Halifax plans for new homeless encampments as current ones fill up

Halifax is planning to open more designated sites for people experiencing homelessness, as the number of unhoused individuals in the municipality continues to grow and encampments become more cramped. 

According to a new staff report, four designated tenting locations are over capacity with more people regularly moving in. Meanwhile, tents and other structures are going up in non-designated locations, including in Dartmouth's Northbrook Park, Halifax Common and Point Pleasant Park.

Max Chauvin, the municipality's director of housing and homelessness, said there are between 60 and 70 people sleeping rough in the city. And while "great options" are coming from the province, he said, the timing has not lined up.

A tiny-home community for 62 unhoused people in Lower Sackville won't be ready until the fall, while most of the 100 individual Pallet shelters earmarked for Halifax also aren't in place.

"The challenge is how do we support some of those folks right now," said Chauvin.

Encampments not a solution: report

The report described designated encampments as a temporary "necessity," but it cautioned they are not a solution. It noted encampments are often unsafe for people living in them and become issues for the surrounding community.

No specific locations for the new sites were identified in the report. Chauvin said he would discuss how many might be needed with regional council at next month's meeting.

The report said people will not be allowed to sleep rough in locations that were recently de-designated as encampments, including Grand Parade, the Geary Street green space, and Victoria and Saunders parks.

Other prohibited locations continue to be sites within 50 metres of a school or daycare, on active sports fields, within cemeteries, on bridges or docks, near playgrounds or recreation facilities, or in highly inaccessible spaces.

People sheltering in these areas will get an eviction notice and an outreach worker will connect with them to offer support. Others who have set up tents in non-designated sites that aren't in these prohibited areas may be granted more time to explore their options. 

The city will offer free storage options for anyone staying at a shelter or encampment, and there will be new signs and handouts to inform people of their options when sleeping rough.

Porta-potties and water will continue to be supplied at designated locations, but the municipality won't be providing power for now. It may be provided during colder months.

Safe disposal containers for needles are being placed in encampments in hopes of discouraging residents from discarding them in porta-potties, which Chauvin said has caused an issue for the companies supplying the portable toilets and emptying them.

More than 1,200 people homeless in Halifax

As of April 16, there were 1,211 people on the by-name list that tracks people experiencing homelessness in Halifax. Recently, the report said the list has grown about four per cent a month. It noted the number of unhoused people is likely greater because it may not include people who are couch surfing or staying in their cars. 

While there are still some spaces available in shelters and temporary housing, the report said not everyone can or will accept those options. 

Those who have dealt with violence, physical assault and theft in communal shelter settings can't be in those spaces, while others need a "wet" option that would accept people under the influence of drugs or alcohol. There are also no shelter spaces for couples and a shortage of youth spaces.

"No one solution works for everybody, so a variety of solutions is really important," Chauvin said.

902 Man Up, which runs multiple shelters in Halifax, is set to open a supportive housing project called the Transition Campus in the coming weeks. The report said many of the residents will come from existing shelters, opening up those spaces for others.

The province opened two new shelters in recent months, including the 100-bed shelter in the former St. Paul's Church on Windmill Road, which is leased into 2026.

But the 93-bed facility in the multipurpose centre of the Halifax Forum is set to close in August, so the municipality is looking for a new location. Staff are going through results of a request for expressions of interest that recently closed, and sharing those with the province.

If a suitable replacement isn't found among those, staff said they will look at using a winterized temporary structure or see if the multipurpose centre space could be extended.

The city and province will make a decision on which approach they will be taking before June 30.