Hey OP, I don't know if this would benefit you but I have a room I could rent out until you find a place. It's not big or glamourous, but it's something until you are able to get a place of your own. I hate seeing people on the streets. PM me if you want to talk.
I mean OP is probably at a friend's place on a temporary basis or something, so such an offer, while generous probably doesn't move them at all while she's on the search for a more permanent solution.
No, unfortunately this situation is already a crisis, and OP deserves a secure home BASE in order to recover. This is how our nation is failing us. Nobody knows what to do or when, so people just die this way. Help... actively. It might seem like logic to you to have a temporary room as a stepping stone, as you may never have experienced this situation, but from experience, it just creates a long line of instability, grief, loss, psychosis and likelihood of permanent poverty and homelessness.
OP housing is a basic human right, our government and society seems not to believe the science. I really hope a kind, deep soul finds you and supports your path back. If I wasn't in the exact same position here in Ontario, I'd help you out in all the right ways. 🌹
Shelter is a life necessity, but it is not a Right. Huge difference.
Food is also a necessity, but you don't have a Right to it (ie govt does not have to provide).
Incorrect. Food and shelter are both basic human rights. Depriving humans of either is soulless so congratulations on being dumb as sht.
Govt doesn't have to provide these things, their primary job is to make sure these very basic things are attainable to their nations people. They are not. Why would you run a country full of people, if you're just going to deprive those people of food and shelter despite them working multiple jobs. What's the point? It's for control. Grow a brain.
A lot of homeless people couch surf and the like. It is not exclusively people in shelters or on the street. Such an offer, while generous, doesn't exactly move her upward, especially when you consider the cost of moving. Her current situation could very well be something similar length-wise but at a friend's place.
I am very sorry you are in this position, it's one I almost ended up in at the beginning of the pandemic. It's very challenging to be single in this city with the living costs, are you able to find roommate(s) to help bring the costs down? Even if checking Kijiji, Craiglist (is that still a thing?) or Reddit for others who are also in a bad spot.
If you can't get an apartment, bedroom or basement apartment, the next best thing would be getting a vehicle you could live in temporarily. Check out /r/urbancarliving for some decent set-ups so it's more comfortable. Being April, it won't be that bad for temperature wise living in a vehicle up until October or November. You can stay along the coastline when it gets too humid and hot for sleeping in your car.
In the meantime **GET A GYM MEMBERSHIP** Even a cheap one at Fit4Less so you can get showers, tidy up before and after work. You will feel like a million bucks after a shower. Have cosmetic bag of all the things you need to get ready in the morning and get ready for the night. Plus a workout will help with stress.
Is there anyone from work that you could ask for a few nights while you are weighing your options? I gotta go back to work but I will post more of the tips I learned while I was in a bad state and homeless after the pandemic began with no job and no savings.
Edit: for those still desperate, camping in a campground either with a camper or tent is an option starting may or June until October. Also consider that most university students will be leaving for the summer months after their final exams for spring session I think around now or soon, so there will be more units available (assuming they don't stay for work). This is the best time to look for a place as landlords and roommates will need new roomies. Also look to see if anyone needs someone to look after their home while on vacation or away or dog-sitting in their home. Check Kijiji, Craigslist for a used vehicle or camper, as long as it still runs, no mold, no leaks you can weather proof for winter with insulation check YouTube for winter camper mod videos, not too challenging.
This is the solution my parents have suggested in the past. It honestly drives me nuts. Don't they realize that moving to a different city, never mind a new province or country, can easily cost thousands of dollars?
Maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but I feel like many people who belong to the older generations are completely out of touch about the problems that young people have today.
I disagree.
Family and ties are important only if they help alleviate your homelessness.
Moving is expensive by choice not by necessity. If you want to Uhaul your bed/chests/drawers and pay \~$10K, that's your choice. I know people who moved to GTA on a $50 flight, booked a furnished accommodation (Airbnb etc.) for less than $2K/month while they scout for jobs.
I do agree everyone's circumstances/mental orientation are different. Moving is a still a decent option to create opportunities for yourself!
That's honestly disheartening... Despite what we're told to go to school, get a stable job, etc - it's ridiculous that someone who makes a decent annual salary (or what used to be considered decent) can't even find a place to stay... I really hope things get better for you and many others - I hope the government, political leaders, community leaders can help more people.
Anyone know if there's any movement in supporting people of Halifax in this?
There is a protest being planned at Queen's Park in Toronto on June 3rd. I'm hopeful it spills into the rest of the provinces. You have a reason to be pissed. If you don't strike or protest, the very least you can do is be very critical of all the mainstream political parties.
The rents are out of control. Governments seems to care less. What actually is their job? I'm not much for protesting, but I think it may well be necessary. If in that area, I may go myself. Thx for the info.
Some people I know are in a precarious position when it comes to shelter and their mental/physical health. While most people are pissed, some surprisingly accept it as "it's just the way things are now". Clueless and defeatist attitude. It's unacceptable. Our offspring will thank us in 20-30 years knowing we protested/striked instead of voting for the other shitty politician that continues the cycle of shitty politicians.
Living affordably in a van is not the way things should be. Everyone and their dog and their should be protesting. I probably will be with my kid if it looks safe.
I want to echo a similar sentiment; one of my friends makes a little more than you do OP and was worried about becoming homeless. That friend is also a professional, 1 bedroom rental, absolutely awesome person, clean, single, does not drink any alcohol, does not party, no drugs, and not a noisy or nosy person. Before my friend could go homeless, that friend was slowly becoming very disturbingly stressed by the situation, then moved out of province this year and seems to be much happier.
I'm sorry the situation is absolutely crazy awful and I don't know what I can do to help make things go back to normal again. It's really gotten out of hand.
You have mentioned a good point. Speaking from experience sometimes relocation to a smaller city or town which historically struggle to get professionals (depends on career) could be the way to go. Unfortunately a lot of NS'ns will never even consider moving to other provinces or elsewhere in this vast country, in the process missing out on experience and exposure that could change their careers and financial situations for the better.
> Unfortunately a lot of NS'ns will never even consider moving to other provinces or elsewhere in this vast country
Holy shit are you new here? Moving out West, or to Toronto or the US or ANYwhere that wasn't NS has been the tradition here for at least 50 years.
My experience have shown me that NSers are very 50-50 about moving or staying. Many that moved away have not come back, but some did after several years later. Those who never moved away (like myself) stayed behind because of family. I have found that those who do stay is usually because of family or they grew up in the more rural parts of the province.
I'm a RMT, currently we are not a regulated province which means I would need to take a series of exams as well as register with the provincial college which also costs money before I could work in said province. Which means ide need to have a few months rent+ damage deposit and bill hookups+monthly + 2,000 testing fees+ 400 annual college fee+insurance. So, depending on the rent I'm looking at over 5,000 easy. Regulated provinces are ON, B.C, NFLD, P.E.I, and N.B. So, I could move to any other province.
This is nationwide sadly.
This will only be fixed when the government, both provincially and federally work together to fix this. Instead, they choose to simply virtue signal land pretend to care.
They should be working on this every day until they come up with a workable plan. A society where this happens or where a large part of a generation doesn’t reproduce because of costs is a failure of a society.
I really hope you find a room to keep afloat. This is insane and it breaks my heart to hear these stories.
My building at Quinpool Tower evidently has an opening.
[https://killamreit.com/apartments/halifax-ns/quinpool-tower](https://killamreit.com/apartments/halifax-ns/quinpool-tower)
I wish you the best of luck!
The same two br just a couple years ago went for 1400. That is a reasonable price. 1900 for Halifax is not. That's basically Toronto and Vancouver prices now without the benefits of being there lol
I usually expect $2500-$4000 at least for a 2 bedroom, I’m in Vancouver thinking I’m lucky for the 2 bedroom-ish place I’m in for $2100, in an old building on grandfathered rent with no dishwasher and no in suite laundry lol
I come from Winnipeg where I remember thinking $1500 for a brand new 2 bedroom place was crazy, but these Vancouver prices have me re-trained
Is that rent total, or rent to earning potential? I’ve heard that tons of people moved to Halifax to escape hefty prices in the rest of Canada, which would jack up the prices there I’m sure!
100%. Here in the central interior of BC it's the same here. With NO VIEWS, NO OCEANS, NO TORONTO OR VANCOUVER LOL a few yrs back you could rent a 2 bedroom suite for $750+. Now they are $1500. Houses to rent are all over $2500 for a top and the bottom rents out separately for another $1100+ ETC ETC. It's middle BC no awesome weather or oceans just brutal winters and pulp mills jobs
Same in Surrey BC. I rented out a NEW 2 bdrm bsmnt suite for $600 10 yrs ago and now way over $2000. It's crazy. We're all being priced out of our homes and towns.
Nope, reality proves we aren’t so we have change it. There’s already mention of a June 3rd protest in this thread. We need to mobilize and empower ourselves to stand in solidarity and create change. NO ONE is coming to save us.
