Wooden pallets and cinder blocks pepper the ground of a Halifax encampment where unhoused people have been living since August.
“(We have) to get tents out of the water, out of the slush, out of the snow,” said Laura, a volunteer, who didn’t want to give her last name.
With the first major snowfall of the season in the forecast, the dozen or so tents at Meagher Park, renamed “People’s Park” by allies and supporters, are secured to the ground as tightly as possible.
“It is looking very much like we will have people living here through the entirety of the winter,” she said.
In response to the snow storm, Halifax Regional Municipality is opening an overnight emergency shelter at a Halifax location they aren’t disclosing in an effort to protect those who may choose to stay there.
The municipality says Ground Search and Rescue crews will be visiting all of the encampments that they know of to offer transportation to the temporary shelter.
Meals and showers will be available until the site closes at 8 a.m. Thursday, at which time people may be transported to the warming centre in the basement of St. Matthew’s Church.
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The centre is managed throughout the day by frontline outreach and housing support agencies from across the city.
While Laura welcomes the emergency lodging option offered by the municipality, she says congregate living settings aren’t always a safe option for those experiencing homelessness.
“Most of the people living here, they’ve spent time in most of the shelters. They’ve witnessed some horrifying things,” she said.
She says privacy isn’t possible in many of the traditional emergency shelter settings and although encampments aren’t ideal, they provide an autonomous space to occupants.
“In this park, it’s only four walls of a tent but they at least have a door that they can close. It’s cold, it’s muddy, it’s wet, but it’s theirs,” she said.
In response to the housing crisis that hit a tipping point on Aug. 18 when protests erupted against police-led encampment evictions, Halifax Regional Council unanimously voted in favour of approving funds for emergency housing measures. It’s a responsibility that falls onto the provincial government’s jurisdiction to manage and support.
The bulk of the spending is going towards two modular housing sites in Dartmouth and Halifax.
According to the latest update from the municipality, the two sites will provide single occupancy to a total of 64 people.
The Dartmouth installation is underway with seven units, including an accessible unit and two support units, It is scheduled to be erected on Dec. 10.
The municipality recently announced that the Halifax location will be at the Centennial Pool parking lot.
That site is expected to house 36 people in nine units. The timeline for installation hasn’t been announced yet, and the municipality states more details will be released as the Dartmouth site nears completion.
Currently, 443 people are experiencing homelessness in the Halifax Regional Municipality, according to the provincial by-name list, maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
Of those, 343 people experience chronic homelessness.
There are other housing projects in the works for 2022, including the federally-funded Rapid Housing projects. Upon completion, the first round aims to provide 52 affordable units.
Laura says she appreciates all forms of government investment in affordable and accessible housing but feels the sense of urgency isn’t keeping pace with the growing need.
“It takes a long time to play catch-up because so much was not done for years, and years, and years. So, it’s good to see all those spaces coming. Unfortunately, it’s winter right now,” she said.
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