HALIFAX — Halifax Regional Municipality is closing one of its five remaining homeless encampment sites, and its director of housing says he's hopeful the encampment residents will relocate into vacant shelter or temporary housing options in the city.
The green space on Geary Street in Dartmouth will no longer be designated for use by people sheltering in tents, the municipality said Wednesday, and people are being asked to leave the site by June 22.
Max Chauvin, Halifax's director of housing and homelessness, said the city decided to close the Geary Street site because it had the lowest use among the designated encampments. He also said there were more than 40 vacant spots across the provincially run network of shelters, temporary housing and supportive housing in Halifax.
"We know there's space," he said in an interview Wednesday. "Not every space works for every person, which is why it's important that there's a variety of options because one location may not work for somebody, or it may not have the wraparound services they need," he added.
As of Friday, Halifax staff observed four tents at the Geary Street site, Chauvin said.
In the coming days, residents living there will be offered resources and support to move to a shelter, temporary housing or one of the remaining designated encampment sites, he said. This includes offering temporary storage for peoples' belongings.
When asked what would happen if anyone refuses to leave, Chauvin said the municipality would assess the situation again on June 23.
"We'll ask what was the challenge in finding another option," he said. "We'll talk to them about that, and how if there's no other indoor spot that works for them, there are still other outdoor options."
Four designated homeless encampment sites will remain open; three in Halifax and one in Dartmouth.
Chauvin said he doesn't expect police involvement, and that officers would only be brought in as a last resort.
"Our goal is to do this civilian-led as we've been able to do in the past," he said.
Since July 2022, the city has opened and then closed a number of designated sites for tents across the city, including in central downtown spaces like Grand Parade and Victoria Park.
Municipal officials started allowing encampment spaces in the city less than a year after a demonstration in downtown Halifax turned violent.
At the time, the city directed police to clear public grounds of tents and other temporary shelters built by advocacy groups for the homeless.
Clashes broke out between police and demonstrators on streets lined with shops and cafés On Aug. 18, 2021, and protesters were sprayed in the face with chemical irritants. An independent review of the incident released last fall found that both Halifax Regional Municipality and police made mistakes in their handling of the incident and owed residents an apology.
Since 2022, the municipality has largely relied on its outreach workers and compliance staff to close encampments.
The most recent closure was on March 20, when the city shut down a non-designated site with tents after staff "confirmed no one was sheltering in them."
Chauvin said city staff believe there are 47 tents and four trailers across Halifax's remaining four encampment locations and about 30 tents elsewhere in the municipality.
"At one point there were over 200 people sleeping in tents in designated locations. As the province has created more space for people, more shelter, more temporary housing and tiny home projects, all of those things, there are now more options for people," he said.
As of Wednesday, the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia says 1,211 people in the Halifax Regional Municipality reported they are homeless. Of them, 695 are in shelters or temporary housing and 188 people are considered unsheltered, meaning they are staying outdoors, in encampments or in a vehicle.
The remaining people are considered "hidden homeless," meaning they are couch surfing or are in hospital, treatment programs or correctional facilities, or have no known location.
Of the people who reported they are homeless, 66 per cent are experiencing chronic homelessness, which means they had been homeless for at least six months over the past year, or had spent a cumulative 18 months homeless over the past three years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
