A provincial benefit helping low-income New Brunswickers pay their rent is no longer accepting applications because most of the money allocated for this fiscal year has already been spoken for due to the popularity of the program.
That’s left some tenants in the lurch, including seniors.
Edith Myers helps connect seniors in the rural community of Beausoleil with resources that enable them to stay at home longer.
She says many seniors struggle with the rising cost of rent, as most rely on their pensions alone. That’s why she was thrilled when she heard about the Direct-to-Tenant Rental Benefit.
“We were just told about this a month ago, so we started telling our seniors that they could get help with that, and of course they were happy with that, so we started to apply for them,” said Myers, who is a manager with the Bien vieillir chez soi Beausoleil program.
“After 10 applications, we got an email that the program was being stopped.”
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The provincial government announced they were investing more than $21 million in the benefit on May 20.
The email in early June said that all the money for the fiscal year had been allocated, Myers said.
In a statement to Global News, Housing NB said there were still some circumstances in which people can receive the benefit.
“Two newly launched referral-based DTT pilot projects — aimed at helping those with disabilities and young people find more affordable housing — are now being processed by staff with Housing NB,” a spokesperson wrote.
Housing NB will review any outstanding applications and if new funding is available, those applications will be considered.
Matthew Hayes with the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights says the province was hit particularly hard by the pandemic-era rent spikes because there was no rent control at the time.
“The fact that the funding wasn’t adequate demonstrates that the Liberal government hasn’t taken the housing crisis seriously enough,” said Hayes.
While the province currently has rent control, it’s tied to individual tenants.
Myers says seniors are feeling the brunt of this and are cutting down on essentials, including groceries, to afford housing.
“I know that the younger people have trouble also, but the seniors have worked all their lives and also deserve help,” she said.
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