The District of Lunenburg is taking a significant step toward improving affordable housing in the region. At the November 26, 2024, Council meeting, Council directed staff to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a study that will collect updated housing market data and address key data gaps.
Recent reports from the South Shore Housing Action Coalition highlight significant challenges in the region, including rising housing costs, higher rental rates, and increasing homelessness. Without reliable local data, these issues are hard to address, and funding for affordable housing projects is harder to secure.

“The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and other agencies rely on accurate local housing data to support funding for affordable housing projects,” said Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile. “However, due to a lack of local data, current and future housing developments are at risk of losing out on accessing funding.”

Currently, CMHC uses outdated or incomplete data from other parts of the province, which doesn’t accurately reflect the housing situation in the Lunenburg County area. This has led to a disconnect between reported housing conditions and what residents are experiencing on the ground.

“The Town of Bridgewater has already agreed to contribute to the study, and we will be reaching out to neighboring municipalities in Lunenburg County to see if they would like to join the District in funding this important study,” said Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile.

The estimated cost of the study is $50,000. The results will help ensure affordable housing projects are viable and better positioned to receive necessary funding from government agencies like CMHC.

“This data collection is an urgently needed step to fill gaps and support the development of affordable housing in the region,” said Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile.

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