Halifax needs more tent sites as number of people sleeping rough rises, councillor says

A Halifax councillor says more designated tenting sites are needed in the city as the number of people sleeping rough has more than doubled since last fall.

In a study conducted throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality last month, the Elizabeth Fry Society determined there were 178 people sleeping outside, up from 85 in November.

The numbers come after the municipality approved four tent sites for homeless camping last summer, including at Lower Flinn Park in Halifax, a green space on Barrington Street, a green space on Geary Street in Dartmouth and Green Road Park in Dartmouth. Another site opened in Lower Sackville in November.

But those sites are full, and people have started tenting in Victoria Park on Spring Garden Road and at Grand Parade on Barrington Street.

"The simple truth is that there isn't anywhere else to send people right now," Coun. Waye Mason, who represents Halifax South Downtown, told CBC Radio's Maritime Noon on Friday.

"There aren't enough shelters or enough affordable apartments to put folks into, and so for the time being, we're stuck with what can only be considered our last choice, is to have official tent sites or tents sites at all, and we're seeing it grow by leaps and bounds."

Mason said there were more than 20 tents in Victoria Park on Friday, which has become an unsanctioned location. He said some people in the area are upset about this, but others understand how difficult the situation has become.

James Boxall, who works at Dalhousie University, lives in a building right next to the park. He said it's not the people in tents that bothers him, but the fact they have no other choice.

"There's a homeless crisis. There's a people-living-rough crisis. There's a food crisis," Boxall told Maritime Noon.

"I'm worried myself about students coming in, in the fall, and not having enough accommodations for them. Will they be going rough? There have been students doing this, and that's a problem."

CBC News also spoke with a man living in a tent in Victoria Park, and has agreed not to use his name to protect his privacy during his precarious situation.

He has been staying in Victoria Park for the last few days, after a "series of very bad events" forced him to live in his car. After his car was impounded, he spent a couple nights in the hammocks at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth before he was given a tent.

He said staying in the park has been peaceful and stress-free, thanks to his friends and their words of encouragement.

"I'm very happy where I'm at and I just hope that other people out there will see what potential is out there, because I did see the very bottom of life," he said. "And although I'm getting a little bit emotional now, it's a good emotional. I'm very pleased with the progress that I've made." 

More sites to open: councillor

Mason said when the tent sites were approved last summer, councillors also gave the city's chief administrative officer the ability to designate more should the need arise. He said that is going to happen.

"People are living in tents right now. We have families living in tents right now with children who are going to school. People are going to work," he said.

"Increasingly, what we're seeing more and more is the newer entrants coming into tents aren't people who need wraparound services, aren't people who need mental health and drug supports — they're people who just can't find a place to rent in the market right now because vacancy is so low and rents are so high, they just can't find a place to live."

Mason said tent sites aren't a permanent solution, and all levels of government need to come together and find a way to build more social housing — because the marketplace won't build it.

"We need to build housing. The only people who will build non-market housing is the federal and provincial government with support of the municipality. They're the ones that have the deep pockets and who can build housing," he said. 

"We need to house these people. We're one of the richest countries in the world and having people living in tents when winter is three months away is not acceptable."

Last month, provincial Community Services Minister Karla MacFarlane said there's always an increase in people tenting in the summer, because of the better weather.

"I think it's just a lot of individuals are looking for that outlet and freedom to be outside, much like ourselves," she said at the time. "But we take this issue extremely serious. We know it's not a good situation."

MacFarlane's government has spent millions of dollars in the last two years on programs, services and partnerships trying to help address homelessness in Nova Scotia, but she acknowledged more needs to be done.