Nova Scotia's first tiny shelter village coming to Lower Sackville

Nova Scotia's first tiny village of emergency Pallet shelters will be opening at Beacon House in Lower Sackville, the province said in an announcement Wednesday afternoon.

Pallet is a U.S. supplier of emergency sleeping cabins that are intended for people experiencing homelessness. 

It's not clear when the village will open, but 19 units are expected to arrive in the province toward the end of January. The units are part of the 200 purchased by the province last fall.

"There are far too many people living homeless," said Jim Gunn, chair of the Beacon House leadership support team, reading a statement from his colleague Cheryl Newcombe.

"To free as many as possible, as quickly as possible, from the risks, even the danger of living rough in a tent is what we must do. We must continue to do all we can."

Gunn told reporters that people staying at the Beacon House village will also be fed.

Once assembled, the units will be connected to power and water. The final preparations involve installing fencing around the site before residents move in. The province will not be choosing which residents move into the village.

Nova Scotia's Department of Community Services is also working to set up more Pallet villages in the coming months including:

• 30 Pallet units on Henry Street in Sydney, with the Ally Centre and New Dawn Enterprises.
• 20 Pallet units at 136 Exhibition St., Kentville, with the Open Arms Resource Centre.
• an undetermined number of Pallet units at the Halifax Forum at 6210 Young St., with 902 Man Up.

The timing of these next three villages will be announced once locations have been surveyed, the province said.

The units purchased by the province are for just one person and a pet. People living in them will have access to food, transportation, a washroom and laundry facilities. The shelters will also have supports and services to help them transition to permanent housing, the province said.

People who choose to live in these shelters will still receive the $380 a month for "essentials" that's being offered to people living rough, Joy Knight, executive director of employment support and income assistance with the Department of Community Services, said during the announcement.

Amy King, the CEO of Pallet, said the shelters coming to Nova Scotia can withstand hurricane-force winds as well as the province's unique snow loads.

"I can tell you with certainty and authority that the province of Nova Scotia is moving faster than most jurisdictions that we have partnered with in the history of Pallet. So while it might seem slow to you, this is actually moving very fast," King told reporters.