60 leases signed through the two-year, $1.3 million Nova Scotia home-sharing contract
The government first announced the program in August 2023 to help people find affordable housing. It partnered with a non-profit organization called Happipad that operates an online home-sharing platform.
Happipad handled background checks, matched renters with homes, and collected rent. The provincial government has said its funding allowed the platform to waive user fees. It also paid for the costs of setting up the website and for marketing.
But initial results show the program wound up costing more than $22,000 per lease, prompting criticism that the government has failed to help Nova Scotians find affordable homes.
"The Happipad deal was always more of a gimmick than a real solution to address rising rents and a lack of affordable housing," said official Opposition NDP Leader Claudia Chender in a statement to The Canadian Press.
"The Houston government has continued to ignore the very real challenges people face when it comes to affording their home."
The Department of Growth and Development did not respond directly to questions from The Canadian Press asking whether it was pleased with the program's results.
"The contract with Happipad has come to an end," spokeswoman Chloee Sampson said in an email.
But overall, Sampson said 1,853 renters and about 956 hosts signed up on Happipad over two years.
She also said Happipad tracked user data, indicating 400 people may have signed leases after connecting on the platform.
When it launched the program in 2023, the government said that there were about 130,000 vacant bedrooms in the province.
"We all have a role to play as we work together to overcome this housing crisis, and today's announcement is a call to action to all Nova Scotians who may have extra space in their homes," former provincial housing minister John Lohr said, at the time.
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