NOVA SCOTIA’S HOMELESSNESS CRISIS Social workers’ perspectives BY NADIA SIRITSKY, MSSW, SWC
On August 18, 2021, Nova Scotians were shocked to witness police in Halifax arriving at public parks in force to evict people who had been sleeping there, and overseeing confiscation of any belongings that could not be carried away in time, including tents, shoes and clothing, medications, and wooden shelters that were erected by Halifax Mutual Aid to assist those in need until they could be housed permanently. Such shelters were especially important during a pandemic when everyone was being told to “Stay the Blazes Home!”
24 Connection | Fall 2021
The image of a child being tear-gassed amid the resulting chaos served as a wake-up call for many, heightening the sense of urgency around the issue of homelessness, and the larger systemic injustices associated with it. Indeed, NSCSW social workers had shared a sense of relief that the pandemic had brought a growing public consensus that housing is a human right. The past year and a half, a collective shift in consciousness had taken root, along with wider recognition of the privilege of having a safe home to stay in while a deadly virus blazed across the province and the world. The urgency to help people find safety intensified, bringing public health workers to the table with social workers and others.
