Demand for ‘living rough’ kits high in Halifax

More and more people are living in tents in Halifax, and the city is trying to keep up with the need.

For about a year, the municipality has been providing “living rough” kits to those who need them through street navigators and non-profit groups.

Each kit includes a pop-up tent, a seasonal sleeping bag, an inflatable mattress, and a waterproof tarp, along with donated items such as socks.

Halifax’s Director of Housing and Homelessness, Max Chauvin, says 30 kits have been distributed since April 1. Last year, he estimates the city provided close to 150, a figure that includes tents that had to be replaced because of Fiona storm damage.

“There’s an awful lot of folks that become homeless or are looking for support especially in the spring and we go through a lot this time of year,” says Chauvin.

There is such a consistent need for the kits, that the city is now going to tender seeking a full-time supplier.

Halifax’s recent budget includes $60,000 for the kits.

“It’s driven by the fact that people can’t find accommodation, can’t find a place to live,” he says. “One of the street navigators that we work with, tells me right now, in the time it takes to find her to find someone an apartment now, she could find 10 people apartments in the same time two years ago.”

“They weren’t offering that two years ago, so things have evolved, lessons have been learned since August 18 (2021),” says the housing support coordinator at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia.

Gayle Collicutt isreferring to the day Halifax Regional Police officers deployed pepper spray while arresting protestors in a clash in front of the former Halifax Memorial Library after the city began evicting residents living in temporary shelters in several municipal parks.

But there is still a long way to go to alleviate the housing crisis, Collicutt adds.

She has about 20 clients without secure housing. Some, she says, have even been forced to stay in jail rather then serve out sentences in the community because they don’t have a fixed address.

Collicutt estimates she asks for about five “living rough” kits a week.

Once homeless herself, Collicutt remembers being able to find shelter in 6 weeks.

“Now there's people that are looking at three years homelessness, seven years homelessness,” she says. “A lot of people when they end up homeless and they've been in it for a very long time, the trauma from that can impact your coping skills, your life skills, everything.”

According to the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia, 942 people are considered “actively homeless” in Halifax as of May 23, outpacing any new affordable housing and existing shelter space.

“One of the things that we're discovering is many of the new people who are homeless, are simply unable to find a place to live,” says Chauvin. “They don't have any other conditions or issues. They're working sometimes full time, and simply when a multi unit apartment can cost over $2,000 you have people who are forced out onto the street.”

“We have labor shortages. We have material shortages. So with all these factors, we're probably not going to be out of this for at least 10 years.”

Along with more affordable housing, Collicutt would like to see more employers pay aliving wage of $23.50/hour so people can afford rent.

In the meantime, she tries to stay positive to support her clients even as she works with limited resources in a time of increased need.

“The people that I serve, give me hope,” she says, tearing up.

Collicutt says the Elizabeth Fry Society is opening its own community housing project soon, hopefully in the fall.

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