Just over half of the beds at the new $3-million shelter at the Halifax Forum are currently occupied.
While Nova Scotia’s community services minister says he’s frustrated by that fact, some unhoused residents say they simply don’t feel safe leaving their tent encampments.
“You’re lying beside someone you’ve never seen before,” said Rick Young, who is currently staying at the Grand Parade tent encampment in downtown Halifax.
“You have no idea what’s going on in their head, and they’re lying five feet away from you.”
His feelings are shared by his neighbour, Neil Pundick, at Grand Parade.
“I don’t feel safe here, but I feel safer,” explained Pundick, who has lived at the encampment since October 2023.
Pundick said he feels especially leery of the Halifax Forum shelter after witnessing a violent fight within minutes of arriving at the auditorium-like space with cots and yellow curtains between beds.
“There was blood everywhere, and it was kind of a mess,” he said.
So, he’s returned to Grand Parade and is taking his chances there.
“If I leave my enclosure for a second, someone might come in and attack me,” he admitted. “I don’t have a lock on my tent, and my door’s always open.”
‘This is frustrating’
Community Services Minister Trevor Boudreau told reporters that as of Tuesday, 32 of 50 beds were occupied at the shelter.
“People are saying they don’t want to go and this is frustrating,” said Boudreau. “We have a space that is available and we have capacity there right now. I strongly urge those that are in encampments to really take this opportunity.”
A volunteer at the encampment has said that 25 to 30 people were offered a spot in the Halifax Forum shelter and only one person accepted.
Meanwhile, some experts wonder if a lack of consultation with unhoused residents is what led to the slow uptake.
“This is the population that’s experiencing a lot of trauma and a lot of suffering,” said Jeff Karabanow, a professor of social work at Dalhousie University.
“So we really need to build harm reduction, trauma-informed space for these folks. I think having their voice around the table is key.”
Pundick agrees with that sentiment, and said it’s the comfort and support that drew him back to Grand Parade.
“People in the community look after me,” he said.
— with files from Global News’ Zack Power and The Canadian Press
Comments