Halifax’s Pavilion temporarily turned into 25-bed overnight shelter

HRM and Nova Scotia government jointly operating shelter until March 31

Jon Tattrie · CBC News · 

A temporary overnight shelter has opened near the Halifax Common and will remain open until the end of March.

Halifax Regional Municipality and the Nova Scotia government will operate the 25-bed shelter at the Pavilion, formerly an all-ages club.

The beds will be available from 9 p.m to 9 a.m. during March. It replaces another temporary shelter that had been set up at the George Dixon Centre.

“I want to thank the municipality for providing the space to put this important overnight shelter in place,” Community Services Minister Karla MacFarlane said in a news release Tuesday.

“It ensures that anyone in the Halifax region who needs warm shelter during these cold evenings has a place to go any night, regardless of the weather.”

The municipality will pay to operate the building and the province will pay for staffing.

The Pavilion is at 5816 Cogswell St.

The Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia says 473 people are homeless in Halifax.