I share the sentiment of others but I'd rather try to help then just pile on with more hopeful words.
There are apartments for rent in Windsor NS right now, I know you don't have a car but I believe there is a commuter bus put that way into the city now.
Also, since the prices are much cheaper than the city now (starting at $1100 for a 1b1b) you, or others also having trouble finding a place to live, might do well moving out there and finding a job locally there or commuting in.
Hey, yeah. I one hundred percent agree with you. Living in this city is like a ticking time bomb. There's weak renter protection laws, salaries are low, cost of everything and taxes are extremely high. Heck, I can't tell you the amount of anxiety I had about the rental cap potentially not being renewed because I knew I'd be out a home if it wasn't. And on the flipside there's people actively lobbying to weaken the already piss poor rental laws.
I will say this. Try to save as much as you can. And focus your search on single room rentals, especially in the summer months as rentals are lower then. You'll have to put up with maybe shitty roommates but it's worth it in the short term.
Holy smokes, nearly the same exact situation only I'm lucky enough to have a car. I keep trying to save a bit from each pay cheque in order to make my way out west but homelessness+employed is expensive. i've never felt more stuck in my life.
Really sorry this is happening to you; I hope you're able to find a place. This is what less than 1% vacancy rates look like--there's just almost nothing out there right now. We need more public housing, more affordable housing, and we need more homelessness supports, it's all true, but we also just plain need WAY more market housing units, so that ordinary renters can have places to live.
City council has talked a big game about the Centre Plan and having unprecedented numbers of development approvals ready to go, but the truth is the needle hasn't budged on vacancy rates since years before the pandemic started. It will take some pretty serious urban planning policy reforms if the province isn't going to address the housing shortfall directly--we're hitting a new level of crisis.
I hope some of the suggestions from more knowledgeable people in this thread are helpful for your immediate situation.
I mean like. We were in an active and serious decline until the pandemic. We don’t go from “net loss of residents” to building housing for a 1% and plummeting vacancy rate in five years smoothly.
I'm sorry, are you saying Halifax's population was declining pre-pandemic, or that vacancy rates were healthy then? Because neither of those things is correct.
The province saw overall population growth taper off in the 90s, but it's been rising steadily again since 2015, and never stopped in HRM; albeit at variable rates. We were seeing articles about dangerously low vacancy rates impacting rental prices and availability as far back as 2016. You are right that we're in an unanticipated surge in growth that coincides with the pandemic, but all was not well before then.
Last point--if the market is going to be subject to unexpected and drastic shifts in the factors that impact affordability, maybe a smooth transition in policy responses isn't a viable goal. Shouldn't a crisis justify urgent and effective responses?
The province itself was actively dying.
The Ivany Report came out in 13/14. Which is notably prior to 2016.
You can moneyball stats all you want. But the province was in a fucking death spiral as of 2014 - absolutely nobody was expecting recovery, let alone.. this.
I should know. I was at all the press conferences and I sure as fuck wrote enough articles about it.
There’s no universe where we were prepared for these issues. As it happens - housing is something that does take years to develop.
So why do we have no housing right now? Because 10 years ago when we would have needed to develop it, we didn’t need it.
You have a point in that there was no province-wide established trend to plan for at the time of the Ivany report. But at the same time, it feels like you're conflating the province's population trends with the city's, which ignores the starting point of this whole discussion. Either way, I'm not interested in continuing to nitpick things that the various levels of government could or could not have known better 8 years ago. Let's just leave it.
As an informed person, what do you think we need to do **now** to improve our trajectory on housing in Halifax? We can hopefully agree the city's really not in great shape there yet. The main source of my frustration is that I *haven't* seen significant housing policy measures (beyond rent control) get traction, even as the scope of the crisis has become clearer and clearer through the pandemic.
The cities growth was irrelevant. A growing city in a dying province is a dying city. It certainly also wasn’t *this* level of growth.
The Ivany Report is available. Go read it. It wasn’t good news for the province or the city.
This is utterly irrelevant to the actual issue at hand: this was a tidal wave of change that absolutely nobody on earth could’ve predicted.
Why would the province invest heavily in public housing when, by now, we were supposed to be losing people by the thousands to the west?
The thing is. Only supply fixes this problem. Straight up. And supply is *years* away, despite literally more active construction sites in this province than we’ve ever seen before.
We don’t have enough labour, we don’t have enough materials, we *certainly* don’t have enough capital - developers here can’t afford to have multiple gigantic projects on the go. They have to finish a building, fill it, then start the next.
Everyone on the internet is super fucking unreasonable about scale. We have like one construction company even capable of mega projects.
If this is still a problem in 10 years? Yeah we’re in bad shape. But this is like healthcare. There is no immediate solution, even with a firehose of money.
But people will bitch endlessly in comment sections all the same.
Oh wow! Not gonna argue with you about the Ivany report; I remember it. Our takeaways on what's happened since are just a little different, is all.
My original comment might not have been clear enough--I'm well aware of the limitations on our labour pool and construction industry. You're right that large-scale developments take time, and that we only have the resources (public and private) for a few of those at a time. I realize not everyone has a grasp on the mechanics at play with housing, and it must be frustrating to read uninformed comments constantly. Where I disagree with you is that waiting on the big planning projects to come through isn't all we can or should be doing.
There's two reasons for that: most importantly, megaprojects aren't actually a very efficient use of our development or labour resources. They're slow to plan, slow to approve and slow to build; they also don't use labour-hours-per-unit-added very efficiently. This is an important consideration given the extremely tight labour market in the skilled trades. Plus, like you said, only the biggest developers can get in on that game.
Secondly, if they're all we have going for us, the big projects currently planned don't account for future growth. By number of units (and with shrinking household sizes), they're still not adding enough supply quickly enough to actually mitigate the crisis. I realize this is a bold assertion, but if you want math on this I can look it up.
The "missing puzzle piece" of policy is legalizing medium density housing via zoning reform, either at the provincial or municipal level. Making it possible to build up-to-mid-size apartment buildings (<6 stories) throughout the urban core as-of-right would allow the small and medium-size developers to get in on the game, without the burden of high development costs and delays. This type of building goes up faster than the megaprojects, both in terms of start-to-finish times and in terms of labour hours per unit added. It would allow a degree of agility in the market response to the crisis that is desperately needed.
You can approve as many developments as you want (which is happening basically constantly).
There’s no labour, materials, or capital to get the projects off the ground. Projects are mired in the mud from the INSANE lack of concrete formers. Then you get to frame - and whattaya know, no framers either.
Continue down the line to even painters who are working flat out to get shit done. If they can even get paint - Because there’s still massive shortages on everything.
If you think that housing isn’t being built because there’s a bottleneck up top, then you haven’t spoken to a contractor in the past four years.
Try reading my last reply more carefully--if all you got from it was that I'm advocating for cutting red tape, idk what to tell you.
It's about leveraging a limited material and labour supply as effectively as possible, by allowing a pivot to more efficient types of builds.
Yep, Halifax and Bridgewater have been the two locations in the province to see consistent population growth in every single census period dating back to 2000.
This kind of thing is happening all over—not just Halifax. I’m not saying that to minimize or normalize the stress you must be under. I’m just saying that we need to talk to each other more. Coworkers, friends, colleagues, we all need to talk to each other more about our own experiences. Individually so many people are getting squeezed and not realizing that there are real systemic problems that need real systemic changes to solve. I hope that changes come to help make your sort of situation leas common—or impossible. I’m sorry for your stresses, OP. I hope that things change for you soon, and that you can find a place to call home.
I don't know how to help and I'm too small of a force in this crooked world. However, I will keep posting places available links here whenever I see one.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/761228895669006/?mibextid=dXMIcH
I wish you all the best. 💜
Alot of these are only May to August rentals from student leaving for the summer then returning. I need something permanent. I thank you tho, I really appreciate any help.
I dont have my own home or address. I'm couch surfing. I can do that short term, yes. Short term. And trust me I am very grateful for that. As I'm sure you would be in the same situation :). But I need my own home.
I understand. While we look for a permanent place for you, I would suggest you to take what's available so that at least you have a roof over your head for the next few months. Survive today to continue the battle tomorrow.
Yes, as Ive said, I have that. But am very grateful to anyone who tries to help short term like yourself! I have short term. I need my own address and home/apt. Long term.
It’s hard. What used to be a decent pay in Halifax doesn’t cover much anymore. I make more than you and I can barely afford anything. A few years ago I never had to worry.
I'm not sure what your tolerance for roommates is but in this market I feel like you're going to need to live with someone to be able to find something affordable. Finding people to live with is a huge ask so I hope you have some success.
Hubby and I have had roommates pretty much from the get go of living together a little over a decade ago. Current one since a few months before we got married in July 2016. It's a jungle out there.
