Latest news with #OutOfTheCold
CTV News
15-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Union holds rally after N.S. ends Out of the Cold operations
Hundreds of people attended a rally for Out of the Cold at Nova Scotia Province House. (Source: Callum Smith/CTV News Atlantic) Hundreds of people attended a rally outside Nova Scotia Province House on Tuesday after the government ended Out of the Cold operations at two modular housing sites earlier this month. Out of the Cold, a housing association, said the Department of Opportunities and Social Development told them on July 7 their services were no longer required at their modular sites on Cogswell Street in Halifax and Church Street in Dartmouth. Earlier this month Out of the Cold told CTV News Atlantic it provided supportive housing to 63 adults. 'The representatives from the Department of Opportunities and Social Development provided us with a letter that outlines several 'critical concerns' that 'have not been addressed,' or have been 'inconsistently or insufficiently addressed,'' Out of the Cold said in a written statement. 'We are deeply concerned that the way this has transpired, and a potential change in model with have severe consequences for the population OTC has been honoured to serve for almost two decades.' Modular housing Out of the Cold operated modular housing sites in Dartmouth and Halifax. (Source: Callum Smith/CTV News Atlantic) The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2 said the closure of the sites left 42 workers without jobs. At Tuesday's rally, it called on the provincial government to meet with the workers to plan a transition to keep the community safe and require a new service provider to offer employment to experienced workers who have 'fostered relationships with residents.' 'The workers are not refuting concerns around mismanagement, but say that if mismanagement was the concern, this is not the way to go about fixing the situation,' SEIU said in a news release. Out of the Cold said it would ensure employees are fully paid for hours worked, vacation and severance. SEIU said workers have not received 'concrete information' about pay. More to come… Rally Hundreds of people attended a rally for Out of the Cold at Nova Scotia Province House. (Source: Callum Smith/CTV News Atlantic) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Globe and Mail
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Out of the Cold Shelter Workers Speak Out About Forced Closure by NS Government
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, July 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EVENT BRIEF — On July 8, the NS government terminated 42 union jobs without notice at Out of the Cold (OTC) housing shelter and shut down its operations. Workers and their Union (SEIU Local 2) are calling for an emergency press conference and rally at Province House on July 15 at 11am. WHAT: Press conference & rally to launch the demands of the terminated SEIU OTC workers. WHEN: Tuesday July 15 from 11am to 12:30pm. Press conference will begin at 11am. Rally will begin approximately at 11:30am. WHERE: By the main gates of Province House facing Hollis St. WHO: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2 is the certified bargaining agent for all workers at the Out of the Cold shelter that operated in Halifax and Dartmouth. Media Contact:
CBC
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'We didn't see this coming,' says shelter operator dropped by province
Social Sharing A non-profit group that abruptly lost its contract with the province to run two shelters in the Halifax area says it was caught off guard and is left speculating about the reasons why. Eric Jonsson, vice-chair of the board for Out of the Cold Community Association, said he and two others with the group were called to a meeting with provincial staffers Tuesday morning where they were handed a letter that said Out of the Cold would no longer be involved in operating two modular supportive housing sites. One is on Cogswell Street in Halifax and the other on Church Street in Dartmouth. Together they house more than 60 people. Jonsson said they were given 30 minutes to leave the property, escorted by security personnel — an experience he described as surreal and insulting. "It is my job as a board member to kind of oversee the big picture. And we didn't see this coming," Jonsson said in an interview Thursday. He said he feels some responsibility for not anticipating the move, although he does not fully understand the province's decision or the way it carried it out. "I've heard of places being, you know, service providers being replaced, but it's never within like a half-hour notice. You give people a month or two to kind of tidy things up to ensure a smooth transition." Scott Armstrong, the minister of opportunities and social development, said the contract with Out of the Cold was coming up for renewal in early August, and his department decided to end it early and change service providers because of concerns that he said had been brewing for several years. The group has run the two shelters since they opened in 2022 in response to surging rates of homelessness, rising rents and a low vacancy rate. Speaking to reporters Thursday after a cabinet meeting, Armstrong said there were issues with the facilities and concerns about physical safety. "We had done numerous meetings, numerous interventions between our staff and the staff of Out of the Cold and those things were not resolved," he said. He would not go into detail about the problems, and when asked, he denied that illegal substance use by residents had anything to do with the move. Armstrong said he has "more confidence" in Atlantic