Halifax developing code of conduct for residents of designated homeless encampments

Halifax Regional Municipality says it is developing a code of conduct for people sleeping at the city’s designated homeless encampment sites.

The municipality declined today to provide details about what would be included in the code or what prompted it, but council meetings have recently heard about safety concerns at the city’s many encampments, and there have been multiple tent fires this year.

Glen Snow, a 63-year-old man who has been sleeping in a tent at a designated encampment on a median in central Halifax for three months, thinks the city’s main focus should be on helping unhoused people find homes.

However, Snow says a set of rules is “not a bad idea,” especially if it reminds people to keep their tents and the surrounding area clean, look after one another and be respectful of neighbours.

A staff report submitted to council on June 4 said one of the challenges of designating sites to be used as homeless encampments is the behaviour exhibited by residents.

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The report suggests a code of conduct could help address the issue, but it notes that a problem with any guidelines is that there must be enforcement and consequences for people who do not follow the rules.

In a statement today, a Halifax Regional Municipality spokesperson said the plan is to involve unhoused people in the development of a code of conduct.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2024.