Funding to help shelters provide 40 more beds

“We have seen our homeless client numbers double since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Pam Glode-desrochers

Two not-for-profit organizations will provide 40 additional beds to those experiencing homelessness in Halifax.

Monday morning, Nova Scotia announced it was providing funding for 25 beds at the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre and 15 beds for the shelter run by the North End Community Health Centre.

"We have seen our homeless client numbers double since the beginning of the pandemic," Pam Glode-desrochers, executive director of the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre, said in a news release.

"This support from the province could not come at a more pivotal time as it will help the growing number of Indigenous and non-indigenous people who are struggling to find affordable housing in the middle of this unparalleled health crisis."

As of Dec. 8, according to the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia, there were 490 people experiencing

homelessness in Halifax Regional Municipality.

"Our new initiative will provide immediate temporary housing for some of our community's most vulnerable individuals. This funding gives us 12 months to work with our provincial, municipal and community partners to create permanent solutions for those experiencing homelessness," Marie-france Leblanc, executive director of the North End Community Health Centre, said.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Chuck Porter said the funding will help "replace beds lost when shelters had to remove beds due to physical distancing requirements and add new ones to our shelter system."

Both organizations, which are located on the peninsula, are expected to open in the near future and be fully operational by the end of the year.