Province, Municipality and Homeless Advocates Working Together

COMMUNITY SERVICES--Province, Municipality and Homeless Advocates Working Together

Nova Scotia Community Services Minister David Morse and Halifax Regional Municipality Mayor Peter Kelly called a joint meeting with community representatives at City Hall today, Nov. 25, to discuss access to safe, warm and dry shelter for the homeless this winter.

"We have all been working to address the issue of homelessness for many years," said Mr. Morse. "We wanted to get both levels of government and the community together in one room for a meaningful dialogue on how we can work together to accomplish our shared goals."

"While not our specific mandate, the Halifax Regional Municipality has done a lot of work with the provincial government and the community to address homelessness in our region," said Mr. Kelly. "This meeting was valuable because it provided an opportunity to draw upon a wealth of knowledge from those who have been dealing with this issue for many years."

The focus of the meeting was to confirm the extent of the need for emergency winter shelter for those living on the street in Halifax Regional Municipality. About two dozen community representatives provided input on what has or has not worked in the past and what options should be considered for this year.

"The community appreciates the efforts of Mr. Morse and Mr. Kelly to address the immediate needs of the homeless," Sheri Lecker, chair, Community Action on Homelessness Committee. "There has to be recognition that a short-term fix is not a long-term solution. The community is a valuable partner to government and must be consulted year-round and over the long-term to achieve the shared goals of the community and government."

An existing support network for the homeless is already supported by more than $4 million in annual funding from the provincial and federal governments through the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative. The provincial and federal governments are also working with the municipality to develop affordable housing for those with special housing needs under the five-year, $37.3-million Canada-Nova Scotia Affordable Housing agreement.

"It takes a multi-pronged approach to address the issue of homelessness," said Mr. Morse. "We are working with our partners on a number of short-, medium- and longer-term initiatives to respond to the needs in the community. Today, our efforts were focused on the adequacy of our existing shelter capacity."

"We wanted to look at what we can all bring to the table to help those in need of shelter," said Mr. Kelly. "The comments we heard today will directly influence how we help address this issue and we look forward to continuing to work with the community."