Four parks in our city have now been designated as spaces where people experiencing homelessness can pitch a tent.
Halifax Regional Council unanimously approved the plan on Tuesday to allow 32 people to “sleep rough in the community.”
The locations include the Barrington Street greenway and Lower Flinn Park in Halifax, and the Geary Street green space and Green Road Park in Dartmouth.
Councillor Becky Kent says we need to carve out this space as it has been getting more difficult for people to find affordable housing in the region.
“We have to remind ourselves this is the beginning,” Kent says. “We are nowhere near the pinnacle of this trajectory. Every day I hear from residents where another one has been given an eviction notice. I have a resident who just experienced a fire a few months ago. They’re parking their camper in their driveway, and they’re being told they can’t do that. These situations are going to expand, and I agree we will have to find further places.”
Halifax Park and Recreation special projects manager Max Chauvin told councillors the number of people who signed up with the municipality in search of housing climbed nearly 13 per cent between April 19th and May 31st.
Two of the sites in Dartmouth are in Councillor Sam Austin’s district.
He says there’s really no other option.
“I don’t like designating sites, no one should be living outdoors,” Austin says. “We’re going to have people sheltering in our public spaces, and so our choice is, do we allow sheltering in our public spaces with no planning, and no support – the way it has been happening for the last several years as this crisis has worsened? Or do we actually designate some locations, provide some services, and try to put some structure around it to try to minimize the impacts on both the folks who are living there, but also the folks who live nearby?”
The four sites were chosen as they meet specific criteria such as being in close proximity to services like washrooms. They’re also located at least 50 metres away from schools, daycares, playgrounds, or cemeteries.
The parks will see signs posted and arrangements made for bathrooms and potable water along with training for compliance and enforcement officers.
In terms of enforcement, a Park Patrol team will be established to allow HRM to recruit and train compliance officers so they can take a restorative approach to manage issues at these sites.
People camping at these parks will be required to follow municipal regulations including fire bans and noise bylaws.
Halifax Regional Police would be the last to respond to any complaints.
Their role would be to investigate reported criminal acts and to provide safety support.
“The very last thing that we want to do is have to physically remove anyone from their sites,” HRP Police Chief Dan Kinsella told the council. “I think we’ve all come to the place where if we don’t have somewhere to send anyone we are not asking them to leave currently.”
