Report #2 Stakeholder Interviews: Housing Crisis Needs in Dartmouth
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Report #2 Stakeholder Interviews: Housing Crisis Needs in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour “Dartmouth is its own community and that is where they want to be. The pieces are here to help address the problem”. September 11, 2018 The Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia is conducting research to help Dartmouth-Cole Harbour assess the need for a crisis-housing centre and/or appropriate responses to address homelessness. Report #2 lists the comments from 15 stakeholders and inputs to 7 questions. 1 WHAT AREAS OF DARTMOUTH ARE YOU MOST FAMILIAR WITH/DOES YOUR WORK OCCUR IN? Highway 111 and east to Cole Harbour Main Street, Dartmouth Downtown Dartmouth, Dartmouth East (Districts 5 and 3) Downtown Dartmouth Canal system in Dartmouth Downtown Dartmouth Holly House, Dartmouth; provincial and federal facilities in Burnside and Truro; Nehiley House, Halifax Dartmouth North and Caledonia Rd., some Woodside, some Woodlawn They come to Margaret House from all over… we plan for 100 every day and usually get 80-90. There is increasing demand. We used to serve 1800 meals per month, now we serve 3,000 meals per month. They mainly come from Dartmouth, but some come from Halifax. Woodside – clients come from anywhere. Dartmouth North and Alderney Gate library branches 80% of clients are located in Dartmouth, mainly in Dartmouth North where the most affordable housing is. But also some in Woodside and in Windmill Road area. We built a supportive housing project 31 years ago in North End Dartmouth. It has 24 single units and tenancies range from 1-25 years. The model is based on rent-geared-to-income. Downtown Dartmouth Downtown Dartmouth and Woodside North end Dartmouth 2 WHERE AND HOW OFTEN DO YOU ENCOUNTER STREET INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS IN YOUR CAPACITY? 2 Both Tacoma Drive plazas Weekly, about a dozen individuals, at two plazas on Tacoma Drive. They stay in Shubie Park, Albro Lake, Burnside and watershed area. Every day – King, Ochterloney, Canal and Portland Streets. Tacoma Drive and Dartmouth waterfront. Daily, in Downtown Dartmouth – they are part of the fabric of the community. Some are camping in Shubie Park, otherwise: Downtown, Alderney Park – no contact or evidence of panhandling in the immediate vicinity of the Canal (i.e. Fairbanks Centre)… some stay across from the old Canal Interpretive Centre. A couple per week who are homeless… 1/3 are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Most have an address, even if they are couch surfing for the purposes of obtaining income assistance Daily… our clients are everywhere. Most criminalized folk are generally left out of the homelessness discussions. Daily… sometimes people are invited in for a good meal, especially those who are panhandling. We give out sleeping bags when needed. Some are staying in the small park at the back of Sobeys on Wyse Rd. Daily at both library branches. At Dartmouth North branch, many have apartments but are in extreme poverty; at Alderney Gate, more seem at risk of homelessness. Not really, however, many young mothers have already been street involved, but they are ‘housed’ when they are referred, be that in correction facilities or shelters. We do not have case / outreach workers – our referrals come from other providers. We do not have emergency or crisis housing for young mothers. Every day. That's mainly because my office is located in a shelter. Every day in Metro Halifax. We see about 25 regulars every day at Alderney Landing. They are part of our market ‘culture’ – but they are not allowed to panhandle at the market. They are at or around Alderney Landing at 6 am when we open, until 7 pm when the building closes. In the morning, they are lined up to use the public washrooms. All are at the Market on Saturdays; they are after free liquor samples, food; they like the crowds and it is a place where they can blend in and be part of the community. More interaction on the patrol side. There are few ‘calls’ involving street people and I don’t have a whole lot of interaction. The downtown business / community is generally receptive to street people. Some provide food. My interaction is mainly with Margaret’s House – I am there 2 times per week. There is some pan-handling around Portland and King, but they are not 3 causing any issues. I am dealing with youth-at-risk… 4 projects in my area include Ray Allen Centre (co-ed); Johnson House (female only); Hawthorne House (male only) and Brockwell House (female only). There are a wide range of issues, one being that when they turn 18 they are on their own. Some end up at Phoenix House. At least a couple of times a week. 5-6 people are either homeless or experience serious housing problems. 