By Kendall Worth
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177388.g002
In the past, I have written extensively about stigma against welfare recipients. Examples here, and here, were published in 2016, in the now defunct Nova Scotia Advocate. Sadly, the situation these articles illustrate, is still very relevant, six years later. Unhoused people staying at the Double Tree Inn in Dartmouth, and several other community sources, tell me, stigma, of the sort described in the articles above, is what they are experiencing. Articles have been in the local press: the latest news, reported here in CT V News about the contract negotiations; and this article in the Chronicle Herald (Saltwire) that covers the issue of the layoff of hotel employees.
The question being raised among the community of people of people living in poverty, and especially those living in, or being housed in future, at the Double Tree, is what will it look like if the whole hotel is booked by Community Services, and is that community, living at the hotel, going to continue to be treated unfairly?
To date, residents have experienced treatment like:
Not being allowed to use the Hotel amenities including the restaurant, pool and laundry.
No food is provided but there are no cooking facilities nor any cooking appliances allowed in rooms.
They pretty much felt like they were prisoners.
Different sources have told me different things.
I had actually been hearing for months about the Double Tree and its unfair treatment of residents. It is a frequent topic of conversation, among the community of people living in poverty. I have frequently been told, however, that it is the government contract that imposed those restrictions, not the hotel, or hotel staff.
What I want to add to the mainstream media stories above, is, the fact that, we want to see an end to the the discrimination and stigma that welfare recipients experience. Respect, however, needs to go both ways. Respect, going both ways, is not what has been happening at the Double Tree Inn. Sources tell me that out of all the hotels in Halifax, housing homeless people, only the Double Tree policed and enforced the government contract to such an extent. Since last summer I have been hearing stories that even if you had money to pay for a meal in the hotel restaurant it was forbidden, and staff would “chase people” out of the restaurant. They were also refused room service, so all food (prepared somewhere outside as there is no cooking in the rooms) had to be brought in from outside. Keys provided no access to fitness centre, pool or laundry. They were not allowed on other floors, except to exit and re-enter the Hotel. All of this made them feel disrespected and is representative of the stigma they, and many IA recipients, feel – no matter where they are housed.
With news coming to light, that the province will be leasing the whole hotel, it brings up the question what is the actual future of all of this?
What is clear, is that hotel staff are getting laid off at the end of the month – losing their jobs. At least some of the hotel staff may find themselves homeless, and some, even guests of the province at the Double Tree, after becoming unemployed and trying to keep up with the ever increasing rents. If so they may give a thought to the harassment and stigma they doled out, and may feel sorry they ever enforced policies so vigorously.
I hope that the residents who are currently staying at the Double Tree, or the new homeless who are going to be housed there on a new provincial contract, experience improved security and better access to food.
On April 10th 2023 I paid a visit to the Double Tree Inn and approached the front desk staff who would not comment. According to him no-one else at the hotel will comment either.
Well, I guess we will see what happens.
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