Housing in HRM:

Maps and Statistics

Here you will find some up-to-date useful statistics and maps related to housing and homelessness in HRM, as well as links to other statistical sources.

STATISTICS

Availability and affordability of housing in HRM

Most of the following statistics are from CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) publications and analysis of Statistics Canada data.  Specific sources for each chart and table are indicated.   

• Housing in HRM - Key Indicators
• Housing Type - Changes in stock over time
• Rental dwellings vs. owned dwellings by area
• Average residential prices
• Vacancy rates
• Average rents
• Average household incomes
• Core housing need in HRM

Community Facts Sheets available in PDF format:

• Housing: Households in Core Housing Need in HRM
• Housing: Average Rents and Vacancy Rates in HRM

Homelessness

Statistics on homelessness in HRM can be found in the 2005 Report, Homelessness in HRM: A Portrait of Streets and Shelters.

Homelessness is the state of being without shelter, it is not a personal characteristic.  Individuals who were absolutely homeless are defined in this study as those who did not have a permanent place of their own to stay (i.e. did not rent, own or have customary access to a conventional dwelling unit) on the night of the survey.  In practical terms it included those who stayed in emergency shelters and transitional housing, as well as those who were encountered during a snapshot survey of streets and homeless services in the Metro area and reported not having a place of their own to stay.  Households at risk of homelessness were defined as those that spent 50% or more of their gross income on shelter, as reported by the 2001 Canada Census.  

The results of the survey provide important insights into immediate reasons for homelessness and on some of the demographic characteristics of homeless individuals reached by the survey, however it is not a “count” and should not be used to characterize all homeless individuals in the Halifax Regional Municipality.  The results also cannot be used to assert absolute increases or decreases in the scope of homelessness in the region.  The point-in-time survey can however serve as a useful bench-marking tool that can, over time, point to changes in the profile and general service needs of the homeless population. 

Development Activity

• HRM Municipal Development Activity

Population and Employment

• HRM Population and Employment Trends

MAPS

The following maps (all in PDF format) compare housing and income characteristics among neighbourhoods in HRM using 2001 Census tract information.

• Average household income distribution within HRM
• Incidence of low income
• Total proportion of households paying 30% or more of income on shelter
• Housing tenure in HRM: Owned units as a proportion of residential dwellings
• Housing tenure in HRM: Rental units as a proportion of residential dwellings
• Percent of total households in need of major repairs

Other useful maps:

• Map of HRM Plan Areas

LINKS

Statistics Canada

CMHC

Quality of Life Statistics

Nova Scotia Community Counts