Nova Scotia rent supplement threshold change means people need to pay more to get help – Halifax | 24CA News
A quiet change to a federal-provincial housing complement means Nova Scotians must pay extra of their earnings on housing in an effort to qualify for presidency assist.
Previously, individuals who spent 30 per cent or extra of their pre-tax earnings on hire or housing prices might qualify for the Canada-Nova Scotia Targeted Housing Benefit, often known as the Rent Supplement Program.
Both renters and householders can qualify, with householders eligible to obtain as much as $200 monthly.
But now, individuals would solely be eligible if not less than 50 per cent of their earnings is spent on housing.
The change was made quietly in January, solely getting posted to the provincial web site, as reported by the CBC Monday.
During Question Period within the legislature Tuesday, John Lohr, the province’s municipal affairs and housing minister, mentioned he’d be prepared to match Nova Scotia’s complement to different provinces by way of “accessibility and generousness.”
But he mentioned the demand for the hire complement spiked — and the province couldn’t sustain.
“We are in a housing crisis and we see the demand for rent [supplements] increasing,” he mentioned. “We were realizing in the late fall of last year that we were going to run out of money, frankly.”
Changing threshold a ‘huge mistake,’ says opposition MLA
Lohr mentioned the province invested $21 million in its latest price range to create an extra 1,000 dietary supplements, however opposition events have been fast to level out considerations in regards to the threshold change.
Speaking to reporters, NDP MLA Suzy Hansen mentioned “[the government] should’ve worked on making sure that there was enough for everyone that was in need.”
She says altering the brink from 30 to 50 per cent “makes it harder for people to qualify.”
Liberal MLA Braedon Clark says the change is a “huge mistake.”
“I think it’s a real shock for people who are in severe housing need,” Clark says. “Can you imagine if you’re spending 40, 45 per cent of your income on housing and you apply under the impression that you’re going to get some help and you don’t? I mean what a bitter pill to swallow.”
Previous candidates nonetheless eligible
The province says individuals who utilized previous to the Jan. 27 coverage change are being assessed “based on the previous eligibility criteria even if they were approved after that date.”
Krista Higdon, a spokesperson for Lohr’s division, says these people will nonetheless be eligible.
“Recipients who continue to meet the eligibility criteria in place at the time they applied will continue to receive the benefit,” she says in a written assertion.
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