Demand soars for survival kits for those sleeping rough in Halifax
Global News
Requests for kits to help people live outside amid the housing crunch are already high. Now, the region is searching for a supplier to deliver the equipment to keep up with demand.
The city expects more people will be sleeping rough throughout the Halifax region this summer.
It says requests for kits to help people live outside amid the housing crunch are already high. Now, the region is searching for a supplier to deliver the equipment to keep up with demand.
Halifax’s Housing and Homelessness Director Max Chauvin predicts the region will need more than 100 kits to help those sleeping rough over the next year.
They include survival supplies such as tents, sleeping bags, waterproof tarps, air mattresses, and socks.
Thirty kits have been delivered since April 1. The city does not directly give them out, but instead passes the resources through street navigators and non-profits.
“That’s higher than we expected,” Chauvin says. “There are more people who are becoming homeless. The largest increase in a group of people are people who simply cannot afford an apartment.”
The city’s most recent budget includes $60,000 to help homeless encampments and to deliver emergency supplies. On Tuesday, HRM issued a tender to find a supplier of the equipment.
“Everybody has an opportunity to build,” says Chauvin. “In that tender document, we’ve suggested we’ll need at least 120 kits over a year period — and we may need more.”