A Nova Scotia man who has been living at the Shubie Campground in Dartmouth says he’s being told to vacate by the end of April, but he — like so many others — fears he will not find an affordable place to live.
Now, Paul Chiasson is facing the uncertainty of where to go next.
“A lot of people I found don’t even know that we are here,” said Chiasson, who has been staying at an RV at the campground since November 2023.
“It’s because there’s not a lot of drama here. There’s not a lot of reason for us to … get any talk, because it’s very peaceful here, we’re friendly with each other.”
Last fall, Halifax Regional Municipality and the province facilitated a winter camping program at the campground amid a housing crisis. The program gave people at Shubie access to water, electricity and waste collection.
However, the municipality says the “short-term solution” was intended for the colder months and will end on April 30.
That’s a concern for Chiasson, who worries that having a disability and a set monthly income will narrow his options.
“I really don’t know where I’m going to go after this. I’ve been reaching out and there’s not a whole lot of answers coming from anybody,” he said.
“We’re not living here for free, and I have no problem with that. I don’t mind paying what I can.”
Area councillor Tony Mancini was one of the first supporters for the winter camping program, but says people knew it would not be a long-term solution.
He says the campground has to return to normal operation and there isn’t much the municipality can do.
“Everyone that got in there, they signed an agreement that when it comes to the end of the month, they had to leave because we own the land but there’s another organization that runs the campground,” Mancini said.
“If I had a solution for him, I would, but in fairness to all the folks I mentioned, the community, the campground, they knew going into it what the situation was.”
Chiasson’s situation isn’t isolated.
Dr. Naj Siritsky, who is the professional practice and advocacy consultant with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers, says when someone who already has health issues is now at risk of being insecurely housed, it can have ripple effects.
“The long, drawn-out process that this person has to endure to try to figure out a way to live is contributing to that despair and hopelessness,” said Siritsky.
“Not only in that person, but in the health-care providers who are getting asked for help.”
The municipality has also de-designated five of its 11 tent encampment sites, where unhoused people had been staying in tents. The municipality said its decision was based on the fact that other housing options, including the shelter at the Halifax Forum, now exist.
Eviction notices were pinned to tents on Feb. 7 at Victoria Park, the Geary Park green space, Saunders Park, Grand Parade and the Cobequid Road ballfield, telling residents that they had to leave by Feb. 26.
Some people stayed in the encampment sites past the eviction date, including one woman at Victoria Park who refused to leave despite fencing going up Monday.
— with a file from Global News’ Alex Cooke
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