Neighbourhood Change and the Fate of Rooming Houses

The paper examines changes in the number and geography of rooming houses in Halifax, Canada. Several factors contributed to the near extinction of private single-room accommodations for hard-to-house, low-income adults between 1995 and 2016, while student-oriented rooming properties increased. Economic and population growth created strong housing demand as low borrowing costs facilitated property investment in central neighbourhoods. Planning policies encouraged greater densities and heights in areas formerly accommodating low-rent rooming houses, while regulations held rooming houses to new standards. Cultural preferences for urban living accelerated demand for, and costs in central areas. Together these factors contributed to an apparent rent gap that made many rooming house properties ripe for transformation, contributing to diminished shelter opportunities for disadvantaged low-income residents. The case illustrates how gentrification extinguishes some market-provided low-income housing options.