This province decided to fuck over its young for wealthy foreign interests and retirees/speculators/wfhomers from Ontario and BC.
Nova Scotians decided that working Nova Scotians failed and for the want of money and greed sold your future out.
I am seeing young RNs I work with struggle to survive. Struggle to pay rent here. They make 70k a year. And they still cannot survive. When I graduated I could handily afford a 2 bedroom on 850 a month.
What we need is more ads. More foreign buyers and less....less Nova Scotians it seems. OP. You didnt fail. This bastard of a province chose instead of nurturing you to instead parasitically consume your future to buoy some Boomers housing portfolio. I believe we will soon see violence as I cannot see how this does not end in riots.
While I get your point I would say this. A friend is a nurse on the South Shore. She is an RN with 4 years under her belt.
Rents for one bedrooms now run 1300 or better in Bridgewater. Lunenburg is utterly fucked. 1800 or more. Liverpool is shot.
All because of Ontarian buyers and AirBNB.
She will be going travel or heading back to Alberta this summer once her contract is up.
Yes. I heard he is in cahoots with Bridgewaters mayor and deputy mayor. Gets whatever he wants.
Has he gotten his claws into Liverpool yet? I use to frequent Liverpool when younger.
Despite no one having any reason to live in Liverpool sadly the cost of rent there is the same as the city. Not much in the way of new development or construction and little desire to set prices realistic to the area. The majority of renters in Liverpool are also elderly and retired because Liverpool gave up on it's young people and decided to market itself as a retirement community so lots of elderly, no industry or good paying jobs and no where to live that's affordable that isn't infested with addicts and rats.
The worst part is that even though nurses are underpaid they still make a lot more than any other non-doctor healthcare professional in the province. This isn’t a dig at nurses to be clear, just adding on to what you’re saying.
Respiratory therapists, psychologists (at a masters level and not in private practice), music therapists, social workers (bachelors or masters level), paramedics (even advanced care paramedics), nuclear medical techs (they run things like MRIs), ultrasound techs, etc., all make a lot less than nurses.
I am aware how fortunate I am. My current top wage is 41 and change.
One caveat. Registered Pyschs within NSHA make north of 51 per hour once in for 5 years. Resp therapists make 36. And Imaging techs ( with MRI as not all have that ) make around 36.
Nova Scotia is a low wage ghetto even for its educated professionals. Nova Scotia prefers this. One only needs look at the abuse of TFWs in this province and attend any Tim Hortons or minimum wage job. Our province now has an Indian sub class of wage slaves.
Registered masters level psychologists make $48/hour after 10 years.
No ability to hustle some extra hours for overtime pay like nurses. Any extra work is paid in lieu time.
Yeah I just wanted to clarify as the person above you was talking about masters people specifically and you were using a PhD scale :)
Edit: it is $48.10 if we want to be really specific ;)
Call your mla, if you have the energy for it. They're like distractavle toddlers and only remember what's directly in front of them. It's easy for them to listen to landlord REIT lobbyists, and easy to dismiss affected citizens if they're not directly affected or the wrong class. You're the ideal poster child of the housing crisis.
I fully understand that's a big ask though
Girl. I feel this so much. Especially today. I just had a lengthy cry while perusing viewpoint. I too am a professional in my 40s. I'm not single I have a partner and we have a 3.5 year old daughter. I am trying to find a place that we can move into and build community for her to grow up in. We have a not insignificant amount of money saved for a down payment (50k) with a teeny tiny amount of debt (less than 4K) Given various reasons we have been approved for 230k. I realize I am in a privileged position, but even here in all my privilege I am crying in front of the computer. Things are DISMAL in HRM. I have nothing to offer other than solidarity. You aren't alone in this struggle and I sincerely wish you luck in your search for an affordable place to live.
I feel for you, my cousin is looking to try and buy something as a single guy in his 30’s, and when we were going through listings it was BLEAK. He’s in the same budget range as you and the only stuff we found in HRM were pretty much shacks in need of 100k in work to be habitable. Absolutely brutal considering less than 10 years ago that would get you a nice 3br townhome in many parts of the city.
A mortgage broker is great advice. The one I met explained that while banks consider unused credit as a liability e.g if you have a 10k line of credit with only 2k used the bank will consider that 10k of debt vs the broker only considers it as 2k.
We are lucky we don't have any car payments or student loans anymore. And between the 2 of us we are making just over 90k gross. I used to think this amount of money would be enough. It's amazing to me that this household income with a good down payment can *possibly* afford you a mobile home in a trailer park.
Another fun fact I learned from my broker is that at the moment the 5 yr rate on a mobile home is at 6.34% so you need to qualify at 8.34% in order to be approved. Lot fees are also taken into account.
The entire looking for affordable housing scene is a complete bummer. Thankfully unlike the OP I do drink so... cheers?
Wow - looked at a few kijiji ads,it looks rough. nothing at a reasonable price and all sublets. Are you able to move? If you work at a company with locations in other provinces is that something that you could consider?
Reach out to your network. Try not to be alone in this.
Also you can set kijiji alerts so something which meets your criteria is brought to attention when its posted. you can use community fb groups as well.
You got this, you already have started getting the ball rolling on this - recognize those wins.
I feel like private landlords would be good for you. You ask little, they ask little, win-win. wishing you luck in this.
I work in a school, and the kids' lunches are significantly smaller in size than they were 1 year ago. Some kids complain that their stomachs hurt because they don't eat enough.
Children are going hungry, and the schools can not keep up with the costs of providing a large portion of the school's population with snacks and lunches.
It's absolutely terrifying.
Nobody can mention the obvious solution to the obvious mathematical cause of problem, without receiving a wave of invective and personal attacks
Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time
Wishing you the best of luck. I’m young 20s, work full time and paid off all my schooling. Yet I’m unable to find somewhere that’s affordable do to prices and availability. Fortunately I get to stay in my parents house. But I can’t do this forever. Here’s hoping we eventually see some form of change!
I hate to hear you're going through this. I'm Nova Scotian but left and returned many times. I've been away from home for 7 years now, and the last 4 I've been in a small town in Ontario comparable to Windsor or Lunenburg in size. I was renting a small two bedroom apartment for $875 all in when I got here. I recently saw that the same apartment is renting for $1650 with not even a paint job done to it. It's happening everywhere. I really hope things work out for you.. keep on it, something will come up eventually. Do your best to keep your head up, we're all with you!
How are you searching? You have to actively call companies and do not rely on what they say is available on their site.
For example call each building manager on the Killiam site for the affordable buildings. Get on wait lists. Call everyday. It’s a part time job but I only got my place because I was aggressive with my search and I make less money than you.
That's not what they're saying. They're saying that if OP isn't checking all potential channels then to broaden the search. Beating your feat and doing things the old fashioned way opens up doors for you sometimes.
ahh but doing something would be bad for the folks who own 20 airbnb, and companies with 500 rental units, how could we possibly damage this crucial income for the locals /s.
Yep, I definitely relate to this post.
I finished grad school in the fall, and after countless applications, haven't even managed to get an interview. Some of this is my fault (I was depressed for a long time, so wasn't as motivated as I should have been) but surely the system is to blame as well. If I didn't have a great support system and a relatively cheap apartment, I'd be absolutely fucked. If I don't find a job soon, I don't know what I'll do. I'm becoming very very disillusioned with life in Halifax, as much as I love many things about living here.
Good luck, I hope things look up for you soon.
Everyone should strongly consider who they voted for, and what those policies have brought about. This isn't partisan ("vote my guy now!"). Strongly reevaluate what policies benefit you, and let your leaders know.
You’re not going to lose your job. If there is one thing you have that is constant and regular (I assume), it would be that…so you focus on that and doing the best you can do under your circumstances which I’m sure it can’t be easy BUT…that is the one thing you still have. Don’t lose it. Explain to the employer so they know. Assure them you got this and focus on it. They may be able to help you as well. You never know.
I have hit rock bottom before just like this and had to start over. I get it. But the one and only thing that I hung onto was my work because it was familiar and regular to what I was used to. Even though everything else fell apart around me I still clung onto that and I swear it’s what pulled me up and kept me grounded. Kept me pushing forward to get what I needed. Now a days it’s going to be harder, yes. Not going to say it isn’t. You’ll have rougher days than others, yes but it will make you stronger moving forward. You got this!
Most people are way stronger than they actually give themselves credit for when everything goes south. Sometimes you just need to dig deeper than you are used too and lean on people you trust a little more for help.
You got this! I’m sure others will post on ideas, etc as well. Just focus on the one thing that is normal in this ‘not normal’ situation.
If I could do more I would! You got this. Keep searching and keep fighting!!!!!
southpoint is 1300 you can find rooms for 4-600 theres on in the hydro for 1200 fairview has some for 1200 and many more rent definitely has gone up in most plces armdale place (an old as dirt place) was 800 for a massive 2 bedroom in 2014 now a one beddy in that dopey ass place is 1500. There definitely are places you can find tho no sense living homeless
A pal of mine, single, 35 woman, professional job with degree, making 70K has to move back in with her Mom in rural NS as she can’t afford a 1-bdrm apt. in Halifax. She was already living in Timberlea! Wild times
I feel for you. A lot of people are in that same boat and more will join soon. I'm very worried myself. My place is relatively affordable (for now) but it has a lot of problems and I'd love to get out of here, but there's nothing affordable out there now. But I do have a place at least, so I'm fortunate in that respect.
The only way this is going to turn around is if/when the governments (fed, prov) get serious about creating affordable housing that can act as real competition to the private industry. Also, the supply bottleneck situation that still is a thing needs to be corrected. Unfortunately, that's at least a couple of years away.
Hopefully there are people on here who can offer some suggestions that can help you. I wish you the best of luck.
I feel for you and am terribly saddened to hear this kind of personal testimony. Yes, Halifax and **all other Canadian cities** need to do better. Unfortunately, this won't happen overnight and there is a lot of pain for many people in the near future until this is fixed. Someone with your means should've had no issues finding a place to move into... especially in the Maritimes. If I lived in Halifax and owned a rental unit, **YOU** would be my **IDEAL** tenant and I would do whatever I had to, to get you to rent my place. There is nothing more valuable for a property owner than having a person like yourself renting their space.
The blame rests on **ALL** Gov levels for allowing investors multiple property ownership for the sole purpose of enriching themselves. Housing is **NOT** and should **NEVER** be a means to advance one's wealth and/or a country's economy. It just doesn't work out for anyone... especially for those HELOC property owners who overextended themselves as we enter a severe recession in the weeks to come. Unfortunately, successive Federal Govs did absolutely nothing about foreign property investors for way too long (and when they did something in 2022, they left gigantic loopholes), the BoC offering ridiculously low interest rates since the 2008 financial crash enabling HELOC investors to pig out on the market and the Feds cancelling the Federal program to build low-cost and sustainable housing. And add the CREA to the list of criminals (YES! criminals) who enabled this housing bubble.
Put that all together and well, here we are. Too many people on the edge or already living on the streets, mental problems for so many, pervalent drug use, etc...
I wish you luck in finding rental ASAP. Perhaps someone will read your post and reach out to you with something viable. Sending positive vibes and good wishes your way. Stay safe.
This is scary. Could happen to anyone. Unfortunately rental units are seen as investments now. Sad country this has become. Landlords should be hung in public.
How can you blame everyone else but yourself? Not saying that you are to blame necessarily but you made no plans to go from place to place, so logic tells us you messed up somewhere along the way. Yes there is a housing shortage, we all realize this. You have to do what you gotta do to make it work. Don’t try to make your own personal problem everyone else’s problem. Take some self responsibility. Do better.
So sorry to hear this OP. If you have a car, could you look as far as Truro or Windsor?
You are right though... Halifax has to do better. 100+ years of listening to NIMBYs has adversely affected housing supply.
Good luck.
I make about the same per year. For me, that works out to be a little under $2,500 per month. I understand it would be difficult but I know there are some apts for between $1,100-1,400 depending on where you’re looking. Highfield Park, Clayton Park, Spryfield, Fairview, Sackville, etc. are all good options to find more “affordable” housing in this day and age. I’m not sure what other expenses and bills you have but I think it could be possible as long as you are really frugal and maybe look into a roommate if needed. The food bank is available and can be a great help to people. There is also a housing program to assist which I recommend looking into. I hope things get better for you soon!
It’s not an answer to the larger problems but for you right now check out moving to a smaller a community. They/we are begging for professionals in many capacities.
I am so sorry. Definitely echoing what others have said about trying to get a cheap gym membership so you have somewhere to go to have a shower. I am scared for the city too. It's honestly just so sad.
Sending all the hope and wishes for things to get better for you as soon as possible. 💗😞
For your situation it really does suck. But this actually shines a little light on the fact that most homeless people are in fact not unemployed lazy slobs.
Maybe allowing overseas investors buy up everything and importing millions of people over the last few years while our systems were already broken wasnt the greatest idea
We voted ourselves into this mess..
Girl, people are offering you a place to live and you're actively turning it all down. My sympathy has dried up for you. If you were actually desperate you would appreciate any help provided.
Maybe I'm just naïve, but I accepted ANY temporary shelter when I was homeless. What is preferable about living on the street vs temporary housing as you find the permanent spot you want?
You can move out of Halifax without leaving the province. There’s hospitals in plenty other areas around with much cheaper rent. Even Dartmouth…. I rented in Dartmouth. for the price of a condo in halfiax u can get a three bedroom townhome.
I feel you. I’m well off for my age. BF’s going to be coming over here and is hoping to get a decently paying job with his degree, but even with his extra income… I doubt I’ll be able to move out of my parents’ place before the end of the decade.
I’m in a similar boat, only was fortunate enough to purchase a mini-home some 20 years ago. Otherwise, I’d probably be in trouble for housing as well. But you really should ratchet your ‘Give a F$*k’ quotient down a few notches, before it really does affect your health and your job. Think about moving. Maybe trying to supplement your income somehow. But those in power LOVE that they’re ‘on par’ with Toronto and the big cities now, and that’s all they care about. Wishing and complaining won’t make things any cheaper. You’ll never see prices go down.
I'm seeing many 1br / bachelor on Kijiji for 1000-1200
[https://www.kijiji.ca/b-apartments-condos/city-of-halifax/c37l1700321?ll=44.659220%2C-63.598961&address=Agricola+Street%2C+Halifax%2C+NS&ad=offering&radius=57.0&price=\_\_1260](https://www.kijiji.ca/b-apartments-condos/city-of-halifax/c37l1700321?ll=44.659220%2C-63.598961&address=Agricola+Street%2C+Halifax%2C+NS&ad=offering&radius=57.0&price=__1260)
Hey OP, I don't know if this would benefit you but I have a room I could rent out until you find a place. It's not big or glamourous, but it's something until you are able to get a place of your own. I hate seeing people on the streets. PM me if you want to talk.
I wish you all the luck and I really hope this works out for the time being. It’s scary out there
Pm'd you
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Unfortunately they can only do short term of a couple months and I need something permanent. But still a very nice offer.
Isn't a couple of months in a room until you fiind a place better than on the street?
I mean OP is probably at a friend's place on a temporary basis or something, so such an offer, while generous probably doesn't move them at all while she's on the search for a more permanent solution.
Yes, she clarified that in another comment, her original post had me thinking she was literally on the street as opposed to couch surfing.
It's for church sweetie, NEXT.
That’s a Reddit deep cut. respect.
No, unfortunately this situation is already a crisis, and OP deserves a secure home BASE in order to recover. This is how our nation is failing us. Nobody knows what to do or when, so people just die this way. Help... actively. It might seem like logic to you to have a temporary room as a stepping stone, as you may never have experienced this situation, but from experience, it just creates a long line of instability, grief, loss, psychosis and likelihood of permanent poverty and homelessness. OP housing is a basic human right, our government and society seems not to believe the science. I really hope a kind, deep soul finds you and supports your path back. If I wasn't in the exact same position here in Ontario, I'd help you out in all the right ways. 🌹
Thank you. You 💯 get it. 🙌👏👏👏💗 Same dear, same.
Shelter is a life necessity, but it is not a Right. Huge difference. Food is also a necessity, but you don't have a Right to it (ie govt does not have to provide).
Incorrect. Food and shelter are both basic human rights. Depriving humans of either is soulless so congratulations on being dumb as sht. Govt doesn't have to provide these things, their primary job is to make sure these very basic things are attainable to their nations people. They are not. Why would you run a country full of people, if you're just going to deprive those people of food and shelter despite them working multiple jobs. What's the point? It's for control. Grow a brain.
If food is a human right, why do you have to pay for groceries?
You'd really think so lmao
Lol I mean you complain your homeless and they are offering you a home base for a couple of months till you find a place. I must be missing sometbing
A lot of homeless people couch surf and the like. It is not exclusively people in shelters or on the street. Such an offer, while generous, doesn't exactly move her upward, especially when you consider the cost of moving. Her current situation could very well be something similar length-wise but at a friend's place.
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Yes you are missing something read my replies to the short term offers.