3 DO YOU THINK THESE STREET INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS ARE HOMELESS? WHAT INDICATIONS ARE YOU BASING YOUR ASSESSMENT OF HOMELESSNESS ON? Not all are homeless. I ask them if they are homeless. They say they are staying in Turning Point or Salvation Army shelters. I have personal knowledge of individual circumstances – about 80% are homeless. They know Dartmouth and don’t want to spend the night in Halifax. Some are homeless, but that's based only on my dialogue with police. Many are from Main St. area which has been traditionally a lower income area. Some are homeless; some are precariously housed. I know that by talking to them. About 5-10% of those we serve food to are homeless, currently about 7, but could be more. Most live in rooming houses, but increasingly we see seniors living in subsidized housing. We know they are homeless by direct contact with them. Some come from Metro Turning Point or from St. Mathews Church. Criminalized folk are more invisible than panhandlers. Many are staying in shelters or couch surfing. Others are in prison: they have been released but have nowhere to go, so they are waiting in prison for housing. We have ‘inside’ clients (those that are in transition and stay with us) and ‘outside’ clients – those that we visit elsewhere. 50% or our clients are technically homeless – they have no address and nowhere to go. 1/3 of the people we see are homeless or at risk of homelessness- that is based on my experience and my participation in Point In Time research. Panhandlers have apartments but are living in extreme poverty. Dartmouth’s issue with homelessness is more hidden than in Halifax, where shelters and other services exist. All women in the YWCA WISH program are homeless (shelters, jail, couch surfing). Many others are precariously housed. Only certain that 1-2 are homeless, but 6-7 are waiting every morning for the library to open. We know that by speaking with them. Based on clothing and behaviour (mental health issues?) staff often wonder what their living conditions are like. Not many bring their possessions to the library. 4 100% of those being referred are homeless. We use the Canadian Observation on Homelessness definition, which addresses housing that is not adequate, suitable or affordable. Our clients meet chronic (6 months or more) and episodic (3 or more experiences in the last year). Based on my personal knowledge, some are homeless, some are not. We should never assume that people we see on the streets are homeless and that, if they are, that they want housing. Many have had negative experiences with being unwanted, evicted and have lost their possessions. Some are homeless because of my personal knowledge. For the rest, where do they go when Alderney Landing closes and where do they come from every morning? They are asked if they need food and the vendors will provide food are always supportive. Sometimes I will ask Noggins for a bag of apples and get those handed out. I closely watch the liquor samples on Saturdays. Alderney Landing is a gathering place, especially in the winter. Many have addictions issues, we also see bottle collectors. 30% may have stable housing and the rest are facing varying degrees of housing issues and housing risk. By observation – we also have dialogue with all who participate in our programs; most will tell us if they are homeless. 4 WHAT DOES THE STREET INVOLVED POPULATION LOOK LIKE IN DARTMOUTH? (APPROXIMATE AGE, GENDER, RACE) All ages, there are some women, at least one. All ages, from 18 to mid-60s. They are mostly male and mostly white – no immigrants or other cultures. They are 90% men and about 90% white. Why ask about race? Anyone with a mental health illness or addiction can qualify. They are generally not ‘loners’. They are generally non-transient and come downtown to socialize. Generally white, 30-60 years of age. Mostly men but a couple of females, recently, one Asian woman. 40% of incarcerated folk re-entering society have mental health issues They are generally middle-aged (40-60) and mainly male, but there are an increasing number of females. I’m estimating 60% male. Most can’t work and can’t claim a pension. 30-40% are African Nova Scotian from Dartmouth-Cole Harbour-Preston and indigenous. Some of our indigenous clients don’t disclose they are indigenous. Our clients are 18-80 years of age. We have an aging prison population. All of our clients are women or identify as transgendered women. They are from all races, all cultures. Many have mental health issues and other disabilities. 5 80% of the people we feed are men, but there are an increasing number of women, perhaps 30% now. Several women and couples are coming from subsidized / seniors housing.