Wolfville doesn't have resources to deal with growing homeless problem, staff say

The town of Wolfville, N.S., is turning to non-profit organizations to help people struggling with homelessness as staff say they don't have the resources to deal with what they call a growing problem in the community. 

Staff told town council at a committee meeting last week that the municipality's current approach to helping a small group of people living in Robie Tufts Park is not sustainable and they need to work with local services providers.

"Our staff are trained in communications, municipal government planning and public works. They aren't trauma-informed counsellors or social workers," Mayor Jodi MacKay told CBC News. 

Five people have been living in tents in the park close to Main Street in the town, which has grown considerably in recent years and had a population of about 5,000 people in 2021.

Town staff have been consulting with Open Arms, a non-profit shelter in nearby Kentville, N.S., and the Canadian Mental Health Association's Annapolis Valley Coordinated Access System.

Alison Coldwell, who co-ordinates the access system, said 169 unhoused people came into contact with social agencies in communities from West Hants to Digby over the last year. She estimates the total number of people struggling with homelessness in the Annapolis Valley is much larger. 

Wolfville town staff have taken harm-reduction training, provided wellness checks to those living in tents, opened a 24/7 washroom and shower nearby at the visitor information centre. But the town still hasn't made any progress with connecting any of these people with housing over the past year, according to a staff report.

Council has been considering several options for what to do with the unhoused people living in the park before winter settles in such as opening a temporary shelter or banning people from camping out on public land.

MacKay said they don't have the resources or jurisdiction to open a shelter and they don't want to kick people out of the park. 

"I don't think we're there yet. I think we are really focused on the individuals and finding solutions for them," she said.

Making it easier to access help

Open Arms operates a 24/7 emergency shelter in Kentville and a pallet shelter village with 20 units. 

Coldwell has spent the last two years establishing the Coordinated Access System across the valley with the hope of making it easier for vulnerable people to navigate social services.

The system has "access points" set up at places like government buildings and shelters around the region where people experiencing homelessness or other challenges can get help.

"What we're building here is supposed to be sort of a streamlined system where somebody knows what to expect as soon as they come to us," Coldwell told CBC News.

She said it can be difficult for someone to know how to get help if they've been homeless for a long time and had negative experiences navigating a complex support system. It can also be frustrating for small towns like Wolfville trying to figure out the best ways to help unhoused people with limited resources, she said. 

Municipal staff can maintain relationships with people experiencing homelessness to encourage them to use services that already exist even if they're temporary, Coldwell said.

Through her work, Coldwell said she's seen a lot of collaboration between local agencies and she's optimistic they can help all unhoused people with municipalities and organizations like hers working together. 

"We're seeing that people are getting housed more quickly through the system," she said.