Municipal staff recommend turning part of Halifax Common into tent site

Halifax regional council is expected to consider a recommendation Tuesday to turn a section of the Halifax Common — at North Park and Cogswell streets — into a dedicated tent site for people experiencing homelessness.

The staff recommendation is one of five in the homeless strategy report, prepared by housing and homelessness director Max Chauvin, on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting . The other recommendations include:

• Leasing private property where people can shelter.
• Establishing more encampments, temporary housing or tiny home locations on municipal properties like parking lots and surplus lands.
• Writing to the province to ask for its “immediate plans to create deeply affordable housing options” in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
• Research non-park properties, campgrounds and outdoor facilities for people taking shelter in vehicles.

Last year, council voted to establish five locations that would offer enough space for 44 tents. This past month, the report noted there were more than 90 tents among those sites.

Outside of the established locations, the report says there were 62 more tents set up by people experiencing homelessness in the past year, with 30 of those still active as of the drafting of the report. This includes the Victoria Park encampment, which has nearly 40 tents, Grand Parade with 17 tents and small camps on right-of-ways or more isolated spaces with one or two tents.

“Unfortunately, the growth in the number of people experiencing homelessness is expected to continue,” the report states.

Immediate space needs

In addition to the Halifax Common, the report suggests the following areas could be turned into designated tent spaces to address immediate needs:

• Grand Parade.
• The southern end of Victoria Park, “moving tents from the walkway and event areas in the park over time.”
• The dust ball diamonds once the playing season ends on Oct. 31. The report notes this location is close to running water, power and public bathrooms that are open all year.

‘Deeply’ affordable housing

“At the core of the housing crisis is a lack of affordable and deeply affordable housing, along with food insecurity, significant challenges accessing physical and mental health care, and insufficient income,” reads the report.

The report cited the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Spring 2023 Housing Market Outlook, which anticipates more rent increases, low vacancy rates and higher operating costs for property managers.

The report says the private sector wouldn’t be able to deliver the “deeply affordable” housing needed “without substantial government capital and/or operational support.”

“Construction and financing costs make it impossible to offer, for example, a multi-bedroom unit for $400, including utilities.”

For large encampments, the report notes it could cost more than $30,000 a year for garbage service and water delivery. Adding power would require “an investment” of $50,000 to $60,000, plus ongoing utility costs. Supervision and support at the encampment site would “require an investment of additional resources including site and washroom maintenance for the Halifax Commons location.”

“Municipal expenditures in response to homelessness are increasing and will exceed the budget for this year. Staff will continue to seek funding from other levels of government and clarification of roles and responsibilities,” the report states, adding that staff would return to council at a later date with more information on costs.