Heritage group calls for vacant Halifax buildings to be used for housing

A heritage group in Halifax is urging the city to use its vacant buildings for affordable housing, instead of selling them to private developers.

A heritage group in Halifax is urging the city to use its vacant buildings for affordable housing, instead of selling them to private developers. The group, called This Should Be Housing, has created an interactive map that shows the abundance of empty properties in the city that could be converted into residential units.

The group’s spokesperson, Lorax B. Horne, said they were inspired by the Halifax Mutual Aid’s stickers that read “This should be housing” and were placed on various buildings around the city. Horne said they wanted to raise awareness about the potential of these buildings to address the housing crisis in Halifax.

“We are tired of seeing community spaces like the Bloomfield Center pass from vibrant features of the landscape into disused vacants. The city then justifies selling off more real estate to private development, and washes their hands when we have nowhere to live,” Horne said in a tweet.

The Bloomfield Center, a former school on Agricola Street, was once proposed to be acquired by the provincial government and turned into 191 affordable units in 2012. However, the plan was scrapped by the Liberal government in 2016, citing viability issues. The property is still owned by the city and remains vacant.

Horne said the city should not treat these buildings as commercial projects, but as public assets that could benefit the residents. They said the city should work with the provincial and federal governments, as well as community organizations, to create affordable housing solutions.

One example of such a collaboration is the Centennial Building, a 54-year-old office tower on Hollis Street, that is being converted into apartments by a private developer. The project received $1.9 million from the province to subsidize rents on 38 of 100 units for the first 20 years. The developer, Sidewalk Real Estate Development, said they expect the conversion to be completed in the next 18 to 24 months.

Horne said they hope the map will encourage more people to join their campaign and pressure the city to act on the housing issue. They said they welcome anyone to add more pins to the map, as long as they have evidence that the building is vacant and could be used for housing.