If need be

Dal students Mike Nahirnak and Carl Dalton volunteer at the Out of the Cold Shelter. (Bruce Bottomley Photo)

Volunteer staff for Halifax's Out of the Cold Shelter are resolved to continue their support next winter — if need be.

While the shelter officially closed at the end of April, a lobbying initiative assembled from a sizeable crowd of advocates and community volunteers will continue to press for affordable housing over the coming months.

Despite the creation of the local emergency winter shelter in Halifax (and others in Truro, Bridgewater and Kentville),  the larger problem of homelessness and sub-standard housing must be addressed.

"Every day I hear about the awful conditions people face in finding shelter," says Fiona Traynor, from the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service. "There is a long waiting list for public housing and there is also a problem with sub-standard housing."

Created out of community concern

Part of the shelter’s outreach over the winter included creating video testimonials from people who are living on the streets. The video described conditions such as living out of a van, couch-surfing from pillar to post and waiting outside shelters in hope of a bed. The challenges of finding a job without an address or with a criminal record were described. The condition of low-rent housing was shown, complete with mould, rats and cockroaches.

"We have to listen to the voices of those who are in this environment day after day," says Jeff Karabanow, professor with the Dalhousie School of Social Work. "Lack of affordable housing affects both health and productivity."

This past winter saw community volunteers join together in a grassroots movement to create the Out of the Cold Shelter, based at St. Matthew's Church on Barrington Street. The previous option, Pendelton Place Homeless Shelter, closed in 2008 when the provincial government withdrew funding.

"Out of community concern, 'Cold' was created and it fills a gap by offering a short term solution for those who just don't fit elsewhere," says Dr. Karabanow. "Each night at 'Cold,' we can't keep our doors open to everyone, so we try to refer out, even though other resources are strained. We need viable options for referrals. This is not complex, there are cost-effective models elsewhere."

In the shelter world, choices are limited because of age, gender, sobriety, pet ownership and couple relationships, he says. Increasingly, the homeless that are being seen at the shelter are youth.

Shelter stats

Statistics show that  210 different individuals accessed the Out of the Cold Halifax shelter for a total of 2,130 overnight stays. The shelter was able to accommodate 15 individuals per night. The shelter was at capacity 43 per cent of the time, with approximately 75 people who had to be turned away over the course of the winter. Youth between the ages of 16 and 24 made up 29 per cent of the overnight stays and 15 per cent of the total stays were by women.
One person who identified as transgendered accessed the shelter. Over the course of the winter, there were approximately 200 stays by couples who did not wish to be separated. There were also 40 nights that accommodated one or two dogs.

"We're going to use our statistics to really push for more sustainable solutions," says Capp Larsen, coordinator for the Halifax Out of the Cold Shelter. "On 75 occasions, we had to turn someone away because we were at capacity."

There are about 100 active volunteers keeping the shelter a going concern. They deliver meals, prepare breakfast, set up cots and bedding and do admissions. St. Matthew's Church on Barrington Street is providing assistance as a base of operations conveniently located in the downtown core.

Some of the feedback received from the overnight guests at the end of the season included: "you're not judgemental here," "you people didn't have to be here for us, you wanted to be here" and "it's been a good winter mainly because of you folks."

"We don't need more studies, we know what the problem is: Canada does not have a national strategy for housing," says Ms. Traynor.