The Developing Affordable Student Housing (DASH) Fund is an innovative new way to tackle the student housing crisis in Nova Scotia. Funded by small contributions from each student, it will support building and buying more affordable housing for students. The DASH Fund is an innovative non-profit initiative to build a better future for students, for less than the cost of lunch.

Creating Affordable SPACES
Creating housing that meets the unique needs of students, at prices they can afford.

Building Together
Bringing students to the table to develop purpose-built housing that meets the needs of their community.

Low Cost and High Impact
Building a brighter and more affordable future, for less than the cost of lunch.

Providing Value for Students
Amplifying student contributions by 20x to generate up to $12 million for housing development every year.

Supporting Students from Day One
Up to 10% of funds collected from each campus will go back to students through bursaries and other programs.

Creating Affordable Communities
Affordable non-profit housing options for students decreases market pressures, making rent more affordable for everyone.

Upcoming Referendums

The DASH Fund campaign is coming to a campus near you! Learn more about your campus’s referendum and how to vote below.

Acadia University

SUCCESSFUL

Approved by Acadia students on February 14, 2025.

Saint Mary's University

SUCCESSFUL

Approved by SMU students on March 6, 2025.

Your Campus

Want to help us bring the DASH Fund to your campus?

Contact Us

Campaigns

The DASH Fund campaign is coming to a campus near you! Learn more about your campus’s referendum and how to vote below.

Acadia University

SUCCESSFUL

Approved by Acadia students on February 14, 2025.

Saint Mary's University

SUCCESSFUL

Approved by SMU students on March 6, 2025.

Your Campus

Want to help us bring the DASH Fund to your campus?

Contact Us

How does the DASH Fund work?

We will be working with student unions and associations across the province to plan referendum campaigns which will give students an opportunity to vote for their campus to join the DASH Fund.
If successful, each student will begin contributing $5 per semester to the fund as part of their student fees. This would be automatically added to their student account beginning in the following academic year
Funds collected from students at each participating campus are used for housing projects for students at that campus. This means any funds collected from a community are reinvested for students in that same community.
The DASH Fund will be used to start housing projects by contributing 5% to 10% of the total project costs, and will be leveraged alongside other funding opportunities to maximize impact by multiplying student contributions by up to 20x, which helps us to make our housing as affordable as possible.
Students will be consulted throughout the development process, and participating student unions/associations will participate in the design and approval of any projects using funds contributed by their students.
In the short-term, up to 10% of the funds contributed will be used to support students through initiatives like scholarships, bursaries, and financial aid, ensuring that students will begin to immediately benefit from the DASH Fund, even before new housing is created.

Low Cost, High Impact

per semester
$ 0
total annual student contributions
$ 0
invested into housing every year
$ 0 M+

The DASH Fund will create...

in development potential/year

$ 0 M

do not feel safe in their housing.

0

Ready to Make Change?

To make the DASH Fund a reality on your campus, we need your help. Add your name to the cause below and make change for the better.
I support the DASH Fund

FAQ

Like many people in our communities, students are facing an unprecedented housing affordability crisis. Nearly half of students have gone without food or essentials to afford their rent, and over 95% of students do not believe they could find another place to live on short notice. These immense pressures make education unaffordable and create crushing debt burdens that follow students for decades. The DASH Fund will rapidly create affordable housing that meets the unique needs of the students that call Nova Scotia home.

The DASH Fund is based on a proven model previously used in other jurisdictions that have led to the creation of over 1000 affordable housing units. Student Housing Nova Scotia has adapted the best practices of these other funds to create the DASH Fund, which is adapted to Nova Scotia’s unique geography and demographics.

Every community in Nova Scotia has a shortage of affordable rental housing, and the DASH Fund will build affordable housing for hundreds of people. Further, deliberately offering rents that are below-market prices puts downward pressure on rents for all of us. The DASH Fund will make housing more affordable for everyone, today and in the long-term.

Non-profit housing offers affordable, stable, and community-focused living spaces, prioritizing residents’ well-being over investor profits. It fosters housing security and equitable access to housing, and puts downward pressure on rents charged by for-profit landlords.

To learn more about the DASH Fund, contact us at info@studenthousingns.ca. 

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We work and live in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet), and Passamaquoddy Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1726.

The treaties did not deal with the surrender of lands and resources but in fact, recognized Mi’kmaq and Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.

Student Housing Nova Scotia acknowledges the Peace & Friendship Treaties signed in this Territory and recognizes that we are all Treaty People.

We also acknowledge that people of African descent have been in Nova Scotia for over 400 years, and we honour and offer gratitude to those ancestors of African descent who came before us to this land.