New temporary homeless shelter for men opens in Halifax

A new temporary homeless shelter for men has opened in a historic church in Halifax's north end.

A news release from the Nova Scotia government Friday said the 25-bed shelter on Brunswick Street inside St. Patrick's church will provide space for 25 people who identify as male.

The shelter will stay open until at least August and has the capacity to expand to 40 beds.

Scott Armstrong, the minister of opportunities and social development, said the shelter will provide support during extreme weather events.

"We're in the middle of winter right now. This week hasn't been too bad but boy, the last couple of weeks, we've seen some pretty cold nights," said Armstrong at Province House on Friday.

"We want to make sure we provide services that are needed for the people in Nova Scotia who are struggling at this particular time."

The shelter will offer two meals a day, sleeping kits, washrooms and showers, laundry facilities and communal space designed for social interaction and engagement.

The province is investing $1.1 million for the shelter.

Souls Harbour Rescue Mission will provide staff, meals and other services that include housing support and case management, harm reduction, mental health and addiction services, and income and financial services, as well as "culturally specific supports and programs tailored for diverse populations."

"Souls Harbour is pleased to continue our relationship with the province and take on the role of service provider for the St. Pat's shelter," Cherry Laxton, chief operating officer of the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, said in the release.

"We are committed to providing safe, dignified shelter options to those most vulnerable in our community and look forward to working alongside community partners to make that a reality."

Yellow fencing was placed around the church last summer after Halifax Regional Municipality's building standards office issued an order saying the building was unsafe and had to be vacated.

Armstrong said a lot of work went into ensuring the building is safe to use. That behind the scenes work was carried out through a partner with Souls Harbour, Halifax Regional Municipality, Shelter Nova Scotia and the province, he said.

"No one was going to be allowed in there until that place was safe and could actually provide the services it needs to," said Armstrong.

"It would have been great if this could have been open before Christmas or before that, but we had to make sure what they've done is suitable, and they've done that."

Armstrong said the shelter is temporary in the sense that it will be at the province's disposal to open when an emergency shelter is needed.

"The end goal is to have no one having to go into emergency shelters and having permanent shelters for everybody who needs them," he said.

The church was built between 1883 and 1885 and survived the Halifax Explosion of 1917. 

The news release said Shelter Nova Scotia's outreach team will work to ensure people staying in encampments are aware of the shelter, know how to access it and facilitate relocation.

It said with the opening of this location, 80 new temporary shelter beds have been added across the province so far this winter.

The Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia's by-name list showed 1,137 people in Halifax needed a safe place to live as of Feb. 26.