Halifax plans locations for new tent encampments, temporary housing

Halifax city staff say new parks and green spaces are needed for designated tent encampments for people sleeping rough, and are looking at where temporary shelters should go in the municipality.

The director of housing and homelessness, Max Chauvin, prepared an update to present to regional council Tuesday. It asks councillors to endorse several approaches taken by Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

Last week, the province announced millions in new funding for a tiny home community in Lower Sackville opening next summer, 100 temporary pop-up shelters in Halifax, and a new overnight shelter also in the municipality. 

But even with these projects, the report said the "continuing and dramatic increase in those experiencing homelessness and sleeping rough," coupled with overcrowded existing encampments, means new designated tenting locations are urgently needed.

There are more than 30 encampments throughout the municipality, and right now only five are designated encampment sites. Grand Parade and Victoria Park are currently "significantly" over the proposed capacity.

Staff is suggesting adding up to six new designated locations, including:

• Grand Parade (eight or fewer tents).
• Victoria Park (12 or fewer tents).
• The berms on University Avenue (six or fewer tents).
• Martins Park (four or fewer tents).
• Beaufort Park (four or fewer tents).
• Saunders Park (eight or fewer tents, if required).

The report said an option to reduce a camp's larger negative impacts, on both people sleeping outside and the surrounding communities, could be to place support services and security directly within them. Halifax staff are talking about these options with the province and will  bring forward recommendations in the "near future," the report said.

Halifax provides weekly garbage service and water delivery to designated locations, which can exceed $30,000 per year for larger sites, the report said.

Councillors also recently asked about the possibility of a large, prefabricated shelter structure and a report on that option will come back later this fall.  

Staff are also considering where temporary housing, built by Pallet, will go in Halifax. The province has committed to providing some sites, while the Halifax municipality will also provide some locations, the report said. 

HRM sites could include:
• Various surplus municipal properties designated for affordable housing. 
• Parking lot J at the corner of Bell Road and Sackville Street. 
• The spare side lot of the Sackville Sports Stadium. 
• Young Street parking lot of the Halifax Forum. 
• The Green Road encampment site in Dartmouth.

The municipality has also been in talks with Canada Lands about putting a Pallet shelter village on part of the Shannon Park lands in Dartmouth.

Halifax will provide some help in preparing sites for the structures, as well as general site maintenance services, the report said.

The city will also handle those services for the tiny home pilot project at a former ball field on Cobequid Road in Lower Sackville, the report said, as well as community engagement and consultation with neighbours.

Halifax will talk to people with lived experiences of homelessness about what else both the tiny home and temporary shelter projects need "to be as successful as possible."

As part of this overall partnership with the province, HRM will also select people to move into the Pallet shelters and tiny homes. Each site will have a service provider, but involving Halifax will mean that people sleeping rough are the priority, the report said.

Staff are suggesting hiring a  full-time housing coordinator position to handle those projects. The role will cost approximately $110,000 a year, but would be only $33,000 for the rest of this fiscal year if someone is hired soon.

Shelter could go in rec centre

The report noted that while the province has committed to operating a winter emergency shelter this year, they haven't secured a location. A service provider is in place, but if the province cannot find a site, Halifax will look at closing an indoor recreation space to use as a shelter.

But, the report noted, this would cause "significant disruption for many community organizations and businesses" who have bookings in whichever space is chosen, and would have ripple effects onto other facilities.

Based on current projections for the number of people experiencing homelessness in the next year, the report said there will be "extreme need and demand for this facility to stay open year-round." 

The report said Halifax's list of people who are homeless and looking for stable housing in HRM was at 1,014 as of Oct.10. The list has had more than 1,000 names since August, and does not capture people couch surfing or living in cars.

There were 178 people sleeping rough in municipal parks and property as of July, but the report said that number has grown since then.