Nova Scotia rent supplement threshold change means people need to pay more to get help – Halifax

A quiet change to a federal-provincial housing supplement means Nova Scotians will have to pay more of their income on housing in order to qualify for government help.

Previously, people who spent 30 per cent or more of their pre-tax income on rent or housing costs could qualify for the Canada-Nova Scotia Targeted Housing Benefit, known as the Rent Supplement Program.

Both renters and homeowners can qualify, with homeowners eligible to receive up to $200 per month.

But now, people would only be eligible if at least 50 per cent of their income is spent on housing.

The change was made quietly in January, only getting posted to the provincial website, as reported by the CBC Monday.

During Question Period in the legislature Tuesday, John Lohr, the province’s municipal affairs and housing minister, said he’d be willing to compare Nova Scotia’s supplement to other provinces in terms of “accessibility and generousness.”

But he said the demand for the rent supplement spiked — and the province couldn’t keep up.

“We are in a housing crisis and we see the demand for rent [supplements] increasing,” he said. “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 said the province invested $21 million in its recent budget to create an additional 1,000 supplements, but opposition parties were quick to point out concerns about the threshold change.

Speaking to reporters, NDP MLA Suzy Hansen said “[the government] should’ve worked on making sure that there was enough for everyone that was in need.”

She says changing the threshold 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 applicants still eligible

The province says people who applied prior to the Jan. 27 policy 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 department, says those folks will still 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 statement.

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