Nova Scotia minister frustrated that unhoused people are snubbing Halifax shelter

Halifax’s newest shelter at the Forum Complex. (Jonathan MacInnis/CTV News Atlantic)

HALIFAX -

A Nova Scotia cabinet minister expressed frustration Thursday that some homeless people are turning down spots in a newly opened emergency shelter in Halifax.

Community Services Minister Trevor Boudreau said the $3-million shelter at the Halifax Forum is safer and warmer than tent encampments, such as the one in front of Halifax City Hall.

"People are saying they don't want to go and this is frustrating," Boudreau told reporters following a cabinet meeting. "We have a space that is available and we have capacity there right now. I strongly urge those that are in encampments to really take this opportunity."

The minister said that as of Tuesday, 32 of 50 beds were occupied at the shelter, an auditorium-like space with cots and yellow curtains between beds.

Some unhoused people who were offered spaces at the shelter said it didn't provide the same level of security, comfort or support compared with the tent encampment at the public square -- known as the Grand Parade -- next to city hall.

A volunteer at the encampment has said that 25 to 30 people were offered a spot in the Halifax Forum shelter and only one person accepted.

Boudreau acknowledged the complaints and said his department is continually looking to provide other options, such as unused hotel or motel space that can provide more privacy and comfort.

"Shelters aren't glamorous, they aren't designed to be, but they are a place where people are able to be in a warm environment," he said. "This is one of those tools that we use to support people."

Meanwhile, a number of residents in the Cape Breton community of Whitney Pier have voiced objections to the government's plan to locate 30 single-unit pallet shelters for the homeless on provincially owned land that used to be a parking lot for the former Sydney Steel plant.

During a community meeting Tuesday, residents voiced fears that the shelters would bring increased drug use and violence to the neighbourhood. Another meeting is scheduled for Feb. 5, when site managers and officials from the Department of Community Services are expected to give residents more information about the project.

Boudreau said the Whitney Pier site meets certain requirements, such as access to water and electricity, that are imposed by the shelter manufacturer. He added that there was an urgency to get the project off the ground because of the cold weather.

The minister also told reporters that plans for another pallet shelter site, near the Halifax Forum, have been dropped because the proposed land is too small to accommodate all of the manufacturer's requirements.

"This has been a bit of a frustrating week," Boudreau said.

The minister's emotions were greeted with little sympathy from the province's opposition parties.

"They could have moved on this (homelessness) in the summer when people were raising the alarm," said Liberal Leader Zach Churchill. "We're in the middle of winter and they are rushing."

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Boudreau's discontent "pales in comparison to the frustration of people who are precariously housed."

"A shelter is still precarious housing," she said. "What we need in this province is a massive increase in truly affordable non-market housing."

More than 1,100 people from the Halifax area had self-identified as being actively homeless as of Jan. 23; officials in the Sydney area estimate there are about 400 people who are homeless.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2024.

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