Electricity helping those living at Grand Parade encampment in Halifax

Half of the homeless encampment at Grand Parade in Halifax entered the new year with electricity; allowing people living there to charge their phones, heat their space and have light after dark.

“It gives them a sense of independence. Being in a 36 square-foot space, dark walls [and] like, if you have no light, you’re in complete darkness,” says Matthew Grant, one of the volunteers at Grand Parade.

An electrical company set up power at a tent encampment in Halifax's Grand Parade on Dec. 29, 2023.

On Friday, an electrical company set up power in the area.

The city is spending $20,000 to make it happen until more shelters are available. While power is not a solution, volunteers say it helps those living there, for now.

“We know that the situation is going to get worse,” says Grant. “This is a crisis that’s not solvable, but we have to manage it differently.”

CTV News spoke with a man that goes by the name “Shawn” at the encampment who is living in a tent with power.

Though he was reluctant to appear on camera due to concerns about employer identification, he shared that having access to power from his tent has altered his daily life because, without it, the extreme weather made it difficult for him to go to work.

“Unfortunately, because of the weather, I hadn’t been able to work. It’s just the rain, the snow, the cold, and no sleep,” he said.

He missed two weeks of work because of this, however, now that he has light, he will be able to return to work.

Shawn’s tent now has two light sources and a heater keeping it warm. He said it makes a big difference.

“You could see and clean your tent. It’s a small living space so it’s really hard to, especially when everything you own is stuffed in a 6x6.”

A space heater is pictured inside a tent in Halifax's Grand Parade.

The encampment has been standing for 45 days. Volunteers are hoping the province will announce indoor shelter space this week.

“Even when the temperature is at the freezing point, or -3. Tonight, I think it’s going to be down to like -8. Those are not condition that anyone should be out in,” Grant said on Monday.

Grant adds that even now they are seeing more people from outside the city request tents.

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