Group of neighborhood volunteers helping those living at Lower Sackville baseball field

Up to 40 people are living in tents in a baseball field in Lower Sackville, N.S., and with winter just around the corner a group of neighborhood volunteers said they felt a moral obligation to help.

“There is a diverse group here, ages ranging from 18 to our eldest resident who is 74, she just left last week and she thankfully found an apartment,” said Nikki Greer, president of the volunteer group, Gated Community Association.

Last September, the group started a Facebook page under the name, The Gated Community – Cobequid Ballfield, that has now grown to almost 6,000 members. Complete strangers wanting to help have been donating food, warm clothing and supplies, including cash donations.

“We raised enough money to buy buddy heaters for everyone’s tents, but moving forward propane is going to be the biggest expense. I am concerned that we may run out of finances to keep people warm throughout the winter,” added Greer.

Halifax’s homeless population has now grown to more than 1,000 people with many shelters and treatment centres full and beyond capacity. Just this past October, Greer says their group have become a non-profit organization to try and secure more financial support. She says she is happy that word has gotten out about the ballfield and worries the needs of the people will grow.

“This is a housing crisis, there’s a lack of affordable housing, which is leaving a lot of people unable to find a safe place to live. More people are coming to the ballfield looking for help. I suspect these are people living in the woods and are now coming out looking for heat, looking for help but there’s nowhere for them to go.”

Donations for those living at a baseball field in Lower Sackville, N.S. (Creeson Agecoutay/CTV News)

Volunteers have also been offering their time organizing the encampment, providing hot meals, washing clothes, taking people to their appointments and helping them find a job.

CTV News spoke to one older teenager living in the ballfield who preferred not to give his name. He admits he has previously lived with a drug addiction but has been getting the help he needs from the volunteers who are encouraging him to go for treatment.

“I’ve been homeless for about four months now and I’ve been living in this ballfield for almost three of those months,” said the teenager, who is very thankful for the volunteers who he says have “big hearts.”

“There had been times that I would go a couple days without food because the soup kitchens are not open on the weekends, and now all of a sudden I’m eating every day and it’s more than a lot of people have. We are all very grateful.”

Chandler Romans is from P.E.I. and says he has been living on the streets, homeless since he was 17. Today, he is 25. He says it has been very difficult at times living in the woods with no drinking water, no pallets to sleep on and his tent and bedding getting soaked in water.

“When two storms happened over the summer, we had so much rain and strong winds, and during one of the storms, nobody showed up except a guy in a tow truck who asked, ‘Are you guys OK?’ and I said, ‘Wow, yes we are. You are the first person to ask.’”

Romans says the ballfield gives him a sense of security and support.

“It’s fantastic, I’m very speechless. It has been so much better with all the donations and volunteers helping, it has been very good. I want to get my life situated in being a person.”

Nikki Greer (centre) is the president of the Gated Community Association volunteer group. (Creeson Agecoutay/CTV News)

While the Nova Scotia government is finding solutions, like building its first tiny home community in the same ballfield, Greer worries about what will happen when the people have to move again.

“I’m very concerned about the lack of transparency that we’re getting from government officials. We are looking at relocating in the near future and that is something that is being forced. The residents here are going to be relocated, but we just don’t know when or where, so that is a huge concern, and if we need to move we need to have ample notice.”

Another couple CTV News spoke to recently came back to the ballfield after they were unable to pay their high rent and both are now at a loss of what to do next.

“The people here are just like you and I, a lot of them have just fallen on tough times and they need as much help as they can get, be nice, be kind and support each other,” added Greer.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.