Halifax opening new homeless site in Dartmouth, asks province to pay more

Halifax will open a new designated tent site and increase support to overcrowded encampments to help address homelessness, but are asking the provincial government to pay for a tool that city staff say could have the most impact.

On Tuesday, Halifax regional council talked at length about how to keep people safe inside encampment sites and reduce their impacts on surrounding neighbours and businesses.

Municipal staff said there are about 125 people sleeping rough in Halifax across four designated sites and other spaces like the Halifax Common, but that could hit 300 people this summer if the same growth continues. There were also 1,257 people on the by name list as of last Tuesday, which tracks people experiencing homelessness in Halifax. 

"We can't ignore it. There are times we have to deal with the world as it is, not as we would like it to be, and I think this is one of those times," said Coun. Sam Austin.

"The province is not gonna fix all of our issues here — we're gonna to have to do it."

His Dartmouth district includes the Green Road encampment where there's about 40 people in tents and trailers. The site was supposed to hold eight tents. Austin said there has been at least one death there, a large fire, and one neighbour told Austin she and her child witnessed a gruesome stabbing.

Austin said even though there are ongoing issues at the site, there have been far fewer complaints from neighbours living in public housing next to Green Road compared to those from downtown Halifax sites that were closed like Victoria Park and Grand Parade.

He said the city's process of when to close sites has been biased in relying on complaints, and something has to change with Green Road.

"Knowing what I know now I wouldn't have closed Victoria Park, waste of time. We've got the same thing happening on University Avenue," Coun. Waye Mason said about the downtown site in his area, where there are 23 tents in a space meant for six.

Facing this, council approved a new designated tenting site on four acres of wooded land at the corner of Bancroft Lane and Marketplace Drive on Wrights Cove in Dartmouth, where there are already several people sheltering. Staff said it will take a few weeks to clear the land of trees, level it and set it up with water and porta-potties like the other managed sites.

They also approved more part-time staff for Green Road and University Avenue to help address safety at the sites.

Although some people might be able to move from current overcrowded sites to Bancroft Lane, municipal staff will also create a list of other municipal sites that likely will be needed in the coming months. 

Cathie O'Toole, the city's chief administrative officer, can then open or close sites based on the situation on the ground, and not wait for council approvals each time.

Max Chauvin, director of housing and homelessness for Halifax, said new provincial projects like Pallet shelters for seniors and supportive housing for Black residents are helpful. But he said these, and 250 new shelter beds expected in the coming year, won't help people with the highest mental health or addictions needs.

"That will not take a single person out of a park or event space," Chauvin said.

More affordable and public housing is needed to really help, Chauvin said, as well as better mental health care, and emergency shelter options where people could use drugs or alcohol, or accept couples.

Overall, council approved $1.8 million to be taken from reserves to pay for these items, as well as maintaining services on current sites, and a new drop-in day centre from Shelter Nova Scotia that is cost-shared with the province.

That day centre was announced last April, but Mason said after a year of hunting, Shelter Nova Scotia determined "no commercial operator will rent to them because they don't want the homeless people in their space." 

Day centre expected next spring

Instead, they have bought a building and need to renovate it, but council did not hear where it would be. Mason said that the daytime hub could open by April 2025.

Chauvin had suggested that council also fund about $3 million to create civilian-led response teams, which he said would "have the most impact." They would include social workers, health professionals, and peer support workers and to help people in encampments directly, rather than police.

While councillors agreed that would be a great model, they said the price tag was too high for something that is a provincial responsibility and asked the Nova Scotia government to pay for it.

"[The province hasn't] been as focused on encampments as we have for obvious reasons, and this has to be something that's important to them," said Mayor Mike Savage.

Council also agreed to have Savage send a letter to the province with a slew of requests. They include:

• Create new shelter and housing resources to meet the needs of people sleeping rough.
• Ensure each person sleeping rough gets an individualised case management plan.
• Renovate and use available spaces to create more supportive housing.
• Support a housing and homelessness summit in the fall of 2024 to address local issues.
• Provide the money to manage encampment sites.
• Contribute $180,000 to support people using their RVs in Shubie Park this coming winter.

Christina Deveau, a spokesperson for the provincial Community Services Department, said Tuesday they look forward to the discussions with Halifax once they get those requests.

"The department is in regular contact with our counterparts at HRM and have ongoing conversations on how we can work together to support people experiencing homelessness," Deveau said.