A Nova Scotia woman who describes herself as “land-rich but cash-poor” has a unique offer for housing developers: take her waterfront property and build affordable housing  — including a unit for her.

Janet Dermody, who owns a wooded parcel of land in Howie Centre, N.S., outside Sydney, has put out a call to developers in hopes that someone will build badly needed housing on the property she was given by her mother six months ago. 

“I’ve been thinking about how bad the housing situation is here, and how a lot of people are on the verge of not having a place to live,” Dermody, 49, said in a recent interview.

Dermody, who’s lived in Cape Breton all her life, said that she has been struggling with affordable housing, and recently moved 15 minutes outside of Sydney because she could no longer afford rent in town.

“High rent forced me out, so it’s impacted me, and I know it’s impacting others I know. So I think if I get the right help from the right developer, I could help others and myself at the same time,” she said, adding that she cannot afford to build on the land herself.

Dermody said she is particularly concerned about the rising levels of homelessness in the area. The issue is close to her heart because her brother died in 2021 while homeless in a park in Hamilton, Ont.

Dermody’s mother, who lived in Howie Centre for 30 years, bought the land more than 15 years ago before moving to Ontario. It measures about 0.6 hectares.

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