Staff And Advocates Rally To Save Emergency Shelter Set To Close This Month
According to the Halifax Examiner, despite the promise of long-awaited modular units coming in the new year, one Halifax shelter’s impending closure could leave Halifax’s homeless population with few options this winter, advocates say.
This week, the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre (MNFC) announced it would be closing the emergency shelter it’s been operating at 2029 North Park Street in Halifax.
The shelter has been operating on provincial funding since January. In a memo circulated to staff on Monday, MNFC executive director Pamela Glode Desrochers said the organization would be closing the emergency shelter at the end of the month. The memo also stated staff contracts, which expire on December 31, would not be renewed.
Friday afternoon, shelter staff held a rally outside the building, asking the MNFC board to reconsider the closure, which will leave 40 people without beds and 20 without jobs. More than 50 people showed up to support and hear from staff, residents, and advocates about their concerns.
