If you’ve recognized my name, it may be from various places. Including Ask Nova Scotia: Anything Goes (Mostly). A group created when the Homelessness issues in Sackvile, Nova Scotia were being censored in local groups because people questioning situations. Anything in any light but positive were deleted.
A major misconception people have about communities is the “NIMBY” acronym. Not In My Backyard was a phrase given by homeless supporters to folks who questioned various issues with homeless shelters and tiny homes, and pallet villages popping up in communities with no consultation from the people who choose these very towns and cities to call home for their families, taking safety in account when purchasing.
This started in 2023 when a homeless shelter sprung up overnight at a church, Saint Elizabeth Seaton on Metropolitan Avenue in Lower Sackville. Community Members were alarmed when they noticed there was more drug paraphernalia, increased illegal activities (break ins, assaults, police presence, etc).
One group in particular, The Gated Community Association attempted to care for the homeless individuals who were inhabiting the Sackville Ballfield on Cobequid Road, Even without the scholastic credentials to do so properly without enabling life threatening behaviors. A registered Non-Profit, who have stated via their Vice President to have gained $50,000 from the very community that had concerns ignored. Funny enough, they formed the non-profit to be legitimate, and still haven’t filed their tax return and subsequently have disappeared in recent years. I also write more about protecting yourself from being scammed here.
Many other community members also shared situations they found alarming. Many of which are in Ask Nova Scotia: Anything Goes (Mostly) via a featured post. Community members reaching out to myself to update the list so that they wouldn’t be targeted by both homeless advocates and homeless individuals themselves. Various situations including passed out people which school bus drivers have seen on their morning commutes with children on board, teens approached by adults from the shelter who have been asked for money or drugs and threaten teens whom they spoke with intimidating them, increased criminal activity, including local stores seeing an increase in stolen items. Dirty needles in various locations including the local junior high which is 150 meters away, and used Methadone containers also located at the Leslie Thomas Junior High, other various paraphernalia such as Crack Pipes, Melting caps, and dirty needles found in the Met Field area across from this location.
When the announcement was made to also put the Pallet Homes, a free building similar to a 1 bedroom stand alone building for homeless people who are able to live independently, the government officials called a Town Hall. Much to their surprise (or not) the venue that was chosen was far to small with many people being turned away at the door and unable to adequately voice their concerns for Sackville and their worries surrounding safety for their children, pets, and elderly. Many of these concerns were heard and subsequently ignored.
Later with Sackville community members worst fears of a child being poked by a needle, actually happening. At Sycamore Lane Elementey school a child was playing after school, where the school board claimed the child was outside of school property when poked, and media painting the situation as if a “Child found” a needle. The child actually was poked with it while playing, they stepped on it. The first reports of this was via the families friend in Ask Nova Scotia: Anything Goes (Mostly) to warn the public to be careful where their kids play. Thus this child now must endure multiple tests for months going forward, and other various medications to help ensure that the child did not contract any blood borne illnesses due to this needle being carelessly left instead of being properly discarded in the sharps containers or taken to a location they are able to properly dispose.
Once more pallets were called for in Cape Breton, elected official Lorne Green stated the “concern was around the “stigma” of homelessness, while also saying he had reviewed hundreds of emails regarding this issue”. Residents again were speaking their concerns. Again, a shelter there New Dawn was created and again similar to Sackville, residents were also noticing the same alarming paraphernalia around and increase in crime.
Another location of pallets, Burnside is no exception. Again various parking garages of apartment buildings there noticing an uptick in strange people wondering the area. With theft increasing in this location again. Even the Clayton Park pallet home village also was causing concern for community members who frequented the Canada Games center.
In the last 6 months alone there have been various small towns stating something needs to be done on various points of the province. Pam Mood, Mayor of Yarmouth has stated she had never thought they would need a bylaws in regards to people defecating publicly. Wondering why the need now. Though unable to pinpoint which type of people are doing such acts.
The town of New Glasgow has put forward a motion also calling on the province to close the shelter and create viable supports for vunerable people without the community becoming the collateral. This after seeing multiple situations unfold via community members and people around the province can see on the Facebook page New Glasgow Residents for a Safer Community. Showcasing issues such as people leaving the shelter and stealing packages from local homes, open drug use in public properties, as open as people dropping their pants to the ground and injecting in their legs, public fights and again drug paraphernalia.
One of the major issues with tackling this problem is to some individuals, homeless advocates will belittle and bully anyone not completely on board with supporting the homeless. I even wrote more specifically about my experience here. Two things can be true, people can support solutions for homeless but they also can support the safety in their communities. Let’s not forget the goverment cutting ties with the “Out of the Cold” organization. Though it is blamed on the staff not properly ensuring residents were abiding by the rules and keeping the buildings in proper standings. Some photos show via main stream media showed holes through walls, garbage completely thrown around rooms, and the resemblance was of a home that may have been abandoned.
The fact is, everyone is fed up. People are tooting housing first. Which is exactly why housing isn’t being used. I even talked about this here where the former halifax mayor candidate declined housing publicly because of the rules that they had in place for said Pallet Villages. This becomes a multi-level government failure.
With as recent as the past week the Nova Scotia Provincial Government changing the definition to receive additional income assistance to omit “accommodations” which did include tent, as a case was awarded a settlement after defeating the court to receive funding. Then reword it for “Lives in a Home” which defines a home as “self-contained unit someone rents or owns, a room in a lodging house or a single-occupancy room in a building.” I personally suspect the reason for this is that there are pallets and tiny homes that remain empty for whatever reason people aren’t choosing these, and this is the government trying to force people into the housing being provided.
Stacey J. Girard 