‘You’re going to either lose your place, or you’re gonna have all of your power cut’: examining the intersections of energy precarity and homelessness in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia

For many, the experience of homelessness is marked by compromised access to energy, associated with a circumstance referred to as energy precarity. Energy precarity describes a situation where individuals cannot afford or access sufficient energy services to meet their social and material needs, including staying adequately warm and cool. This study explores the intersection between energy precarity and homelessness in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada, a small regional community particularly marked by both issues. We rely on secondary analysis of qualitative data collected in the context of a larger study. Analyses are conducted on data from semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of ten individuals with lived experience of energy precarity and housing insecurity, and of three local community service providers. Results describe energy precarity as a contributor to the loss of home through strained household budgets and contentious relationships with landlords, and as an element prohibiting an exit from homelessness if debts to utility companies compromise access to certain housing options. Energy precarity also emerges as one characteristic of homelessness. While homelessness and energy precarity literature has largely remained distinct from each other, these findings indicate that energy costs should be considered as a factor contributing to the risk of eviction and homelessness, and, accordingly, for homelessness prevention programming to account for the role of energy precarity. Results further highlight the need for policy to recognise the right to both housing and energy.