Halifax clears Lower Flinn Park homeless encampment

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgin

A Halifax-area park is being fenced off after a homeless encampment was cleared on Wednesday morning.

The municipality de-designated Lower Flinn Park as a shelter location in early November and told people tenting there that they had to leave by Dec. 7.

“Since that time, municipal Community Safety staff…have been working with all of the people living at Lower Flinn Park to connect them to available indoor shelter or temporary housing options and address any needs, including assisting them with transportation for them and their belongings to support their transition to indoor options,” read a statement from the municipality.

As of Oct. 30, there were 59 tents and four trailers at the remaining designated encampments in the municipality.

The decision follows a shooting at the Lower Flinn Park encampment in late October that left a man with life-threatening injuries. Police said the shooting was not a random incident.

Related:

• Halifax to close homeless encampment at Lower Flinn Park
• Council approves sites for use by people experiencing homelessness
• Four parks identified for use by people experiencing homelessness

The city says as of 9 a.m. Wednesday there was one tent remaining at the park near Quinpool Road, and there was no one inside.

Staff were expected to clear the site and fence it off until a remediation plan is put together.

It also says as of Friday, Dec. 5, staff have identified 23 tents and four trailers at the two remaining designated tenting locations.

Homelessness a still growing issue

A count of people experiencing homelessness in Halifax Regional Municipality showcases that the city still has work to do to help its vulnerable constituents.

The data from the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia, an advocate organization, shows that 66 per cent of people are experiencing chronic homelessness, meaning they have been without a permanent address for at least 180 days over a year. This is a trend that a 2024 report from the organization highlighted as a growing issue within the region.

As of Sept. 10, the organization was able to identify and count 1,028 people who are homeless in HRM, with 667 considered chronically homeless.