N.S. rollout of self-contained shelters not fast enough to meet crisis, says opposition
Nova Scotia Community Services Minister Brendan Maguire is confident all 200 of the small sleeping units the provincial government purchased last year will be in place and available for use by next winter.
“We are working through the where and the when, but it will be ready to go,” Maguire told reporters at Province House on Thursday.
His predecessor, Trevor Boudreau, had said the shelters would be ready for the winter that just passed, but so far only 19 units in Lower Sackville are in place.
Maguire said he couldn’t comment on what happened before he took over the portfolio, but he said a deal is now in place to set up 20 units in Kentville and work continues for sites in Cape Breton Regional Municipality and Halifax Regional Municipality.
Community Services Department officials are working with representatives of municipal governments and community support groups, said Maguire. The shelter sites include support services for the people staying in them along with separate washroom and laundry facilities.
“What’s happening behind the scenes right now is extremely positive,” he said.
The province ordered the shelters last year from U.S.-based company Pallet as part of its response to an explosion of homelessness in Nova Scotia, particularly in Halifax Regional Municipality. It paid $7.5 million for the shelters.
The process has not been without challenges, however.
Along with the delays finding and preparing sites, some community members have raised concerns about having the shelters located in their communities. Those concerns have included drug use, violence and impacts on property values.
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Maguire said helping address “fears of the unknown” is a part of community consultation efforts. It’s also important for people to remember that the sites provide safe shelter for people, he said, although the department cannot tell people what to do when they leave the shelter area.
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said the slow progress brings into question the government’s commitment on the issue.
Churchill said that along with the delays in getting the shelters established, the government has narrowed the eligibility for people to access rent supplements and maintained a freeze on income assistance rates.
Housing crisis continues, say leaders
“And until they actually get serious about those fundamental issues, this problem I think is going to keep getting worse and they’re going to be chasing their tail trying to get emergency shelters built and never catch up,” he told reporters.
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said the Pallet shelters are not ideal, but they’re better than people sleeping outside. Halifax Regional Municipality has been closing designated encampment sites in recent weeks as more indoor shelter spaces have become available.
What people really need, however, is affordable housing, Chender told reporters.
Although the government has committed to building 220 new non-market affordable housing units in the coming years, Chender said it’s not nearly enough to meet the need facing the province.
“The reason we need pallets is because this government’s policies are failing and creating conditions where more and more and more people cannot afford a place to live.”
