A local advocate says government’s new five point plant to increase affordable housing is lacking in urgent and immediate measures.
Dan Meades of the Transition House Association says what the announcement does is incentivize private companies to do government’s job. He says the poor and those suffering from housing insecurity are not the ones who will benefit.
Meades says government promised a housing strategy, and yet the five-point plan does nothing to address the immediate needs of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
While he cites measures like the home ownership assistance program as a great way to incentivize future home ownership, it does nothing for those currently experiencing homelessness.
He doubled down by saying that literally any measures that immediately provided relief for those currently experiencing homelessness would have been better than the plan laid out by government.
Homebuilders Association Reaction
The Homebuilders Association is applauding government’s 5-point plan to build more rental housing units to address the province’s housing crunch.
Executive Officer Alexis Foster believes some of the incentives announced yesterday will help stimulate housing construction.
The Association has been advocating for some time for the elimination of GST/HST for purpose builds says Foster to help increase rental housing stock. They’re also pleased with the low-interest financing program to help build rental units.