A plea to premier to get handle on homelessness

Re: “Shelters no solution to homelessness.” I am writing in response to the National Housing Day opinion piece in your Nov. 21 edition, and as someone who sees both sides of the housing crisis in HRM.

As a realtor of 20 years, I am both elated with the current housing market uptick and deeply concerned with the lack of affordable housing stock. It is encouraging to see our housing market prosper even through the economic pressures of COVID-19.

Many out-of-province buyers, now able to work remotely, are putting Halifax on the map. The Atlantic Bubble is the envy of the world!

As a nine-year board member, chair, and current co-chair of Shelter Nova Scotia, I also see the dark side of the housing boom. Affordable housing has become unattainable in HRM. The added pandemic constraints are forcing some of our most vulnerable out into the cold. With social distancing measures in place, our men's shelter, Metro Turning Point, is turning 30 people away every day. Those without a home in HRM now number 500.

My last visit to Toronto, a city I once loved, was in February and people were literally stepping over bodies — people were sleeping on grates, in doorways wrapped tightly in sleeping bags, or under makeshift tents.

Now I can't stomach the thought of going back, not only because of the unimaginable horrors I saw, but because of the lack of humanity I witnessed in the eyes of those who have become so desensitized that they no longer see.

Back to Halifax.

I love this city and province and the people — all the people. When I walked along Spring Garden Road recently and saw a gentleman sleeping in front of the library, cold, disorientated and alone, I said, “That is enough.” I can't even offer him a place at our emergency shelter because there is no room. I cannot quietly sit back and watch Halifax become the next Toronto. Or a city that has lost its humanity.

What I have learned from a decade of volunteering in the homelessness sector is that government leaders are well-intentioned; however, they do not take the recommendations from the non-governmental organizations (NGOS) on the ground — experienced, educated and connected professionals with best-practice solutions that deal with the root causes of homelessness.

Government money is often spent on short-term fixes rather than longterm solutions, which, in the end, always costs more. Information does not always get passed up the chain. Funding decisions are made at the bureaucratic level, without higher levels of government being fully informed.

Currently there is an abundance of funding for housing support workers, but there is no housing!

What is needed is funding for more permanent supported housing — housing with onsite services to maintain long-term stability.

In January 2021, Shelter Nova Scotia will be forming an advisory board to secure and develop the property next to our emergency shelter, Metro Turning Point.

The land will be used to create affordable supported housing and wraparound services based on the core principles of Housing First. This will take an integrated collaborative effort between all levels of government, including housing and health.

Housing First, as all the research identifies, is the answer to reducing homelessness, and political support is crucial to its implementation and sustainability.

We are at a critical point in our city. The growth we are seeing is exciting for the economy and the future of our province, but a booming economy with people sleeping in the cold is not only morally corrupt; it is bad for business.

I implore Premier Stephen Mcneil to sit down with the leaders of the shelter organizations, the men and women on the ground, who know how to implement long-term solutions and long-term policy to this crisis, but we need to do it together.

I have admired Premier Mcneil's leadership through COVID-19. His collaboration with chief medical officer Dr. Robert Strang has kept our province safe while balancing the needs of the economy.

Now we are asking for timely, special consideration for our homeless citizens, who do not have the luxury of a home, or other basic amenities to follow COVID-19 guidelines. Let us embrace this as an opportunity to find some good in the pandemic, and with the premier's leadership, begin to develop a more immediate approach that contributes to long-term change.