A new study shows what it calls the province’s “housing crisis” extends beyond the capital city and into rural areas.

The study, a collaboration between Municipalities NL and Choices for Youth, shows that in eight out of 11 communities, one third of the people renting were living in “unaffordable housing.”

It also showed that since 2019 there has been a ten-fold increase in emergency shelter use outside the Avalon Peninsula.

Jen Crowe, Senior Director of Strategy with Choices for Youth, says the study was sparked in part by an increase in the number of young people showing up at their facilities with nowhere to go.

They also heard from providers across the province who said the only solution to emergency housing for young people was to put them on a bus and send them to St. John’s. “The question that we starting to pose (to) ourselves is ‘what is our role in this, and how do we support these young people closer to home?'”

CEO of MNL, Robert Nolan, says the findings will help them address needs on a municipal level.

“We really looked at…through the municipal lens, what can municipalities do in terms of housing and homelessness, what do municipalities need to respond to housing shortages and growing homelessness and then Choices, of course, comes in the social sector way.”