Sluggish uptake of transitional housing even as vacancies available: Report

CITYnews halifax / By Steve Gow

A new report delivered to Halifax Regional Council has provided an update on the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Halifax area.

According to the HRM staff document, there are 25 people sleeping rough at two of the remaining designated sites in the municipality.

As of April 2025, 40 individuals were residing across five designated encampment sites.

Submitted to councillors ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, the report is part of quarterly updates on the HRM’s strategy to address homelessness in the region.

While 25 are sleeping at the sites on Barrington Street and Green Park Road, the report also counts 20 to 25 people sleeping in what are deemed non-designated locations.

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The report also found that 67 housing options remain open in the HRM, while the number of people in encampments has remained relatively steady.

“Transitions to housing have occurred,” notes the report. “But not with the speed we should expect given the number of vacancies that exist in the system.”

As of April 29, the total number of people experiencing homelessness in the municipality is 1,893, however the report says that figure could fall short, since it only includes those who identify as homeless and have consented to being entered into the By-Name Data system.

The report adds that the municipality is on track to close down the remaining designated encampments by or before its target date of November 2027.