Advocate calls for more temporary housing in Cape Breton before winter

A housing advocate says she's worried that the province and federal government are not doing enough to help people without homesin Cape Breton where dozens of people are living in tents heading into the colder months..

Christine Porter, executive director of the Ally Centre in Sydney, N.S.,said about 150 people who use the organization's services don't have a roof over their head, double compared to last year. The Ally Centre helps people with mental health, addiction and homelessness issues.

She said plans to help people in Cape Breton, including investments in public housing and temporary housing, are a good start, but fall short of getting timely help for vulnerable citizens. The province has yet to say where the new housing will go and when it'll be in place.

"There needs to be shelters for families open as well because we're seeing families sleeping in tents," Porter said.

She said seniors on the island are also a growing concern, as more and more are using services from different agencies that help people who are experiencing homelessness. She said hotels could be opened for seniors or families who are struggling to find a place to live, similar to what the province did earlier this year with a hotel in Dartmouth.

"There's lots of Band-Aid solutions that can happen, of course. We've had too many winters gone by already where there's been no real reaction," she said.

For the public housing investment, Porter said while a solid option, it does not go far enough to help people without adequateincomes.

Porter said the investment of $83 million is too small to make a difference provincewide, let alone whatever amount actually comes to Cape Breton. Currently, 1,240 people are on the waiting list for public housing in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality as of Aug.16, 2023. Of those, 597 are seniors and 516 are families.

Two weeks ago, the provincial and federal governments announced an $83-million investment into public housing in Nova Scotia. The money is intended to fund 222 new units built across the province including several sites in Cape Breton.

On Wednesday, the province made another announcement about funding tiny homes and temporary shelters. The specifics of where $7.5 million for small, temporary sheltersproduced by Pallet, a North American provider of transitional homes, is still being worked out. Pallet is set to provide 200 units across Nova Scotia, including 100 in the Halifax area.

Provincial Minister of Community Services Trevor Boudreau could not provide details on where, how many and when these units are coming to Cape Breton.

"You know those conversations have already begun on kind of, you know, where shelters could go, what would the need be what are the wrap-around services that [need] to be provided?" Boudreau told CBC Cape Breton's Information Morning.

Porter said and people living in tents cannot afford any more delays. She said the provincial government's focus on the Halifax Regional Municipality means other communities in the province will see a growing homeless population.