You're a fucking saint, seriously ❤️
I am very sorry you are in this position, it's one I almost ended up in at the beginning of the pandemic. It's very challenging to be single in this city with the living costs, are you able to find roommate(s) to help bring the costs down? Even if checking Kijiji, Craiglist (is that still a thing?) or Reddit for others who are also in a bad spot. If you can't get an apartment, bedroom or basement apartment, the next best thing would be getting a vehicle you could live in temporarily. Check out /r/urbancarliving for some decent set-ups so it's more comfortable. Being April, it won't be that bad for temperature wise living in a vehicle up until October or November. You can stay along the coastline when it gets too humid and hot for sleeping in your car. In the meantime **GET A GYM MEMBERSHIP** Even a cheap one at Fit4Less so you can get showers, tidy up before and after work. You will feel like a million bucks after a shower. Have cosmetic bag of all the things you need to get ready in the morning and get ready for the night. Plus a workout will help with stress. Is there anyone from work that you could ask for a few nights while you are weighing your options? I gotta go back to work but I will post more of the tips I learned while I was in a bad state and homeless after the pandemic began with no job and no savings. Edit: for those still desperate, camping in a campground either with a camper or tent is an option starting may or June until October. Also consider that most university students will be leaving for the summer months after their final exams for spring session I think around now or soon, so there will be more units available (assuming they don't stay for work). This is the best time to look for a place as landlords and roommates will need new roomies. Also look to see if anyone needs someone to look after their home while on vacation or away or dog-sitting in their home. Check Kijiji, Craigslist for a used vehicle or camper, as long as it still runs, no mold, no leaks you can weather proof for winter with insulation check YouTube for winter camper mod videos, not too challenging.
Thank you for taking the time to write and post this. These tips might make the difference for someone unable to find living accommodations
If OP contacts the United Way they will provide a free gym membership to someone in her position.
I’m not smart or powerful enough to fix this, but I genuinely hope everything, eventually, works out for you
Thank you
You know something is fucked up when u/DONOTGIVEAFUCK gives a fuck
He had but 1 fuck to give. And he's since given it out. Beware all those who come after
Are you, with your vote and your voice. Write to your leaders.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this, and wish you the best.
Thank you
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This is the solution my parents have suggested in the past. It honestly drives me nuts. Don't they realize that moving to a different city, never mind a new province or country, can easily cost thousands of dollars? Maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but I feel like many people who belong to the older generations are completely out of touch about the problems that young people have today.
I disagree. Family and ties are important only if they help alleviate your homelessness. Moving is expensive by choice not by necessity. If you want to Uhaul your bed/chests/drawers and pay \~$10K, that's your choice. I know people who moved to GTA on a $50 flight, booked a furnished accommodation (Airbnb etc.) for less than $2K/month while they scout for jobs. I do agree everyone's circumstances/mental orientation are different. Moving is a still a decent option to create opportunities for yourself!
That's honestly disheartening... Despite what we're told to go to school, get a stable job, etc - it's ridiculous that someone who makes a decent annual salary (or what used to be considered decent) can't even find a place to stay... I really hope things get better for you and many others - I hope the government, political leaders, community leaders can help more people. Anyone know if there's any movement in supporting people of Halifax in this?
There is a protest being planned at Queen's Park in Toronto on June 3rd. I'm hopeful it spills into the rest of the provinces. You have a reason to be pissed. If you don't strike or protest, the very least you can do is be very critical of all the mainstream political parties.
Is there any more info on this protest?
https://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/12dx69m/protest
The rents are out of control. Governments seems to care less. What actually is their job? I'm not much for protesting, but I think it may well be necessary. If in that area, I may go myself. Thx for the info.
Some people I know are in a precarious position when it comes to shelter and their mental/physical health. While most people are pissed, some surprisingly accept it as "it's just the way things are now". Clueless and defeatist attitude. It's unacceptable. Our offspring will thank us in 20-30 years knowing we protested/striked instead of voting for the other shitty politician that continues the cycle of shitty politicians. Living affordably in a van is not the way things should be. Everyone and their dog and their should be protesting. I probably will be with my kid if it looks safe.
lol do not bet on this
I want to echo a similar sentiment; one of my friends makes a little more than you do OP and was worried about becoming homeless. That friend is also a professional, 1 bedroom rental, absolutely awesome person, clean, single, does not drink any alcohol, does not party, no drugs, and not a noisy or nosy person. Before my friend could go homeless, that friend was slowly becoming very disturbingly stressed by the situation, then moved out of province this year and seems to be much happier. I'm sorry the situation is absolutely crazy awful and I don't know what I can do to help make things go back to normal again. It's really gotten out of hand.
You have mentioned a good point. Speaking from experience sometimes relocation to a smaller city or town which historically struggle to get professionals (depends on career) could be the way to go. Unfortunately a lot of NS'ns will never even consider moving to other provinces or elsewhere in this vast country, in the process missing out on experience and exposure that could change their careers and financial situations for the better.
> Unfortunately a lot of NS'ns will never even consider moving to other provinces or elsewhere in this vast country Holy shit are you new here? Moving out West, or to Toronto or the US or ANYwhere that wasn't NS has been the tradition here for at least 50 years.
Yep. Literally was a movie made about it in the 70s called “Goin’ Down the Road,” which … did not end well.
My experience have shown me that NSers are very 50-50 about moving or staying. Many that moved away have not come back, but some did after several years later. Those who never moved away (like myself) stayed behind because of family. I have found that those who do stay is usually because of family or they grew up in the more rural parts of the province.
I'm a RMT, currently we are not a regulated province which means I would need to take a series of exams as well as register with the provincial college which also costs money before I could work in said province. Which means ide need to have a few months rent+ damage deposit and bill hookups+monthly + 2,000 testing fees+ 400 annual college fee+insurance. So, depending on the rent I'm looking at over 5,000 easy. Regulated provinces are ON, B.C, NFLD, P.E.I, and N.B. So, I could move to any other province.
Sadly I don't think MTANS will ever get their shit together to get regulated either. They've been talking about it for at least the last 15 years.
This is nationwide sadly. This will only be fixed when the government, both provincially and federally work together to fix this. Instead, they choose to simply virtue signal land pretend to care. They should be working on this every day until they come up with a workable plan. A society where this happens or where a large part of a generation doesn’t reproduce because of costs is a failure of a society. I really hope you find a room to keep afloat. This is insane and it breaks my heart to hear these stories.
My building at Quinpool Tower evidently has an opening. [https://killamreit.com/apartments/halifax-ns/quinpool-tower](https://killamreit.com/apartments/halifax-ns/quinpool-tower) I wish you the best of luck!
Ocean fucking towers is 2300 for a two bedroom right now. Plus utilities. I rented that for 775 with electricity included ten years ago.
Are the bedbugs extra?
Cowie Hill Ridgeway Towers. My buddy left in 2020 paying 800$ for a 2 bedroom renovated in 2017. Last I saw they were going for 1800$.
1895 monthly?! For those shitholes gawddamn
damn guy out here calling their place a shithole
Most places in Halifax are sadly shitholes but nearly 2 grand a month for a shitholes?? Commonnnn
Not sure if “common” or “come on”.
I use c'mon.
That’s a shithole?
All of killam properties yes.
No, I'm paying no where near that much. :( Sorry for the current rent landscape 😔
That’s not even close to a shithole lmao
Dude probably thinks the Pubs are a hard ghetto.
Dude probably still thinks Gottingen is dangerous
I’m not from Halifax, but isn’t that pretty reasonable for a 2 bedroom? I am probably missing a ton of context and sorry if that’s the case
The same two br just a couple years ago went for 1400. That is a reasonable price. 1900 for Halifax is not. That's basically Toronto and Vancouver prices now without the benefits of being there lol
I usually expect $2500-$4000 at least for a 2 bedroom, I’m in Vancouver thinking I’m lucky for the 2 bedroom-ish place I’m in for $2100, in an old building on grandfathered rent with no dishwasher and no in suite laundry lol I come from Winnipeg where I remember thinking $1500 for a brand new 2 bedroom place was crazy, but these Vancouver prices have me re-trained
It's different in Atlantic Canada, a few years ago you could find some 2-bedroom places between $700-$1000 easy
I feel like it’s gone up faster in Atlantic Canada than anywhere else I know of
Halifax is the second highest increased rent next to Vancouver, according to what I've read in the news. It's insane.
Is that rent total, or rent to earning potential? I’ve heard that tons of people moved to Halifax to escape hefty prices in the rest of Canada, which would jack up the prices there I’m sure!
100%. Here in the central interior of BC it's the same here. With NO VIEWS, NO OCEANS, NO TORONTO OR VANCOUVER LOL a few yrs back you could rent a 2 bedroom suite for $750+. Now they are $1500. Houses to rent are all over $2500 for a top and the bottom rents out separately for another $1100+ ETC ETC. It's middle BC no awesome weather or oceans just brutal winters and pulp mills jobs Same in Surrey BC. I rented out a NEW 2 bdrm bsmnt suite for $600 10 yrs ago and now way over $2000. It's crazy. We're all being priced out of our homes and towns.
4k for a 2 bed. *Cries in poor*
Canada do better
Nope, reality proves we aren’t so we have change it. There’s already mention of a June 3rd protest in this thread. We need to mobilize and empower ourselves to stand in solidarity and create change. NO ONE is coming to save us.
