Nova Scotia Community College, NSCC, is receiving four new student housing projects from the province.

Minister of Advanced Education, Brian Wong, announced Tuesday morning at NSCC’s Institute of Technology campus in Halifax, that the college will be receiving around 270 new beds. “That is 270 more spaces for students that are going to have a place and accommodation on campus in four of our communities,” Wong said.

The new accommodation will be built at NSCC campuses in Springhill, Kentville, Bridgewater and Halifax.

Announcements were made by Minister Tory Rushton, Minister John Lohr and Minister Becky Druhan at the other campuses receiving the new housing. Previous projects announced since 2021 combined with the new announcement will bring the student housing spaces up to 620.

The announcement comes after the province released its five-year housing plan as part of the Our Homes, Action for Housing Plan last month.

“The first step for post secondary students to see Nova Scotia as their home, is to have a place to live,” Wong said.

Principal of the NSCC, Don Bureaux, thanked the minister on behalf of the school.

Eirik Larsen, President of the Institute of Technology Campus Student Association, said that these projects offer those studying at NSCC, an opportunity to “find affordable housing, as well as to have a place nearby campus.”

The Minister Wong said this is another step towards solving the housing crisis across the province. “Because we know that for every student housing unit that we're able to buy or to build, that it relieves the market,” Wong said.

Suzy Hansen NDP Caucus Chair says the announcement is a step in the right direction but should have come sooner. "If the government started this initiative when they first got into office, we would have some housing right now for students that are actually coming in," Hansen said.

The housing crisis is at the centre of the issue Hansen says, "right now, the housing market doesn't have affordability attached to too much of that. And that is where we're seeing students and families hurt the most."

Details on costs, design and timelines will come in the next few months.

Listen to the story below: