Most people vacated from Cogswell Park encampment, HRM says

CITYnews halifax / By Chris Halef

The municipality says most of the people who were sheltering at Cogswell Park have left the site.

In a statement, Halifax Regional Municipality said as of 9 a.m. on Wednesday, there were 10 people still sheltering at the site, but with help from housing and homelessness staff, all but one had vacated.

“Municipal staff are continuing to work with the province and their service providers to provide this person with resources and supports for them to accept an indoor option,” the statement said.

According to the city, this area has been partially fenced to enable staff and contractors to begin cleanup of the site. Due to the heavy use of the area as a designated location, it will need to be remediated.

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Back in August, the municipality announced that Cogswell Park had been de-designated as a location where people can shelter due to its proximity to a new adult care facility.

At the time, 11 people were sheltering at the park and were given until this past Sunday to relocate to an indoor option.

Meantime, as of Sept. 19, municipal housing and homelessness staff determined that there were 78 tents and four trailers in HRM’s three remaining designated locations.