results of a new Homeless count for Lunenburg County Describe a picture to service providers as an emergency.
“Currently, trends are telling us that most of the people we experience homelessness from our doors are families with young children,” said Lisa Ryan, executive director of the South Shore Open Doors Association (SSODA).
“The other demographic would be senior citizens who are on a fixed income.”
From late May to June, SSODA collected data on the number of people who accessed its services in need of housing assistance.
Ryan says that about 40 people (tracked as homes) were unable to find any housing throughout the county, but he says the number is actually much higher.
“We have about 21 families and in that number there are 27 children,” she said.
Ryan says the growing number of homeless children in the region is a “serious concern”.
“We have a large number of human trafficking issues and knowing that we have many people who are in very vulnerable and precarious circumstances, families, youth and women are at increased risk of falling into the hands of poachers,” he said. is,” she said.
Lüneburgh West legislator Becky Druhan was not available for an interview to discuss the data, but the NSPC caucus office shared the statement on her behalf in an email.
“Developing an understanding of the unique and distinctive constraints that exist in communities is critical and the work that SSODA is doing will help inform how we can address the housing needs of South Coast residents,” Jordan Croucher said in a statement. How can I accomplish that?”
In an interview on 30 June, Mayor of the Town of Lüneburgh, Matt Rieser, expressed optimism that a change in the city’s planning strategy in 2021 would encourage the creation of new housing stock.
“We’ve allowed more density where people are able to build. We’ve allowed more-than-perfect development, which means people only need a permit so they can’t go to public hearings.” Stranded,” he said.
Lisa Ryan with the South Shore Open Doors Association says the long-term housing stock in the county is losing out to an increasingly competitive short-term rental market.
Alexa McLean / Global Halifax
What is desperately needed, says Ryan, is government funds being funneled into non-profits to support housing projects, with the need for a direct shift from the shelter-model system.
“The unfortunate thing is for shelters and shelter workers, they are expected to do the impossible. Where they should shelter people with insufficient funds, inadequate buildings and insufficient resources and still lead them to housing that does not exist,” she concluded.
Ryan says the province’s short-term rental registry also needs to be implemented more.
“We know at the rate that we are losing our long-term rentals to short-term stocks like Airbnb, this is rapidly increasing the risk of homelessness,” she said.
According to the province, there are currently 1,338 short-term rentals registered with the Tourist Accommodation Registry for 2022.
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