**** HRM Release
Municipal Statement regarding the Geary Street green space de-designated location
This morning, the Halifax Regional Municipality engaged directly with individuals at the de-designated Geary Street green space to move the closure process forward.
On Wednesday, May 28, the municipality announced that the Geary Street green space was de-designated as a location where people could shelter. Approximately four individuals staying at this location were told through a written notice they will have until Sunday, June 22 to relocate to an indoor option or, if necessary, to another of the municipality’s designated locations. The May 28 statement is available here, as well as a copy of the notice.
Since that time, the municipality has taken a number of steps to provide support to those who had been sleeping rough in the Geary Street green space. Municipal compliance staff and housing and homelessness coordinators, along with provincial outreach staff and navigators, have been on-site multiple times offering supports and resources. This includes transportation of people and their belongings to provincially funded indoor shelters and housing options, or to other municipal designated locations that are available, as well as temporary storage of belongings.
As of 9 a.m., there were three people still sheltering at this site. As part of the municipality’s civilian-led approach, this morning compliance staff communicated with individuals at the Geary Street green space, reminding them that they cannot remain in this de-designated location, to pack their belongings for transportation or storage and to vacate the site.
Municipal housing and homelessness staff were also at the site and assisted the individuals with transportation for them and their belongings to alternative locations.
As of 10:15 a.m., everyone had vacated the site and fencing is being installed.
Due to the heavy use of the area as a designated location, it will need to be remediated. Now that it is vacant, it will be inspected and a plan will be developed to determine how long it will take to clean and remediate the space.
Currently, there are several available spaces within multiple provincial indoor shelters and temporary housing. As a result, the municipality directed that people sheltering at Geary Street green space vacate this location. Over the past three years, this site has consistently had fewer individuals sleeping rough and has also recorded the lowest usage among designated locations in recent months.
Supporting people sleeping rough in designated locations
As of Friday, June 20, municipal housing and homelessness staff determined that there were 48 tents and four trailers in the municipality’s four remaining designated locations. From the outset, the municipality has been clear that the creation of designated locations would be temporary. They were established in July 2022 to address an immediate need to ensure people had a location to go to if they had no other option but to sleep rough.
The municipality is constantly assessing the need for designated locations. As more indoor shelter spaces and supportive housing options become available, more municipal designated locations will be closed, de-designated and returned to their intended purposes as spaces for everyone.
The municipality remains committed to ensuring those sleeping rough are provided with better alternatives, working toward having safer, long-term housing options for everyone who needs them.
Indoor shelter and housing options
The Province of Nova Scotia has provided funding and other supports to a number of indoor shelters and housing options. More information on these options is available on the provincial webpage here.
For more information about ongoing efforts by the municipality to help address homelessness in our region, visit: halifax.ca/addressinghomelessness.
