[CAH] invitation to affordable homeownership focus group

[Darcy Harvey]

Housing Affordability and the Problem of Rising Housing Costs

 
You are invited to participate in a focus group looking at the problems of rising housing costs in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The study is being conducted for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
 
The purpose of the study is to understanding housing affordability challenges among the "middle class" in the Halifax area. We define affordability as paying less than 30% of income for housing costs. We are conducting a series of focus groups on this issue, and are interested in understanding the housing challenges facing people who may have recently entered the workforce or who have been employed for some time, who would consider themselves to be in "the middle class" (ideally, with a household income of about $35,000 to $60,000), and who feel they are paying too much for their housing or are having trouble getting into homeownership.

Participants may be experiencing affordability problems now, in the recent past, or they may not yet have entered the homeownership market. Some people might be in a poor location, have high operating costs (heat, electricity), need repairs, have high transportation costs, or huge debt load that's prevent buying a home. Others may be experiencing workforce instability - working on contract rather than full time permanent employment. We are interested in a variety of situations and perspectives.
 
A copy of the questions we will discuss at the session are attached to this invitation letter.
 
The Halifax-area focus group will involve 10 to 15 people, and will be held 
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
6:45pm
Holiday Inn Express, 133 Kearney Lake Dr, Wedgewood 2 Room
The session will last for approximately 2 hours. Your participation will assist us in understanding more about this issue in the Halifax area.
 
Your participation is completely voluntary. You may withdraw from the focus group at any time without penalty. All information obtained in this study will be kept strictly confidential and anonymous. The results of this study will be presented as a group and no individual participants will be identified without their permission.
 
We will cover your travel and child care (if necessary) costs to attend the focus group session.
 
If you are interested in participating in this study, please confirm that you will attend, no later than September 22, 2006 by contacting me by email or phone.
 
Sincerely
 
 
David Bruce, Director, Rural and Small Town Programme
Mount Allison University
1-800-461-1977
dwbruce at mta.ca



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David Bruce, Director, Rural and Small Town Programme
Adjunct Professor, Department of Geography
Mount Allison University, Sackville NB E4L 1A7
506-364-2395 fax 506-364-2601
dwbruce at mta.ca, www.mta.ca/rstp
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