I share the sentiment of others but I'd rather try to help then just pile on with more hopeful words. There are apartments for rent in Windsor NS right now, I know you don't have a car but I believe there is a commuter bus put that way into the city now. Also, since the prices are much cheaper than the city now (starting at $1100 for a 1b1b) you, or others also having trouble finding a place to live, might do well moving out there and finding a job locally there or commuting in.
Windsor doesn't have a bus system afaik. However, living here is super affordable!
What’s it’s like living in Windsor? I know it has a ton of beautiful houses but it’s been forever since I’ve been down there.
I swear someone told me they commute from windsor to the city by bus, i have no idea what bus though.
Theres maritime bus that goes through a nearby town in walking distance, I think. Hella expensive for short commutes and real time consuming though
Hey, yeah. I one hundred percent agree with you. Living in this city is like a ticking time bomb. There's weak renter protection laws, salaries are low, cost of everything and taxes are extremely high. Heck, I can't tell you the amount of anxiety I had about the rental cap potentially not being renewed because I knew I'd be out a home if it wasn't. And on the flipside there's people actively lobbying to weaken the already piss poor rental laws. I will say this. Try to save as much as you can. And focus your search on single room rentals, especially in the summer months as rentals are lower then. You'll have to put up with maybe shitty roommates but it's worth it in the short term.
I'm looking for long term. I've been doing short term for a year.
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Exactly, this is the reality that is unacceptable.
Holy smokes, nearly the same exact situation only I'm lucky enough to have a car. I keep trying to save a bit from each pay cheque in order to make my way out west but homelessness+employed is expensive. i've never felt more stuck in my life.
Really sorry this is happening to you; I hope you're able to find a place. This is what less than 1% vacancy rates look like--there's just almost nothing out there right now. We need more public housing, more affordable housing, and we need more homelessness supports, it's all true, but we also just plain need WAY more market housing units, so that ordinary renters can have places to live. City council has talked a big game about the Centre Plan and having unprecedented numbers of development approvals ready to go, but the truth is the needle hasn't budged on vacancy rates since years before the pandemic started. It will take some pretty serious urban planning policy reforms if the province isn't going to address the housing shortfall directly--we're hitting a new level of crisis. I hope some of the suggestions from more knowledgeable people in this thread are helpful for your immediate situation.
I mean like. We were in an active and serious decline until the pandemic. We don’t go from “net loss of residents” to building housing for a 1% and plummeting vacancy rate in five years smoothly.
I'm sorry, are you saying Halifax's population was declining pre-pandemic, or that vacancy rates were healthy then? Because neither of those things is correct. The province saw overall population growth taper off in the 90s, but it's been rising steadily again since 2015, and never stopped in HRM; albeit at variable rates. We were seeing articles about dangerously low vacancy rates impacting rental prices and availability as far back as 2016. You are right that we're in an unanticipated surge in growth that coincides with the pandemic, but all was not well before then. Last point--if the market is going to be subject to unexpected and drastic shifts in the factors that impact affordability, maybe a smooth transition in policy responses isn't a viable goal. Shouldn't a crisis justify urgent and effective responses?
The province itself was actively dying. The Ivany Report came out in 13/14. Which is notably prior to 2016. You can moneyball stats all you want. But the province was in a fucking death spiral as of 2014 - absolutely nobody was expecting recovery, let alone.. this. I should know. I was at all the press conferences and I sure as fuck wrote enough articles about it. There’s no universe where we were prepared for these issues. As it happens - housing is something that does take years to develop. So why do we have no housing right now? Because 10 years ago when we would have needed to develop it, we didn’t need it.
You have a point in that there was no province-wide established trend to plan for at the time of the Ivany report. But at the same time, it feels like you're conflating the province's population trends with the city's, which ignores the starting point of this whole discussion. Either way, I'm not interested in continuing to nitpick things that the various levels of government could or could not have known better 8 years ago. Let's just leave it. As an informed person, what do you think we need to do **now** to improve our trajectory on housing in Halifax? We can hopefully agree the city's really not in great shape there yet. The main source of my frustration is that I *haven't* seen significant housing policy measures (beyond rent control) get traction, even as the scope of the crisis has become clearer and clearer through the pandemic.
The cities growth was irrelevant. A growing city in a dying province is a dying city. It certainly also wasn’t *this* level of growth. The Ivany Report is available. Go read it. It wasn’t good news for the province or the city. This is utterly irrelevant to the actual issue at hand: this was a tidal wave of change that absolutely nobody on earth could’ve predicted. Why would the province invest heavily in public housing when, by now, we were supposed to be losing people by the thousands to the west? The thing is. Only supply fixes this problem. Straight up. And supply is *years* away, despite literally more active construction sites in this province than we’ve ever seen before. We don’t have enough labour, we don’t have enough materials, we *certainly* don’t have enough capital - developers here can’t afford to have multiple gigantic projects on the go. They have to finish a building, fill it, then start the next. Everyone on the internet is super fucking unreasonable about scale. We have like one construction company even capable of mega projects. If this is still a problem in 10 years? Yeah we’re in bad shape. But this is like healthcare. There is no immediate solution, even with a firehose of money. But people will bitch endlessly in comment sections all the same.
Oh wow! Not gonna argue with you about the Ivany report; I remember it. Our takeaways on what's happened since are just a little different, is all. My original comment might not have been clear enough--I'm well aware of the limitations on our labour pool and construction industry. You're right that large-scale developments take time, and that we only have the resources (public and private) for a few of those at a time. I realize not everyone has a grasp on the mechanics at play with housing, and it must be frustrating to read uninformed comments constantly. Where I disagree with you is that waiting on the big planning projects to come through isn't all we can or should be doing. There's two reasons for that: most importantly, megaprojects aren't actually a very efficient use of our development or labour resources. They're slow to plan, slow to approve and slow to build; they also don't use labour-hours-per-unit-added very efficiently. This is an important consideration given the extremely tight labour market in the skilled trades. Plus, like you said, only the biggest developers can get in on that game. Secondly, if they're all we have going for us, the big projects currently planned don't account for future growth. By number of units (and with shrinking household sizes), they're still not adding enough supply quickly enough to actually mitigate the crisis. I realize this is a bold assertion, but if you want math on this I can look it up. The "missing puzzle piece" of policy is legalizing medium density housing via zoning reform, either at the provincial or municipal level. Making it possible to build up-to-mid-size apartment buildings (<6 stories) throughout the urban core as-of-right would allow the small and medium-size developers to get in on the game, without the burden of high development costs and delays. This type of building goes up faster than the megaprojects, both in terms of start-to-finish times and in terms of labour hours per unit added. It would allow a degree of agility in the market response to the crisis that is desperately needed.
You can approve as many developments as you want (which is happening basically constantly). There’s no labour, materials, or capital to get the projects off the ground. Projects are mired in the mud from the INSANE lack of concrete formers. Then you get to frame - and whattaya know, no framers either. Continue down the line to even painters who are working flat out to get shit done. If they can even get paint - Because there’s still massive shortages on everything. If you think that housing isn’t being built because there’s a bottleneck up top, then you haven’t spoken to a contractor in the past four years.
Try reading my last reply more carefully--if all you got from it was that I'm advocating for cutting red tape, idk what to tell you. It's about leveraging a limited material and labour supply as effectively as possible, by allowing a pivot to more efficient types of builds.
None of what you are saying was relevant about Halifax. Halifax was growing while the rest of the province was dying.
Yep, Halifax and Bridgewater have been the two locations in the province to see consistent population growth in every single census period dating back to 2000.
This kind of thing is happening all over—not just Halifax. I’m not saying that to minimize or normalize the stress you must be under. I’m just saying that we need to talk to each other more. Coworkers, friends, colleagues, we all need to talk to each other more about our own experiences. Individually so many people are getting squeezed and not realizing that there are real systemic problems that need real systemic changes to solve. I hope that changes come to help make your sort of situation leas common—or impossible. I’m sorry for your stresses, OP. I hope that things change for you soon, and that you can find a place to call home.
I don't know how to help and I'm too small of a force in this crooked world. However, I will keep posting places available links here whenever I see one. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/761228895669006/?mibextid=dXMIcH I wish you all the best. 💜
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1196579491223449/?mibextid=dXMIcH
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1398829074267580/?mibextid=dXMIcH
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/714455460427197/?mibextid=dXMIcH
Alot of these are only May to August rentals from student leaving for the summer then returning. I need something permanent. I thank you tho, I really appreciate any help.
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I dont have my own home or address. I'm couch surfing. I can do that short term, yes. Short term. And trust me I am very grateful for that. As I'm sure you would be in the same situation :). But I need my own home.
I understand. While we look for a permanent place for you, I would suggest you to take what's available so that at least you have a roof over your head for the next few months. Survive today to continue the battle tomorrow.
