social Development Minister Jill Green in a press release.
Some of the homes ready to move to the construction phase include a three-bedroom modular-built bungalow in Moncton and a fully accessible bungalow in Saint John. The application process for families looking to move into the homes is now open and you can fill out a form by clicking here.
Improving the affordable housing situation is not just one of the biggest issues facing the government in New Brunswick, but across the entire country decision-makers are looking at ways they can make it easier for people to find cost-effective places to live.
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government will remove GST from affordable rental builds, making it easier for hundreds of projects to go through. A handful of provincial governments have followed suit by removing provincial tax as well, including Ontario, BC, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
When asked whether New Brunswick will do the same, Premier Blaine Higgs said he will not make any decisions until he feels he has enough information.
“I like to understand the details behind what they’re proposing. And I also like to understand the implication on the Canadian taxpayer and particularly the New Brunswick taxpayer,” said Higgs.
