N.S. housing wait also long for poor without disabilities, witness testifies

A human rights hearing heard today that public housing wait times for thousands of Nova Scotians can go on for years, much as it often does for people with intellectual disabilities awaiting a home.

Government lawyers called Neil MacDonald, a manager at Housing Nova Scotia, who testified that 3,400 families and seniors are on wait lists, and on some housing programs the average wait approaches three years.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia inquiry told no safe home for N.S. woman with intellectual disability

He gave his testimony as the province defends itself against a complaint that it has discriminated against people with intellectual disabilities by keeping them in hospital-like, institutional settings.

Beth MacLean and Joseph Delaney alleged in 2014 the Department of Community Services violated the Human Rights Act by forcing them to remain at the Emerald Hall psychiatric ward in Halifax for over a decade, even though they had been medically discharged.

The province’s lawyers argued at the outset of the hearing that while the province supports the principle of community-based care, it’s not a human right as defined in the legislation.

WATCH: Nova Scotia argues that supported housing for disabled is not a right

However, the complainants’ lawyer, Vince Calderhead, has argued that Nova Scotians on welfare generally have had better access to social services and housing of their choice than people with intellectual disabilities required to stay in institutions.

As of February, there were 1,500 people with disabilities either awaiting some form of support from the Department of Community Services, or awaiting a transfer to a different housing option or location.