A longtime housing advocate and former St. John’s councilor says the housing crisis is getting more attention now because it’s bleeding into the middle class.

Hope Jamieson, who’s now with Choices for Youth, made the comment during a panel on the issue at the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador conference in St. John’s yesterday.

Jamieson has been beating the housing drum for years, particularly during her time on council, and now in her work with Choices for Youth.

A sweeping report on the situation is coming in the new year, but Jamieson says there’s no question its impact on previously self-sufficient members of society has pushed the issue front and centre.

“I’ve been in this conversation a long time and it’s never been so robust as it is at this moment, but it’s because it’s affecting middle class families all of a sudden,” she said.

“People want to go, ‘it’s this.’ And if we fix that, we’ll fix it. (But) there are so many layers that impact the ability to access, maintain and stay in housing over the long term, and we need to be addressing all of those things simultaneously if we want a durable solution.”