Nova Scotia’s shelter system and why it’s simply a ‘Band-Aid’ on a much bigger problem
Global News
In Part 2 of our series about homelessness in Halifax and N.S., people working within the shelter system say emergency shelters are a symptom of the housing crisis, not a solution.
This is the second part of a three-day web series on homelessness in Nova Scotia. You can read the first part here. Check the Global Halifax website Friday morning for the third part, which will focus on how advocacy is shaping the conversation around homelessness in the province.
Emergency shelters do have a role to play in Nova Scotia — but those within the shelter system say they’re a symptom of the housing crisis, not a solution.
“Most shelter organizations would say that shelters are very much a Band-Aid,” said Michelle Malette, the executive director of the Out of the Cold Community Association.
“Ask anyone what they want. They want housing. They don’t want to be in a shelter.”
There are currently more than 400 people struggling with homelessness in the Halifax region, according to the latest numbers from the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia. More than a quarter of those experiencing homelessness are Indigenous or Black.
Homelessness data is sparse outside of the city, but there are dozens to hundreds of others who are unhoused outside of Halifax.
Currently, Out of the Cold is running an emergency shelter out of the Gerald B. Gray Memorial Arena in Dartmouth. Around 30 people are currently staying there, scattered in tents and forts where the facility’s ice rink once was. Malette said they can take 40 people at most.
People are able to stay there if they meet Out of the Cold’s mandate and aren’t able to access another shelter. For instance, most shelters don’t allow pets or couples to stay together.