With people officially out of Meagher Park – also known as People’s Park – questions remain about where they’ll go.
“There’s [currently] no housing for them to go to; they have to go somewhere else,” says Drew Moore, a spokesperson for P.A.D.S., a housing advocacy group. “Sometimes that means that they have to go someplace that is more isolated, further away from the resources and that actually is inflicting more harm on those folks.”
The municipality had been encouraging people to vacate the west-end park and head for one of four, city-approved parks that homeless people are allowed to seek shelter in or accept alternative accommodations.
But Moore says, some people have reservations about the infrastructure at those sites, the location and who they’re sleeping next to.
Having a say in where you sleep means you can stay with the people you trust most, Moore says.
“They’re choosing who they are seeking shelter with.”
And that autonomy means a lot.
In a recent appeal to the municipality, 14 organizations – both service providers and advocacy groups – supported recommendations written in collaboration with the people who, until recently, were living in Meagher Park.
More community groups have signed on to this statement demanding a commitment from HRM to engage with ALL unhoused folks in deciding on a suitable plan to move forward in establishing a new encampment site. pic.twitter.com/trAQVJJVk5
— Out of the Cold Community Association (@OTChfx) August 10, 2022
Executive director of parks and recreation, Margaret MacDonald responded to the recommendations in a letter, saying “We also recognize the importance of agency to those experiencing homelessness and are interested in further discussing how residents at designated sites can take a more active role in how these sites work and are open to discussion of other potential sites that meet the criteria as currently endorsed by Regional Council.”
On Aug.12, a fence was installed around newly-vacant park; work to clean and re-sod the municipal property, which has developed a rodent problem, will start soon.
One point of focus in the recommendations from service providers and people experiencing homelessness was the need for better access to toilets and potable water at the designated municipal sites
“At one [municipally-approved homeless site] there is a porta-potty that is across our lanes of a main artery, Quinpool road,” Moore says.
In addition, some people sheltering in Meagher Park were sleeping in emergency shelters made by Halifax Mutual Aid, which offered more safety and protection from the elements. Due to current municipal by-laws, these structures are not allowed in the designated sites.
“All they’re being offered there is a place to set up their tents… that’s actually a downgrade in their accommodations.”
Halifax Mutual Aid posted a statement on Twitter in response to the closing of the park, saying “At People’s Park, they had strength in numbers, the eye of the media, and a community of supporters to help prevent evictions. Dispersed, they face violence and evictions alone.”
🧵
1/8 pic.twitter.com/gFFgLhQqWF— MutualAidHFX (@MutualAidHfx) August 12, 2022
The group go on to say Halifax Regional Police created an environment of fear, a sentiment echoed by Moore.
“We are concerned that the ongoing surveillance by police of unhoused persons and the constant threat of police force evictions is what’s really escalating the situation,” Moore said, in an interview prior to the parks closure.
Now, Moore wants to see the city work with unhoused people to determine what area would work best for them, and what amenities are most needed.
