‘It’s a call to action’: Good Samaritans swapping tents for heavy duty shelters at Halifax homeless encampment

HALIFAX, N.S. — Michael Baker’s tent crumpled in on him.

It had managed to stand up to the elements during the month he’d camped in front of City Hall at Grand Parade.

But last Monday was a different story.

His tent couldn’t withstand the near 100 km/h winds that hit Halifax that day.

But he found temporary shelter a few feet away. A couple of days later Matt Grant set him up with a sturdy, bright red, heavy-duty ice fishing shelter.

It’s a step up from his last home. Baker needs all the help he can get. The slight 29-year-old suffers from epilepsy and hydrocephalus, a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.

“I’m grateful,” said Baker. “It’s somewhere warm for now, because I’m actually not outside in the elements where I can actually get sick or die.”

For the past two weeks Grant and Steve Wilsack have put their own lives on hold to help the dozen or so people tenting in Grand Parade — one of the campsites the city has earmarked for homeless people. One or the other have been there around the clock providing food and support. They’ve also rounded up 14 of those storm-proof, 36 square foot shelters.

It’s a simple but clever way of giving folks a potentially life-saving shelter. The structures cost just over $200. The pair have purchased a few out of pocket and the rest through donations.

It’s their way of countering the city and province’s lack of urgency in the face of a growing homeless crisis. The city’s own numbers show that there are more than 1,000 people homeless in HRM and over 200 people sleeping outside. Encampments across the city continue to swell with people.

“The province and city say this is an immediate crisis but we’re the ones taking care of this immediate crisis,” said Grant. “Nothing should be delayed when it comes to getting people out of the cold. This is a matter of life and death.”

Two months ago, the province announced it was spending $7.5 million on 200 single-room Pallet shelters for people living rough. Half of them were earmarked for HRM.

On Friday, SaltWire reached out to the Department of Community Services asking where the shelters will be going and when they’ll be ready for people to move in. We did not get an answer to either question.

The pair are hoping their grassroots effort might help spark a larger movement that will tackle the homeless crisis. One that includes regular citizens, businesses and multiple levels of government.

“It’s a call to action,” said Wilsack. “We cannot rely on our existing model to solve this. We need a complete buy-in of individuals, community citizens, businesses, organizations to come together. All of us need to be working together.

“We’re just showing that two good Samaritans can make a difference. We want other Good Samaritans to come together to help solve this crisis.”

Right now, seven people are living in these new shelters. The pair plan to put up more. Some will be set aside for people to go during weather emergencies.

The pair say they’ve been humbled by their time at Grand Parade and the generosity people have shown along the way.

“This has snowballed into something that warms my heart,” said Baker. “Salvation Army is here every Wednesday dropping off food; families are coming down with baked goods.

“It’s just a wonderful sense of community.”

The pair plans to start a GoFundMe fundraiser on Monday to support their work.