Halifax Forum shelter to stay open another year

The Halifax Forum homeless shelter will stay open for another year.

It was a originally a temporary shelter, set to close at the end of August, but the Department of Community Services announced Wednesday that it would stay open.

“The forum, since it’s been opened, has been at capacity every night. So we see this as a continued need and valued option for people in the community,” said Suzanne Ley, the executive director of income assistance and employment support with the Department of Community Services.

The shelter was originally set up in January as a temporary emergency place for people to go and cost the province about $3 million.

The non-profit 902 Man Up, who manages two other shelters, one on North Park Street in Halifax and one on Windmill Road in Dartmouth. They also offer housing support services and supportive housing units in the Westphal area, according to a government news release.

It started out with 70 beds, according to Ley. The shelter now has 94 beds.

“I wish we didn’t need it, and yet we do,” said Ley.

She said there’s been a number of housing improvements recently, and it feels like the province is making progress, but she would be happy to create so many supports that her job is no longer needed.

The Halifax Regional Municipality will continue to offer the building free of charge, with funding for temporary showers. The city will also maintain the building for free, providing things like garbage collection and snow removal, similar to other provincially-funded facilities.

The province will pay $5.4 million to pay for day to day operations, which covers staffing, utilizes, food, repairs, security and maintenance from September 1 to Aug. 31, 2025.

“The budget includes increased security expenses for shelter residents and the surrounding community,” the release said.

Mayor Mike Savage wrote that the city would like to see the forum go back to general use, but the priority is working with the province to create shelters for people who are unhoused.

Marcus James, the co-executive director of 902 Man Up, wrote that the group will keep providing a safe space for people and connecting them to the community “as a grassroots organization.”

“We at 902 Man Up are happy to continue to support whose who are experiencing homelessness within our HRM communities by extending the shelter…”