Caution For Cities Paddling Beyond Their Depth In The Social Housing Pool

Halifax, Nova Scotia’s largest city, has been exploring for some time how to counter unpalatable social housing decisions made by the province¹. Other cities in other nations have similar problems stemming from regional indifference — seemingly even sabotage — concerning truly affordable housing and its attendant homelessness consequences.

There has been this past year a spectacular example from Austin, Texas. That city had faced up to the reality of endless pop-up homeless encampments and begun a search for suitable city-approved sites. Only to have the Texas legislature, meddling close to home in its Austin State Capitol, ban ALL camping everywhere in the state. Try: Ho Hum: A Progress Report On Texas Criminalization Of The Homeless

It would seem reasonable for Halifax city staff, feeling the pinch of unsympathetic attitudes from higher levels of government, to explore methods of better controlling its housing destinies, perhaps even taking control of its own housing programs.

But beware of large sharks circling small pools! Those who don’t learn from history are said to be doomed to repeat it. So does Halifax have to be once-bitten to become twice as shy of managing its own social housing responsibilities?

Fortunately there are other histories available to cause Halifax to pause. Events in the Province of Ontario serve as one example. Some years ago, that province decided to offload social housing responsibilities to its own capital city, Toronto and other municipal governments². As a bonus and deal-sweetener, Ontario assumed responsibility to collect the taxes to fund public education.

So how did that work out? As far as the municipalities were concerned, many might say “rather badly.” Fortunately, Ontario’s social housing history is not unknown in Nova Scotia. Read more at The Coast: Halifax considers taking over housing from the province

1. In this post, “social” housing refers to non-market housing where rent is set according to the incomes of the resident tenants. These are operated by non-profits co-operatives, and public housing authorities. Oversight and financial subsidy comes from the provincial government
2. Ontario, in making this move, might have been taking its lead from the Federal government, which transferred its responsibility for social housing to provincial governments at the beginning of the 1990’s.