A new housing development for healthcare workers is complete and fully occupied in Bridgewater.
The province says 20 new townhouse units on Glen Allan Drive are now finished.
The project includes one-, two- and three-bedroom homes.
The total investment for the Bridgewater development was $6 million.
Premier Tim Houston says the homes are meant to help recruit and retain healthcare workers by giving them safe and accessible housing in the communities they serve.
“Healthcare workers are there for Nova Scotians when we need them most, and they deserve to have safe, accessible housing in the communities they serve,” Houston said.
He says the homes will help recruit and keep health professionals in the Bridgewater area, while supporting the community’s continued growth.
The project is part of the province’s housing for healthcare program, a $45-million investment aimed at making housing available for healthcare workers in communities across Nova Scotia.
Angela Bishop, executive director of the Housing Trust of Nova Scotia, says housing shortages can make it harder to attract and keep healthcare professionals.
“The Province recognized that a shortage of housing can contribute to a shortage of healthcare professionals, and that affects the health of the Bridgewater area,” Bishop said.
She says the Bridgewater project uses a mixed-income model to offer manageable rents to healthcare workers.
“By increasing housing options and, through HTNS’s mixed-income model, offering manageable rents to the healthcare professionals we need, this initiative supports both recruitment and retention,” Bishop said.
The Housing Trust of Nova Scotia is overseeing the housing for healthcare initiative for the province.
The province says projects are underway or complete in Guysborough, Lunenburg, Port Hawkesbury, Canso, Liverpool and New Glasgow.
Nova Scotia says it has invested $340 million over the past five years to create or preserve 3,980 non-market housing units.
