‘I thought it was a dream’: Halifax senior living in tent finds a new home

A Halifax senior who went public with his story about living in a tent last week has found a place to live thanks to the kindness of a stranger.

Melvin Ellsworth, 73, had been living at Grand Parade since July – just one of dozens of people staying at the site with nowhere else to go. The square, right next to Halifax City Hall, is now home to more than 30 tents, a symbol of the city’s ongoing housing crisis.

The senior has two bad knees and was due to get one replaced, but didn’t have a permanent residence where he could recover.

After speaking with Global News last week, he said he was approached by a man who asked if he was still looking for a place to live.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

2:41 Tent encampment grows outside Halifax City Hall even as winter weather approaches

Ellsworth said the man told him he had a room where he could stay. They spoke for a few minutes and exchanged personal information.

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“He said, ‘When would you like to have it?’ I said, ‘ASAP,’” Ellsworth said.

“He said, ‘Would you like to see it tonight?’ I said yes. He said, ‘Would you like to stay tonight?’ I said, ‘Guaranteed.’”

The senior said his new landlord is working on renovating the room, but in the meantime, “it’s comfortable, it’s warm, I’m out of the weather, and the room is well equipped.”

Global asked Ellsworth who his landlord was and if he’d be open to an interview. Ellsworth said the person wanted to remain anonymous and keep the location private.

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Now that he has a place to live, Ellsworth said he plans to follow up with his doctor soon on getting his knee replacement surgery.

“I’m glad. When I walked out of there, I was happy,” he said of his new home. “I didn’t leave the room for two days as I thought it was a dream.”

Ellsworth said his landlord is working on getting a second room up and running where he can house someone else.

The senior is very grateful for the man’s kindness, but acknowledged there are still many people out there with nowhere to live.

“There are so many here – not just here in Grand (Parade) square, just downtown, Sackville, everywhere – people who need a roof over their head,” he said.