Fixing Systems,
Not Just Symptoms
Direct service is essential — but it's not enough. Threshold Housing is active in municipal and provincial policy conversations about housing supply, tenant protection, and homelessness strategy. We believe the data and stories from our work have to inform the systems that shape housing in Nova Scotia.
Current Campaigns
These are the issues we are actively working on right now — through research, consultation, coalition-building, and direct engagement with decision-makers.
Rent Bank Expansion
ActiveWe are leading a coalition of six Nova Scotia nonprofits to advocate for a permanent, provincially-funded rent bank program. Our 2024 proposal calls for $5M annually to support rent bank operations in Halifax, Truro, Antigonish, and Cape Breton. The proposal is currently under review at the Department of Community Services.
Stronger Tenant Protections
UrgentNova Scotia's Residential Tenancies Act has not kept pace with a rapidly changing rental market. We are calling for mandatory notice periods of at least 90 days for renovictions, independent adjudication of eviction disputes, and stricter limits on above-guideline rent increases. We presented to the Standing Committee on Community Services in January 2025.
Affordable Housing Supply
OngoingWe are members of the Halifax Regional Municipality Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and submit annual recommendations on inclusionary zoning, land banking, and the development of non-market housing on surplus public land. Our 2024 submission called for a minimum of 20% affordable units in all new residential developments receiving municipal incentives.
Homelessness Strategy Renewal
ActiveHalifax Regional Municipality's current homelessness strategy expires in 2026. As a key voice in the renewal consultation, we are advocating for a Housing First framework with clear timelines, measurable targets, and coordinated funding from all three levels of government. Consultation sessions run through spring 2025.
Our Policy Positions
These positions are informed by 16 years of front-line data and our deep familiarity with what works and what doesn't in the Halifax-Dartmouth housing landscape.
Housing is a Human Right
We support Nova Scotia's formal adoption of a right-to-housing framework consistent with the National Housing Strategy Act. Homelessness is not a lifestyle choice — it is the result of policy failures that can and must be corrected through deliberate public action.
Prevention Spending Saves Money
The cost of preventing an eviction through the rent bank averages $1,100 per household. The cost of a family losing their home and entering emergency shelter averages $4,800 per month. We call on all levels of government to shift funding toward upstream prevention, not downstream crisis management.
Non-Market Housing Must Grow
The private market will not solve the affordable housing crisis. Nova Scotia needs a sustained, multi-year investment in non-profit and co-operative housing stock that is permanently affordable — not just subsidized temporarily through market-rate development agreements.
Data Transparency and Accountability
Governments and nonprofits must be held to measurable outcomes, not just inputs. We publish our own housing stability data annually and call for a shared, publicly-accessible dashboard tracking homelessness and housing outcomes across HRM.
Advocacy Events
Get involved — attend a consultation, join a community forum, or connect with our advocacy team at an upcoming event.
HRM Affordable Housing Advisory Committee — Public Forum
Halifax City Hall, Room 301 · 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Open to the public. Threshold Housing will present our 2025 recommendations. Registration required — email advocacy@example.com.
Rent Bank Coalition Workshop
Threshold Housing Offices, 1425 Hollis St · 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. A working session for coalition members developing the provincial rent bank proposal. Invitation-only — contact Sandra MacLeod at smacleod@example.com.
Housing Matters: Annual Community Fundraiser & Advocacy Dinner
The Westin Nova Scotian, Halifax · 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm. Our annual fundraising and advocacy dinner, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Stephen Gaetz (Canadian Observatory on Homelessness). Tickets available at give.html.
Nova Scotia Housing Strategy Consultation — Dartmouth Session
Dartmouth Library, Main Branch · 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. The Province of Nova Scotia is seeking public input on the next housing strategy. Threshold Housing will be present to support participants and collect our community's voice.
Recent Media Coverage
Our advocacy work and community expertise are regularly featured in local and national media. For media inquiries, contact Sandra MacLeod at smacleod@example.com.
"Threshold Housing calls for 90-day renoviction notice period in NS"
March 12, 2025 · Executive Director Sandra MacLeod spoke to CBC News about Threshold's submission to the Standing Committee on Community Services calling for stronger tenant protections.
Read the article"Nova Scotia rent bank serves over 1,200 families — but funding may dry up"
January 28, 2025 · A feature article on the rent bank coalition's campaign for permanent provincial funding, including data on program costs and housing outcomes from Threshold's annual report.
Read the article"Halifax housing crisis: Local nonprofits demand Housing First strategy"
November 5, 2024 · Threshold Housing joined five other Halifax organizations at a press conference calling for a Housing First approach in the next HRM Homelessness Strategy.
Read the article"The numbers behind Halifax homelessness — and why prevention pays"
September 18, 2024 · A data-focused profile of Threshold Housing's 2024 Housing Stability Data Report, including our cost-effectiveness analysis of eviction prevention versus emergency shelter.
Read the article