HRM issues update on plans to address homelessness

Starting Monday, assistant chief of emergency management Erica Fleck will be assigned to a three-month role leading the emergency response to homelessness for the municipality

HALIFAXtoday\ Stephen Wentzell

All eyes have been on the Halifax Regional Municipality to take meaningful action to address homelessness in the city, and now regional council is announcing its next steps.

Following the evictions of eight unhoused people at a Dartmouth hotel this week, HRM has issued an update regarding ongoing efforts to address homelessness on the peninsula.

Starting Monday, assistant chief of emergency management Erica Fleck will be assigned to a three-month role leading the emergency response to homelessness for the municipality.

The focus of this role will be on the immediate support and coordination required to advance council’s directive to invest $500,000 toward emergency accommodations.

At the same time, the municipality has also begun the process of hiring a full-time permanent position of social policy strategy, a position council committed to in its 2021/22 fiscal budget. The role will focus on long-term municipal priorities related to addressing homelessness in the Halifax region.

That role is expected to be filled this fall.