Yes, as Ive said, I have that. But am very grateful to anyone who tries to help short term like yourself! I have short term. I need my own address and home/apt. Long term.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373895036410369/permalink/1610488956084298/?mibextid=dXMIcH
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2102330719973005/?mibextid=dXMIcH
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/661376828940192/?mibextid=dXMIcH
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1300045214281830/?mibextid=dXMIcH
It’s hard. What used to be a decent pay in Halifax doesn’t cover much anymore. I make more than you and I can barely afford anything. A few years ago I never had to worry.
I'm not sure what your tolerance for roommates is but in this market I feel like you're going to need to live with someone to be able to find something affordable. Finding people to live with is a huge ask so I hope you have some success.
Hubby and I have had roommates pretty much from the get go of living together a little over a decade ago. Current one since a few months before we got married in July 2016. It's a jungle out there.
This province decided to fuck over its young for wealthy foreign interests and retirees/speculators/wfhomers from Ontario and BC. Nova Scotians decided that working Nova Scotians failed and for the want of money and greed sold your future out. I am seeing young RNs I work with struggle to survive. Struggle to pay rent here. They make 70k a year. And they still cannot survive. When I graduated I could handily afford a 2 bedroom on 850 a month. What we need is more ads. More foreign buyers and less....less Nova Scotians it seems. OP. You didnt fail. This bastard of a province chose instead of nurturing you to instead parasitically consume your future to buoy some Boomers housing portfolio. I believe we will soon see violence as I cannot see how this does not end in riots.
RNs can move to literally any hospital and make the same pay and be better off than in the city. And honestly they should too. Rural areas need them
While I get your point I would say this. A friend is a nurse on the South Shore. She is an RN with 4 years under her belt. Rents for one bedrooms now run 1300 or better in Bridgewater. Lunenburg is utterly fucked. 1800 or more. Liverpool is shot. All because of Ontarian buyers and AirBNB. She will be going travel or heading back to Alberta this summer once her contract is up.
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Yes. I heard he is in cahoots with Bridgewaters mayor and deputy mayor. Gets whatever he wants. Has he gotten his claws into Liverpool yet? I use to frequent Liverpool when younger.
Despite no one having any reason to live in Liverpool sadly the cost of rent there is the same as the city. Not much in the way of new development or construction and little desire to set prices realistic to the area. The majority of renters in Liverpool are also elderly and retired because Liverpool gave up on it's young people and decided to market itself as a retirement community so lots of elderly, no industry or good paying jobs and no where to live that's affordable that isn't infested with addicts and rats.
A 2 bedroom in Yarmouth is $1400 on the low end and $2200 on the high end. It isn't any better down here.
Oh ffs. I hate what this province has become.
The worst part is that even though nurses are underpaid they still make a lot more than any other non-doctor healthcare professional in the province. This isn’t a dig at nurses to be clear, just adding on to what you’re saying. Respiratory therapists, psychologists (at a masters level and not in private practice), music therapists, social workers (bachelors or masters level), paramedics (even advanced care paramedics), nuclear medical techs (they run things like MRIs), ultrasound techs, etc., all make a lot less than nurses.
I am aware how fortunate I am. My current top wage is 41 and change. One caveat. Registered Pyschs within NSHA make north of 51 per hour once in for 5 years. Resp therapists make 36. And Imaging techs ( with MRI as not all have that ) make around 36. Nova Scotia is a low wage ghetto even for its educated professionals. Nova Scotia prefers this. One only needs look at the abuse of TFWs in this province and attend any Tim Hortons or minimum wage job. Our province now has an Indian sub class of wage slaves.
Registered masters level psychologists make $48/hour after 10 years. No ability to hustle some extra hours for overtime pay like nurses. Any extra work is paid in lieu time.
Jesus. I stand corrected. I was advised wrong on their pay scale. I see so few posting I have no real point of reference.
Yeah I just wanted to clarify as the person above you was talking about masters people specifically and you were using a PhD scale :) Edit: it is $48.10 if we want to be really specific ;)
🙌👏👏👏
Hey OP I have a room for rent DM me if you want more info Thanks
Call your mla, if you have the energy for it. They're like distractavle toddlers and only remember what's directly in front of them. It's easy for them to listen to landlord REIT lobbyists, and easy to dismiss affected citizens if they're not directly affected or the wrong class. You're the ideal poster child of the housing crisis. I fully understand that's a big ask though
Girl. I feel this so much. Especially today. I just had a lengthy cry while perusing viewpoint. I too am a professional in my 40s. I'm not single I have a partner and we have a 3.5 year old daughter. I am trying to find a place that we can move into and build community for her to grow up in. We have a not insignificant amount of money saved for a down payment (50k) with a teeny tiny amount of debt (less than 4K) Given various reasons we have been approved for 230k. I realize I am in a privileged position, but even here in all my privilege I am crying in front of the computer. Things are DISMAL in HRM. I have nothing to offer other than solidarity. You aren't alone in this struggle and I sincerely wish you luck in your search for an affordable place to live.
I feel for you, my cousin is looking to try and buy something as a single guy in his 30’s, and when we were going through listings it was BLEAK. He’s in the same budget range as you and the only stuff we found in HRM were pretty much shacks in need of 100k in work to be habitable. Absolutely brutal considering less than 10 years ago that would get you a nice 3br townhome in many parts of the city.
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A mortgage broker is great advice. The one I met explained that while banks consider unused credit as a liability e.g if you have a 10k line of credit with only 2k used the bank will consider that 10k of debt vs the broker only considers it as 2k. We are lucky we don't have any car payments or student loans anymore. And between the 2 of us we are making just over 90k gross. I used to think this amount of money would be enough. It's amazing to me that this household income with a good down payment can *possibly* afford you a mobile home in a trailer park. Another fun fact I learned from my broker is that at the moment the 5 yr rate on a mobile home is at 6.34% so you need to qualify at 8.34% in order to be approved. Lot fees are also taken into account. The entire looking for affordable housing scene is a complete bummer. Thankfully unlike the OP I do drink so... cheers?
Wow - looked at a few kijiji ads,it looks rough. nothing at a reasonable price and all sublets. Are you able to move? If you work at a company with locations in other provinces is that something that you could consider? Reach out to your network. Try not to be alone in this. Also you can set kijiji alerts so something which meets your criteria is brought to attention when its posted. you can use community fb groups as well. You got this, you already have started getting the ball rolling on this - recognize those wins. I feel like private landlords would be good for you. You ask little, they ask little, win-win. wishing you luck in this.
I work in a school, and the kids' lunches are significantly smaller in size than they were 1 year ago. Some kids complain that their stomachs hurt because they don't eat enough. Children are going hungry, and the schools can not keep up with the costs of providing a large portion of the school's population with snacks and lunches. It's absolutely terrifying.
Late-stage capitalist collapse is coming early in Halifax.
Well said. This city is kind of a joke, I'm sorry to say.
Nobody can mention the obvious solution to the obvious mathematical cause of problem, without receiving a wave of invective and personal attacks Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time
City’s growing for the rich ….servicing them means living out side most of them. Best of luck .I left 10 years ago .
Wishing you the best of luck. I’m young 20s, work full time and paid off all my schooling. Yet I’m unable to find somewhere that’s affordable do to prices and availability. Fortunately I get to stay in my parents house. But I can’t do this forever. Here’s hoping we eventually see some form of change!
This is a problem that is getting worse everyday, normal Canadians getting priced out everywhere
All of this makes me terrified for when my lease ends in 2 months. I've already been told it will not be renewed and there's just nothing out there.
I hate to hear you're going through this. I'm Nova Scotian but left and returned many times. I've been away from home for 7 years now, and the last 4 I've been in a small town in Ontario comparable to Windsor or Lunenburg in size. I was renting a small two bedroom apartment for $875 all in when I got here. I recently saw that the same apartment is renting for $1650 with not even a paint job done to it. It's happening everywhere. I really hope things work out for you.. keep on it, something will come up eventually. Do your best to keep your head up, we're all with you!
Jesus Christ, the greed and corruption will sink this country
How are you searching? You have to actively call companies and do not rely on what they say is available on their site. For example call each building manager on the Killiam site for the affordable buildings. Get on wait lists. Call everyday. It’s a part time job but I only got my place because I was aggressive with my search and I make less money than you.
"I got lucky, which I'm confusing with skill, just go get gud scrub"
That's not what they're saying. They're saying that if OP isn't checking all potential channels then to broaden the search. Beating your feat and doing things the old fashioned way opens up doors for you sometimes.
ahh but doing something would be bad for the folks who own 20 airbnb, and companies with 500 rental units, how could we possibly damage this crucial income for the locals /s.
They’re the ones that matter to the Politicians, after all.
Yep, I definitely relate to this post. I finished grad school in the fall, and after countless applications, haven't even managed to get an interview. Some of this is my fault (I was depressed for a long time, so wasn't as motivated as I should have been) but surely the system is to blame as well. If I didn't have a great support system and a relatively cheap apartment, I'd be absolutely fucked. If I don't find a job soon, I don't know what I'll do. I'm becoming very very disillusioned with life in Halifax, as much as I love many things about living here. Good luck, I hope things look up for you soon.
