Some Meagher Park residents moving on, Halifax councillor says

The Halifax regional councillor who represents the district that includes Meagher Park says some of the people who have been living there in tents and wooden Tyvek sheds have left for alternate housing.

"There are some others who are at the location that are hoping to move shortly as well, they're just making sure they have accommodations they agreed to," Coun. Lindell Smith told CBC's Mainstreet Halifax in an interview Monday.

"So we're getting closer to a point, but it's a moving target ... and things change by the hour and we're dealing with a demographic that needs proper supports and it really shouldn't be forced on them where they should go."

Smith was responding to a statement issued last Friday by homeless support organizations and advocacy groups that made 10 recommendations — including not having the police involved in relocation — and asked for seven days to implement them.

The recommendations include allowing people to move the Tyvek huts to other locations and establishing a different site with storage, toilets, running water and garbage collection.

People living in the west-end Halifax park — also known as People's Park — were ordered by the municipality to leave by July 17. Smith said he doesn't want police involved, "but I think we're at a point where we need support to clear the park to make it safe for everybody."

People who live in the neighbourhood have long said they're facing violence, verbal threats and health and safety issues from people using the park. 

In terms of the recommendations, Smith said he didn't agree that people should be able to take the wooden sheds, provided by volunteers with Mutual Aid Halifax, to other spots.

Halifax street navigator Eric Jonsson, who visits the park a few times a week, told Mainstreet those wood shelters give people experiencing homelessness a stronger sense of safety and security.

"I think nine times out of 10 most people would choose to live in these Tyvek huts because you can lock the door and you can go to work for the day and have a reasonable expectation your stuff won't get stolen," Jonsson said.

"[They] provide a lot of security we overlook — stability and security that homeless people don't often get because they're always worried about their stuff getting stolen."

In June, the municipality approved four homeless camping sites in Halifax and Dartmouth. Jonsson said those spaces don't provide the same level of safety as Meagher Park because they aren't as visible. 

"You can't replicate Meagher Park in one of those sanctioned encampments because it's harder for people to get to. It's not wheelchair accessible, it's not accessible for the fire department and the ambulance to get to because it's so hidden away," Jonsson said.

Jonsson said he's hopeful the municipality would take some of the recommendations to heart and he worries about police being involved. Last year, police clashed with protesters as city workers removed tents and temporary shelters.

"People who are homeless are so over-represented in the criminal justice system so that's always a huge concern for us. Any way we can avoid more police interactions with the people who live outside is beneficial," Jonsson said.

Victoria Levack, an activist, was at the park on Tuesday because she's worried police will show up.

"Police are not kind to unhoused populations," Levack said.

Levack said there were only three or four people staying at the park on Tuesday. She sees it as "scare tactics" from the municipality and police working.

"They should be ashamed of themselves. These people need keys, not cops," Levack said.

Levack said people are volunteering to watch the park to ensure the people who are staying are safe.

Respecting human rights

Leilani Farha, a Canadian lawyer and global director of The Shift — a group whose goal is to redefine housing as a fundamental human right rather than a commodity — told Mainstreet governments need to view homelessness in a different light.

"What that means is not looking at people in encampments who pitch a tent as trespassers, as criminals or, at best, charity cases," said Farha, who was also the United Nations special rapporteur on adequate housing from June 2014 and April 2020.

Instead, she said people experiencing homelessness must have their human rights respected and deserve a voice in shaping policy.

"One of the things that worries cities often is that when good things start happening out of one encampment, more people come and cities don't like that," Farha said. 

"But I always say that's good because it means you're actually implementing human rights and people will go where they see, 'Oh, my rights can be implemented there.' That's not a bad thing. That's not people milking a system. That's people trying to avail themselves of their human rights."