About Us
The HousingNB team of 2023 is working together to carry out an evaluation of New Brunswick's progress towards achieving its share of the Canadian National Housing Strategy (NHS) goals. The NHS is a 10-year $82 billion dollar federal plan that was released in 2017 that aims to help Canadians access housing that meets their needs, while reducing homelessness and core housing need through the creation of affordable housing. Additionally, this website was created by the HousingNB team to serve as a framework for how to analyze New Brunswick's progress towards the goals of the NHS that can be used by researchers in this area.
​
Now that we are midway through the implementation of the National Housing Strategy, it is as important as ever to be researching and measuring New Brunswick's progress on the goals of the NHS. This is essential for accountability, evaluation, and identifying gaps in development. It enables informed decision-making, resource allocation, and policy adjustments to address housing needs effectively in the province.
The National Housing Strategy Goals
Cut chronic homelessness in half
Remove 530,000 families from housing need
Invest in the construction of up to 160,000 new afffordable homes
New Brunswick's Progress Towards the National Housing Strategy Goals
Cutting chronic homelessness in half
The goal to reduce chronic homelessness in the province has been highlighted in the 2019-2029 New Brunswick Housing Strategy, stating how the province is aiming on providing 300 additional housing options for the homeless. However, the number of homeless people in New Brunswick continues to grow and change over time, given the difficulty of tracking the number of people experiencing homelessness. According to the Homeless Hub website, there are approximately over 600 people that are currently experiencing chronic homelessness between three major cities in the province (Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John), which could also be considered as an underestimation due to the lack of data available. Therefore, while there has been progress in reducing homelessness in the province, this progress can be considered insufficient. It would be highly suggested that New Brunswick provide consistent data on the number of homeless people and on the number of affordable housing units being built in the province to the best of their ability.
​
While the increase in the number of homeless shelter capacity can be seen as progress, other researchers see this as a problem. Dr. Julia Woodhall-Melnik, who is the principal housing researcher at the HOME-RL lab, perceived the increase in homeless shelter capacity as a detrimental issue; Dr. Woodhall-Melnik views this increase as the province focusing more on providing temporary shelters rather than finding a solution to the shortage of affordable housing units being provided.
Removing 530,000 families from housing need
What is core housing need:
The CMHC deems a household to be in core housing need when it satisfies the following two criteria: Firstly, the household falls short of one or more of the adequacy, suitability, and affordability standards. Secondly, the household would need to allocate 30% or more of its pre-tax household income to secure local housing that meets all three standards.
​
New Brunswick's portion:
​
Based on the percentage of Canadians that live in New Brunswick, the province would be responsible for removing 9,937.5 families from housing need (using 750,000 as New Brunswick's population and 40 million for Canada).
​
The price increase on both housing and rent has made affordable housing in New Brunswick has become inaccessible as the incomes of people in the province are insufficient for them to afford an acceptable and adequate home. As of 2021, the median income of New Brunswickers is $34,900 while the average home price in the province is $246,467, and the average rent price is $1,074. The number of affordable housing units that cost around $750 was reduced and 13% of New Brunswick households are spending more than 30% of their income to shelter costs.
Investing in the construction of up to 160,000 affordable homes
What is affordable housing:
​
According to the CMHC, housing is considered as affordable if it costs less than 30% of a household’s before-tax income. Housing is considered a human right in Canada and providing adequate and affordable housing units is one of the main targets of the National Housing Strategy.
​
New Brunswick has invested in building new affordable housing units through funding from both the provincial and federal governments, from initiatives such as the CMHC's National Housing Co-Investment Fund and the CMHC-New Brunswick Bilateral Agreement as part of the National Housing Strategy. While there is data on the number of funding and initiatives along with their corresponding amounts, there is a lack of data on the number of housing units being built. According to the Social and Affordable Housing Survey from 2022, New Brunswick has data on the number of units built from pre-1980 up to 1995. However, no numbers have been recorded from 1996 to the present on the number of affordable units being built in the province. Currently, New Brunswick has built 151 affordable housing units. However, it is only 4.7% of the number of units that are needed to be built to achieve the province's contribution to the National Housing Strategy's goals. A total of 3,008 affordable housing units should be built to further accomplish New Brunswick's aim to provide affordable and adequate housing.
​
​