Fiona in Dartmouth
Fiona hit many in Dartmouth South very hard. Some felt left in the lurch by Nova Scotia Power, and many others suffered displacement and heavy financial losses. I'm very happy to report that the folks in two of the three buildings on Lawrence Street that lost power did finally have their power restored last week. I have been in touch with the building owner and he is working hard to isolate the damage to the final building and get those who were displaced back into their homes quickly.
Financial support is now available for many affected by the hurricane. Recipients of the Senior's Care Grant or Income Assistance will automatically receive additional amounts. If you lost power for over 48 hours or have property damage you can apply for financial compensation. See all available support to individuals, small businesses, and non-profits here: novascotia.ca/hurricane-fiona-support.
For those of you living in, or who have loved ones living in, one of the seniors Metro Regional Housing buildings in Dartmouth South, we know that emergency preparedness and communication was severely lacking. We know that generators ran out of fuel, emergency numbers were not answered locally, and the environment was very concerning for many residents. We have been helping individuals on a case-by-case basis and I am following up with MRHA directly on this issue to ensure that it does not happen again.
Community Safety
The last weeks have prompted a lot of conversation around community safety in downtown Dartmouth. The horrific attack on Kamil Safatli of Jake's Variety, disturbances at small businesses, and the increasingly visible consequences of the homelessness crisis have prompted emails and calls to my office.
There are almost no vacancies in the rental market, and truly affordable housing—30% of income—is practically non-existent. People have been forced out of affordable housing options and shelters are full. Support services like Out of the Cold, Adsum House, and Welcome Housing are being crushed under the demand for help, and handing out tents has become the norm for housing support. Mental health and addictions supports are extremely difficult to access for anyone, let alone someone without a phone or home base.
Seeing folks sleeping in stairwells and dealing with unaddressed mental health issues is a failure of society to provide adequate support in the form of housing, healthcare, and income. The United Way of Halifax agrees. Those who need it are not properly supported and therefore have a harder time living community. In my political world, the responsibility for this is mostly Provincial and it is clear that years of neglect have brought us to where we are now.
I have spent the better part of the last five years along with my colleagues pushing for greatly expanded non-market housing—public or non-profit—to ease the homelessness crisis, as well as expanded and easier-to-access mental health supports. There has not been public housing built in our province in decades. The "affordable" housing to be built in the two special planning areas in Dartmouth South will not be within reach of anyone in core housing need. I am hopeful that the successful proponent for the Develop NS land behind the Royal Bank building on Portland Street will include significant truly affordable and supportive housing as part of that development. The Province is opening additional shelter beds in Halifax this winter, but not in Dartmouth as far as we know. More is needed.
Some have asked for increased police presence in the downtown area. The sad reality is that the police have nowhere to take a homeless person in our city.
I appreciate everyone who has reached out to my office, and while I'm sure the above won't be immediately satisfying, I want to be clear that I will continue to press to ensure that everyone has a place in our community where they can live with dignity, in safety, and in peace. A stairwell or a park is certainly not that place.
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