Documents released by Nova Scotia show that a provincial home-sharing program fell far short of the government’s initial target.
The documents were released through freedom of information legislation and show that the government was aiming to have 500 active homeowners with tenants in the program.
It wound up delivering 60 leases over two years and cost $1.35 million.
The Nova Scotia government announced the program in August 2023 as a way to help people find affordable housing by partnering with a non-profit organization called Happipad that operates an online home-sharing platform.
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Premier Tim Houston has said he wishes the program’s results had been better, but that the partnership was a success to the 60 people who found a place to rent through the platform.
In one of the emails released through freedom of information, a housing strategist for Nova Scotia confirmed the province’s target was 500 active hosts per year.
The documents also include a proposal from Happipad that called for a similar target over two years.
That same number was repeated in the grant agreement signed by the province and Happipad.
The grant agreement said the two sides anticipated that the program would be self-sustaining by the end of the two-year term, stating that the $1.35 million would cover service fees for Nova Scotians who register on the app, marketing for the platform and hire two staff based in the province to provide user support.
With 60 leases signed, the program wound up costing $22,500 per lease.
The Department of Growth and Development, which oversees housing, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.