A little cabinet in downtown Halifax for people in need, no questions asked
Cabinet outside Sailor Bup's Barbershop on Sackville Street stocked with donated supplies
A small cabinet installed outside a downtown Halifax barbershop is offering food, toiletries and winter accessories to people in need — no questions asked.
The cabinet outside Sailor Bup's Barbershop on Sackville Street contains everything from diapers and deodorant to hats, mitts and snacks.
"It says, 'Take what you need leave what you can,' so you know, it's kind of self-explanatory," said Mark Peyton, owner of Sailor Bup's.
"It's cool because we see people walking up and down the hill and they actually stop and they take a look at it and they'll open it up."
'We don't judge'
The cabinet has been there for roughly three weeks, and Peyton said the plan is to leave it out for the rest of the winter and possibly into the spring.
"It's for anyone," he said. "We saw a guy in a suit, there was a guy coming down in a suit, and who knows ... his shelves may be a little bare, you don't know. So we don't ask, there's no questions asked, we don't judge."
Peyton said individuals and local businesses have banded together to donate to the cabinet. The contents of a swear jar kept in the barbershop will also be used to buy more toiletries and other supplies for the months after Christmas.
The executive director of Shelter Nova Scotia, Linda Wilson, said people who don't experience homelessness often take things like razors and shaving cream for granted.
"Generally society thinks that, well if they have a good warm coat and something to eat that's a great help, and it is," Wilson said. "But it is so basic … there's so much more to getting your confidence back and feeling good about yourself and not being ashamed to go into places."
Shelter Nova Scotia serves about 158 people in six facilities and about 250 in the community. At Christmas, it aims to provide a mix of practical and luxury items, including toiletries, and is still looking for more razors, shaving cream and flip flops for the shower.
"In order to feel good about yourself, you need to be able to take care of your personal hygiene and that's not always considered when we think about the stereotypical homeless person," Wilson said.
How you can help
While donations are appreciated during the holidays, Wilson said there's only one real solution to the challenges associated with homelessness.
"What we really need is affordable housing, because there's less and less of it."
In the meantime, Shelter Nova Scotia services and the Sailor Bup's cabinet are intended to help fill the gaps.
"Most people would look at it and say, 'That's kind of beat up,'" said Peyton. "But it's just the smallest tiniest thing and people actually know what it is now, so it's cool, it's been really cool to watch kind of grow organically."
With files from CBC's Information Morning