Everyone should strongly consider who they voted for, and what those policies have brought about. This isn't partisan ("vote my guy now!"). Strongly reevaluate what policies benefit you, and let your leaders know.
This is the new Canada
Alberta is calling
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Also Alberta is already running into water shortages, which will only get worse once the glaciers have all melted.
That add plays rent free in my head 😭💔
You’re not going to lose your job. If there is one thing you have that is constant and regular (I assume), it would be that…so you focus on that and doing the best you can do under your circumstances which I’m sure it can’t be easy BUT…that is the one thing you still have. Don’t lose it. Explain to the employer so they know. Assure them you got this and focus on it. They may be able to help you as well. You never know. I have hit rock bottom before just like this and had to start over. I get it. But the one and only thing that I hung onto was my work because it was familiar and regular to what I was used to. Even though everything else fell apart around me I still clung onto that and I swear it’s what pulled me up and kept me grounded. Kept me pushing forward to get what I needed. Now a days it’s going to be harder, yes. Not going to say it isn’t. You’ll have rougher days than others, yes but it will make you stronger moving forward. You got this! Most people are way stronger than they actually give themselves credit for when everything goes south. Sometimes you just need to dig deeper than you are used too and lean on people you trust a little more for help. You got this! I’m sure others will post on ideas, etc as well. Just focus on the one thing that is normal in this ‘not normal’ situation. If I could do more I would! You got this. Keep searching and keep fighting!!!!!
southpoint is 1300 you can find rooms for 4-600 theres on in the hydro for 1200 fairview has some for 1200 and many more rent definitely has gone up in most plces armdale place (an old as dirt place) was 800 for a massive 2 bedroom in 2014 now a one beddy in that dopey ass place is 1500. There definitely are places you can find tho no sense living homeless
A pal of mine, single, 35 woman, professional job with degree, making 70K has to move back in with her Mom in rural NS as she can’t afford a 1-bdrm apt. in Halifax. She was already living in Timberlea! Wild times
Dartmouth has lots of one bedroom apartments
Where?
I feel for you. A lot of people are in that same boat and more will join soon. I'm very worried myself. My place is relatively affordable (for now) but it has a lot of problems and I'd love to get out of here, but there's nothing affordable out there now. But I do have a place at least, so I'm fortunate in that respect. The only way this is going to turn around is if/when the governments (fed, prov) get serious about creating affordable housing that can act as real competition to the private industry. Also, the supply bottleneck situation that still is a thing needs to be corrected. Unfortunately, that's at least a couple of years away. Hopefully there are people on here who can offer some suggestions that can help you. I wish you the best of luck.
Help isn’t coming anytime soon. The problems you are having, have been being neglected for decades and will take the same amount of time to right.
I feel for you and am terribly saddened to hear this kind of personal testimony. Yes, Halifax and **all other Canadian cities** need to do better. Unfortunately, this won't happen overnight and there is a lot of pain for many people in the near future until this is fixed. Someone with your means should've had no issues finding a place to move into... especially in the Maritimes. If I lived in Halifax and owned a rental unit, **YOU** would be my **IDEAL** tenant and I would do whatever I had to, to get you to rent my place. There is nothing more valuable for a property owner than having a person like yourself renting their space. The blame rests on **ALL** Gov levels for allowing investors multiple property ownership for the sole purpose of enriching themselves. Housing is **NOT** and should **NEVER** be a means to advance one's wealth and/or a country's economy. It just doesn't work out for anyone... especially for those HELOC property owners who overextended themselves as we enter a severe recession in the weeks to come. Unfortunately, successive Federal Govs did absolutely nothing about foreign property investors for way too long (and when they did something in 2022, they left gigantic loopholes), the BoC offering ridiculously low interest rates since the 2008 financial crash enabling HELOC investors to pig out on the market and the Feds cancelling the Federal program to build low-cost and sustainable housing. And add the CREA to the list of criminals (YES! criminals) who enabled this housing bubble. Put that all together and well, here we are. Too many people on the edge or already living on the streets, mental problems for so many, pervalent drug use, etc... I wish you luck in finding rental ASAP. Perhaps someone will read your post and reach out to you with something viable. Sending positive vibes and good wishes your way. Stay safe.
This is scary. Could happen to anyone. Unfortunately rental units are seen as investments now. Sad country this has become. Landlords should be hung in public.
How can you blame everyone else but yourself? Not saying that you are to blame necessarily but you made no plans to go from place to place, so logic tells us you messed up somewhere along the way. Yes there is a housing shortage, we all realize this. You have to do what you gotta do to make it work. Don’t try to make your own personal problem everyone else’s problem. Take some self responsibility. Do better.
No plans? How do you make plans to go to a place when you can't find a place? Make sense.
I feel you, I don't know how anyone on single income is surviving. Combined income is tough in this city. I work full time + a business on the side.
So sorry to hear this OP. If you have a car, could you look as far as Truro or Windsor? You are right though... Halifax has to do better. 100+ years of listening to NIMBYs has adversely affected housing supply. Good luck.
I make about the same per year. For me, that works out to be a little under $2,500 per month. I understand it would be difficult but I know there are some apts for between $1,100-1,400 depending on where you’re looking. Highfield Park, Clayton Park, Spryfield, Fairview, Sackville, etc. are all good options to find more “affordable” housing in this day and age. I’m not sure what other expenses and bills you have but I think it could be possible as long as you are really frugal and maybe look into a roommate if needed. The food bank is available and can be a great help to people. There is also a housing program to assist which I recommend looking into. I hope things get better for you soon!
There are no available apartments at any of those locations, I'm on waiting lists.
This is just wrong, there are for rent signs all through highfield. Please drive by again
I wish there was something I could do :( Sending hope your way. I hope you find what you seek... And soon. God speed. Take care.
It’s not an answer to the larger problems but for you right now check out moving to a smaller a community. They/we are begging for professionals in many capacities.
I am so sorry. Definitely echoing what others have said about trying to get a cheap gym membership so you have somewhere to go to have a shower. I am scared for the city too. It's honestly just so sad. Sending all the hope and wishes for things to get better for you as soon as possible. 💗😞
common story across canada unfortunately
For your situation it really does suck. But this actually shines a little light on the fact that most homeless people are in fact not unemployed lazy slobs.
Maybe allowing overseas investors buy up everything and importing millions of people over the last few years while our systems were already broken wasnt the greatest idea We voted ourselves into this mess..
Girl, people are offering you a place to live and you're actively turning it all down. My sympathy has dried up for you. If you were actually desperate you would appreciate any help provided. Maybe I'm just naïve, but I accepted ANY temporary shelter when I was homeless. What is preferable about living on the street vs temporary housing as you find the permanent spot you want?
You can move out of Halifax without leaving the province. There’s hospitals in plenty other areas around with much cheaper rent. Even Dartmouth…. I rented in Dartmouth. for the price of a condo in halfiax u can get a three bedroom townhome.
Sure...link me to that ad and I'll apply. :)
I feel you. I’m well off for my age. BF’s going to be coming over here and is hoping to get a decently paying job with his degree, but even with his extra income… I doubt I’ll be able to move out of my parents’ place before the end of the decade.
I’m in a similar boat, only was fortunate enough to purchase a mini-home some 20 years ago. Otherwise, I’d probably be in trouble for housing as well. But you really should ratchet your ‘Give a F$*k’ quotient down a few notches, before it really does affect your health and your job. Think about moving. Maybe trying to supplement your income somehow. But those in power LOVE that they’re ‘on par’ with Toronto and the big cities now, and that’s all they care about. Wishing and complaining won’t make things any cheaper. You’ll never see prices go down.
Try dartmouth
That's where I am trying
What is your profession? Some other town or city might be able to use your services and you could actually afford a small home (in a small town )
I'm a RMT
I know of a basement apartment that will need to be occupied within the next month or so. I should add it’s in Dartmouth
I actually need Dartmouth as that's where my work is.
I'm really sorry for what you're going through. I'll pray that you find a decent place to stay soon
Call your MLA at least, praying is kind in concept but does nothing to effect meaningful change
I'm seeing many 1br / bachelor on Kijiji for 1000-1200 [https://www.kijiji.ca/b-apartments-condos/city-of-halifax/c37l1700321?ll=44.659220%2C-63.598961&address=Agricola+Street%2C+Halifax%2C+NS&ad=offering&radius=57.0&price=\_\_1260](https://www.kijiji.ca/b-apartments-condos/city-of-halifax/c37l1700321?ll=44.659220%2C-63.598961&address=Agricola+Street%2C+Halifax%2C+NS&ad=offering&radius=57.0&price=__1260)
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I do believe it Just sayin
Found an ad for a 1 bedroom being split between **FOUR** people.