Some Good News for Those Living in Tents and Maybe Others Who Are Homeless in Halifax Nova Scotia

 

By Kendall Worth

 

Just within this past week, some good news came to light for people experiencing homelessness in Halifax and elsewhere in Nova Scotia. A recent Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruling could mean considerably more Income Assistance for some people who are living in tents and potentially other forms of accommodation that they own.You can read more about the court ruling Here.

Until this court ruling, a person living in a tent and receiving Income Assistance could be classified as receiving only the $410 monthly essentials rate because they were not considered to have an accommodation. The Court of Appeal has now ruled that a tent can be considered an accommodation for Income Assistance purposes when the person owns it. According to information being distributed by Dalhousie Legal Aid Service, this means a person living in a tent or another qualifying accommodation that they own may now qualify for the Rent/Own category of the Standard Household Rate. For one person, this can mean an increase from $410 to $738 per month.

For some people with disabilities who meet the applicable requirements, the amount could potentially be even higher. Dalhousie Legal Aid Service says a person who lives alone and has a disability may receive up to $1,022 per month. Some people may also qualify for an additional $308 Disability Supplement.

For more information about Income Assistance rates in Nova Scotia, see this earlier post on my BLOG post Here. 

 

For more reporting about this court ruling, see the fallowing videos:

 

 

and:

 

Looking at This From a First Voice Perspective

I want to be clear with readers that I am not personally experiencing homelessness. Therefore, I cannot claim to speak from the lived experience of sleeping in a tent, vehicle, shelter or outside.

However, an important part of the journalism I do on this BLOG is trying to bring First Voice perspectives into conversations about poverty and the policies that affect people's everyday lives.

When looking at this court ruling from that perspective, we need to think beyond simply saying that somebody's Income Assistance cheque could increase from $410 to $738.

We need to ask: What does that additional $328 per month actually mean to a person who is homeless?

For someone living in a tent, that money could help pay for food, transportation, a cell phone, clothing, hygiene products, laundry and other basic necessities. It could also give someone a little more ability to deal with unexpected expenses.

It does not mean that $738 per month suddenly makes homelessness acceptable. It does not mean that somebody living in a tent suddenly has enough money to rent an apartment in today's housing market. And it certainly does not solve Halifax's housing crisis.

What it does mean is that people who are already living under extremely difficult circumstances should no longer be financially penalized simply because their accommodation happens to be a tent that they own.

There is something worth thinking about here from a First Voice perspective: Why should losing conventional housing result in a person receiving even less money to survive on?

Someone experiencing homelessness still needs to eat. They still need transportation. They may still need a telephone to stay connected with Income Assistance, housing workers, doctors, potential landlords, employers, friends and family. They still need clothing and personal-care products. In some situations, being homeless can actually create additional expenses that somebody with stable housing may not have.

That is why this ruling matters beyond the numbers.

Why I Am Reporting on This

This is important for me to write about because, although homelessness is not my personal lived experience, I occasionally report on the housing crisis:

https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/housing%20crisis

I also report on the lack of affordable housing:

https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/affordable%20housing

 

When we talk about the housing crisis from a First Voice perspective, we cannot only talk about how many tents we see or how many homeless encampments exist. We also need to listen to the people who are actually living through homelessness and ask what government policies mean in their everyday lives.

Sources who support my advocacy have informed me that since last week's court ruling, housing advocates have been going to homeless encampments and helping people apply to be reclassified for the higher Income Assistance rate.

I have included with this BLOG post two documents from Dalhousie Legal Aid Service that are being used to provide information about the ruling and help people apply.

One document explains the court decision and tells people living in tents and other qualifying accommodations that they may now be eligible for more Income Assistance. The second is an Application to Reclassify Accommodation Type that people can use to provide information about their circumstances.

This outreach is important because winning a court case does not automatically mean that every person who could benefit from the decision will know about it or understand what they need to do next. People need to know that the ruling happened, understand whether it may apply to them, and know where they can go for assistance.

 

Good News — But Not the End of the Housing Crisis

I consider this good news because another door has opened for some people experiencing homelessness to receive additional financial support and potentially improve their quality of life.

At the same time, we should not mistake this court victory for a solution to homelessness.

A person receiving $738, or even someone who qualifies for a higher amount because of a disability, still needs somewhere safe and affordable to live.

The larger First Voice questions therefore remain:

What do people who are actually living in tents and homeless encampments say they need?

What difference will this additional Income Assistance make in their everyday lives?

What barriers will they encounter when trying to apply for the higher rate?

And most importantly, what needs to happen so that people do not have to live in tents in the first place?

Those are questions that government officials, housing advocates, journalists and the rest of the community need to continue asking—and the people who are actually experiencing homelessness need to be part of answering them.

This court ruling is an important victory. Now we need to listen to the people directly affected by it and see what difference it actually makes in their lives.