Halifax man counts his blessings with move from homeless encampment

As he sets up Christmas decorations in his new one-bedroom apartment, Jesse Vincent can hardly believe how much his life has changed in a few months.

He spent two years living in a tent at a large homeless encampment on University Avenue in downtown Halifax. Now, he has a spot in affordable, supportive housing. 

"I get to wake up and everything's different now," Vincent said in an interview Tuesday. "I can get up and walk around, open the window, breathe fresh air, make a coffee.

"Everything's easy now. I'm really, really lucky."

Vincent said he lost his last apartment after a dispute over a rental increase. He stayed in a shelter for a while before ending up in a tent. At the encampment, things went from bad to worse. 

"We had nowhere to go and everybody's stressed out," he said. "They're poor, there's no food and they're cold and probably wearing the same clothes and … they're crying."

But this summer, everything changed for him.

Vincent said he was walking on Spring Garden Road and saw someone working in a garden. He loves plants, so he decided to give out his number and offer to work some odd jobs.

Lucas Goltz, the program co-ordinator for the Navigator Outreach Program in Halifax, said the Downtown Halifax Business Commission hired Vincent to work six hours a week cleaning up the street, as part of an employment program for people who are struggling with homelessness and want to transition back into the workforce. 

"Being able to get back to work is a huge thing," Goltz said. "There's that purpose, there's that dignity that we all strive for in life."

Then Goltz helped Vincent get a spot in supportive housing with Shelter Nova Scotia at a Cunard Street apartment building the charity owns called The Rebuilding. 

The building's manager said it has 19 units, with 24/7 support from case managers and support staff. It takes people from the by-name list that tracks people experiencing homelessness, and they all pay a set rent under $1,000. 

'The fight's not done yet'

Goltz said he's been helping people from the de-designated encampment on University Avenue move into new supportive housing, tiny homes and shelters that have been opening up around the municipality.

He said he's encouraged by the push from provincial and municipal governments to house people living rough, and when he sees Vincent warm and dry, it brings a smile to his face. But he said there's more to be done. 

"I still have people calling me all the time," Goltz said. "Elderly people, single moms who are needing housing are on the precipice of just losing their housing … the fight's not done yet."

As for Vincent, he said he's hoping to work increased hours, and he saved his first $10 on Monday. 

"I want to do something, I want to buy a guitar," he said. "Time to start playing again."