Few people remain at Lower Flinn Park encampment in Halifax

A few people still remain at the Lower Flinn Park encampment in Halifax.

The Halifax Regional Municipality says a few people still remain at the Lower Flinn Park encampment one day after it was officially scheduled to be de-designated and closed.

Last month the municipality announced the Lower Flinn Park encampment would shut down at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7. The announcement came after a reported shooting in the area in October.

Laura Wright, senior public affairs advisor for the municipality, said there were upwards of 25 people at the site when the announcement was made and many of them have moved to indoor shelter and supportive housing options.

“A few people remain on site, but staff continue to work with each person one-on-one to find suitable indoor options, as there is a variety of indoor options that are available daily,” Wright said in an email. “These indoor options include communal shelters, pallet shelters, modular units, and supportive housing units.

“The municipality will begin to proceed with remediation and fencing of the park promptly.”

Over the year, Halifax has shut down designated encampments on University Avenue, Geary Street and Cogswell Park. The remaining encampments are at the Barrington Street green space in Halifax and Green Road Park in Dartmouth.

In November, Halifax council voted in favour of a new framework that aims to shut down all designated encampments within 18-to-24 months.

“The closure of designated encampments will be phased over a reasonable period to allow the outreach team to work with each individual to ensure appropriate indoor options are available that match the person’s specific needs,” a previous report to council reads. “Close monitoring of the impact of closures on other sites (designated and undesignated) will be an ongoing part of our work.

“Taking a measured, carefully phased, and person-centred approach to closures will ensure that encampment closures do not lead to significant increases in undesignated encampments.”

The updated framework also includes a “functional zero” goal, which means homelessness would be non-recurring and rare.

“From a practical perspective, homelessness will never end in HRM or any other community,” the report reads. “There will always be people who become homeless due to sudden and unique circumstances. (Functional zero) means that the system in place is able to respond quickly and effectively to prevent long-term or repeated homelessness.”

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