Tent encampment residents not interested in shelter provided by N.S. government

A Halifax Transit bus arrived in Lower Sackville, N.S., at noon Tuesday, ready to transport residents of the tent encampment on Cobequid Road to the new shelter at the Halifax Forum, but it left the same way it came, empty.

“Unfortunately nobody is going,” says homeless advocate, Niki Greer.

The province is spending $3 million to operate the emergency shelter, which hopes to keep people out of the elements and fed until August 31.

However, a tour of the facility on Friday left many of the encampment residents unimpressed.

“When I got to the shelter, I thought it was honestly abysmal. I went in there and thought this is not housing, it’s warehousing,” says a resident of the Cobequid encampment who goes by the name, J.C.

The Forum complex opened Monday, and only half of the 50 beds were occupied.

There would be enough room for all 23 people staying in the encampment, but many of the residents there say the shelter isn't appealing.

“There’s actually no sense of security while you’re there,” J.C. says.

“They were really upset that there was no sort of privacy. There’s just sheer curtains between the cots, and the cots are kind of like lawn chairs,” explains Greer. “They’re really not appropriate for anybody who has any sort of disability or injuries or anything along those lines. We do support a lot of people who have disabilities here so they just don’t think it’s a good fit.”

Time, however, is ticking to find another place to stay.

Construction of a tiny home community is set to begin at a ball field in Lower Sackville in the next couple weeks.

Preparations have also begun at the Beacon House Shelter for the 19 pallet homes that are destined for the site.

As for when people can move in, chair of the Beacon House Shelter, Jim Gunn, says they hope soon.

“The only barrier to answer the question is that we’re not sure when the pallet shelters are actually going to arrive. We don’t know that yet, so we are assuming soon,” says Gunn.

“As soon as the pallets arrive, I think it won’t take them long to get them installed.”

When they’re ready to go, 50 people will be living at the Beacon House site.

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