Eric Jonsson News Today

With the first significant cold snap of the winter upon us, getting people into a shelter and off the streets can be the difference between life and death.

Shelters are full, warming centres are sparse and tents aren’t warm or dry enough. What’s left?

This week, downtown Halifax's Navigator Outreach Program released its latest count of people sleeping outside in HRM. The count has almost doubled since last August's report, and the program lead says he sees homelessness rising all the time.

A Halifax street outreach worker is expecting a rough winter for those without a home.

People experiencing homeless living in the Halifax park were told July 17 they needed to leave. Coun. Lindell Smith says it's important they have a say in where they go next.

Data from the Point-in-Time Count was released Tuesday, reporting that on April 7 this year, 586 individuals in the Halifax Regional Municipality were without a safe, permanent address. The previous count found that on the night of April 24, 2018, there were 220 homeless people recorded.

It may still be several more weeks before people experiencing homelessness can move into the new modular trailers at the Centennial Pool parking lot in Halifax. Thirty-eight units are now ready for people to move in, but staff still need to be hired to run the operation.

Volunteer Laura Patterson says conditions at Meagher Park, known by some as People's Park, have deteriorated this winter. A divide is also deepening between people connected to the west-end Halifax park and some people who live nearby.

Halifax’s drop-in warming centre only has the funding to open about 30 days a year, but the money needed to stay open all winter could go to permanent shelter.

Well Engineered Inc., the manufacturing company contracted by the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, says it completed the project in about six weeks.