Designated park solution a ‘band-aid approach’ to homelessness, says Dalhousie professor

Dalhousie professor Jeff Karabanow says he has “mixed feelings” toward Halifax city staff’s plan to designate some parks for sleeping rough

CITYnews halifax \ Mark Hodgins

Listen to this article

A municipal plan to designate some parks for use by people experiencing homelessness would only be a band-aid solution, according to a Dalhousie professor. 

This week, Halifax Regional Council debated a staff report suggesting a number of parks, some only for overnight use by unhoused people, and a handful as a long-term option.

Councillors scrapped the staff suggestion to only allow people to sleep rough from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. in some parks, raising concerns about both further criminalization and a need for long-term supply of space.

Dalhousie professor Jeff Karabanow, who’s spent much of his career focused on the issue of homelessness, says he has “mixed feelings” about the city’s plan.

“There’s so many other directions we could be taking this,” said Karabanow. “We’re putting a lot of energy, time and resources into a band-aid approach of creating some park areas where people can sleep in tents for the summer. That doesn’t seem like a solid response to the homeless crisis.”

Karabanow says he believes it’s time for an emergency response on the part of the city and province, to mobilize already available resources.

“I think we really need to figure out ways to get people into some form of supportive, sustained housing,” Karabanow offered. “The hotel model worked for a while, we could be revisiting that.”

Recent statistics from the municipality report around 550 people are experiencing homelessness in the HRM.