Community Shelter Society, the service provider that's taking over. Jonsson said staff from Armstrong's department justified the change to him differently. "They gave us three reasons, saying that our policies weren't in line with what they wanted them to be, they said that our documentation wasn't up to standard that they expected and that we weren't co-operating with the community as well as we should have," said Jonsson, He elaborated that "co-operating with the community" involved neighbours, police and the justice system. He said the province had raised concerns in the past and Out of the Cold was working with them and making progress. He pointed to the addition of on-site security as a step the non-profit had taken in the province's direction. "As far as I've talked to everybody, there's been no outstanding concerns when it comes to things like safety or things like the facilities themselves," Jonsson said. He said in the absence of a more detailed explanation, he's left to speculate about the province's motivation. In spite of the minister's denial, Jonsson said Out of the Cold's harm reduction approach seems to be part of the equation. "We at Out of the Cold, we don't expect people to change to get their basic needs met. We believe housing is a human right and we don't want conditions attached to those human rights. We want people to come as they are," he said. Jonsson said that means they do not require residents to be sober, in a recovery program, or to be medicated if they're dealing with mental illness. Out of the Cold allowed residents to stay indefinitely. An email sent by a department official to some sector workers this week indicated a change in the expected timeline for transitioning people out of the sites, into more independent, perhaps market housing. Armstrong said residents will continue to be able to "move at their own pace." Jonsson said he hopes the new service providers "understand the complexity" of the residents' needs. But no matter the rules, he said the people living at the two sites are resilient and he expects they will adapt to any new rules, or find somewhere else to live. He said he's mainly concerned about the Out of the Cold staff — somewhere between 40 and 60 people — who have lost their jobs. He said the province has provided some funding to allow staff to be paid out, and Out of the Cold is in the process of figuring out how far that funding will go. The province has said staff will have opportunities to reapply for positions at the sites, or for other positions in the sector.
CBC
09-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
N.S. splits from non-profit operator of supportive housing sites in Halifax
The Nova Scotia government has suddenly severed ties with a non-profit group that was operating two modular housing sites in the Halifax area. The Department of Opportunities and Social Development confirmed to CBC News that it ended its contract with Out of the Cold on Tuesday, citing "serious and persistent concerns related to safety, infrastructure, and the quality of services and supports available to residents." The department did not explain the concerns in detail, except to say they spent "several years" trying to work with Out of the Cold to address them before arriving at the decision to part ways. "Ending the contract was not a decision made lightly — it reflects our responsibility to act in the best interests of the people we serve and to ensure accountability for the taxpayers' investment," the department said. Out of the Cold has run two modular, supportive housing sites since they opened in 2022 in response to surging rates of homelessness, rising rents and a low vacancy rate. The Halifax site, next to the Centennial pool on Cogswell Street, has capacity for 38 people, and the Dartmouth site, on Church Street near Alderney Landing, has capacity for 26. Halifax Regional Municipality owns the land, paid for construction of the units and continues to cover in-kind services such as utilities and building maintenance. The province is responsible for supporting residents, including providing meals and mental health and addiction support. New operator, new model The province has replaced Out of the Cold with the Atlantic Community Shelter Society, which runs some of the other supportive housing sites that have been built in recent years, including the Pallet shelters. "ACSS has a strong track record for service delivery in Nova Scotia and brings a compassionate, sustainable approach that aligns with our commitment to the well-being and long-term success of Nova Scotians experiencing homelessness," the province said in a statement. The change in service providers is coupled with a change in how the two sites will function. Suzanne Ley, the executive director of employment support and income assistance with the Department of Opportunities and Social Development, sent an email to some local housing support organizations Tuesday notifying them of the change. A copy of that email was shared with CBC News. Ley said the two sites are transitioning to a "temporary supportive housing model." "This model provides short-term, low-barrier, and flexible accommodations that help residents take meaningful steps toward stable, permanent housing," Ley said. According to Out of the Cold's website, the sites have, until now, been operating as "permanent housing." The department did not respond before publication to a request for more information about how long residents can stay under the new model. In her email, Ley said the province has given funding to Out of the Cold "to ensure appropriate compensation for all staff." She said Out of the Cold staff will be able to apply for positions with the new operator.
