N.S. senior says housing crisis pushed her to new town in search of shelter space

Denise arrived home on Thanksgiving Monday after a beautiful drive taking in the autumn colours of the Annapolis Valley.

Right now, home is a bed at the Open Arms shelter in Kentville, N.S.

"I never anticipated in my wildest dreams that I would ever be here at 65, but it has certainly opened up my eyes to how supportive people can be," said Denise, sitting in an armchair in the shelter's office.

"Now that I know it can happen to me … just because of circumstance, basically it can happen to anyone."

Denise, whose last name CBC agreed to withhold to protect her ability to find a job, said her experience becoming homeless as a senior shows how extreme the housing crisis has become.

She had a place in Dartmouth looking after her elderly mother and had worked and lived her whole life in the city. But this summer brought a series of unlucky events including an unexpected surgery, COVID-19 and a mental-health crisis. 

Her mom moved in with another family member, and Denise couldn't afford a place on her own income that included a job, Old Age Security and Canadian Pension Plan funds.

She said in her old neighbourhood of north Dartmouth, one-bedroom apartments regularly run over $1,200 a month, and a rented room in someone's home was still around $900.

"I did see an ad actually that somebody has been wanting to rent out the living room for $800 a month.… That's crazy," Denise said.

Halifax shelters full

She tried living with her daughter for a little while, but it was too cramped with a dog and children in a two-bedroom apartment.

So Denise called several shelters around Halifax, always getting the same answer: "I'm sorry, we're full."

After a couple weeks living in her car, Denise widened her search outside Halifax and left her job in the city. She went to Truro, and then New Glasgow, before landing at Open Arms about two weeks ago.

Denise worked since she was 16 and said she was "very surprised" to find herself without a home — and assumed there had to be something someone could do.

"But every time I tried to do something, doors were closed," Denise said. 

The province is working on building more affordable housing, has invested more into shelters, and the Halifax municipality has created temporary modular units this year, but Denise said more needs to be done immediately.

Amanda Hatt Gould, the shelter co-ordinator for Open Arms, said the shelter is seeing people from all over Nova Scotia — but also other provinces, as far away as Ontario.

Many people have moved to Nova Scotia hoping for a better housing situation, Hatt Gould said, but some still end up needing shelter. 

"It's everywhere, it's all over," she said.

Hatt Gould said Open Arms is renovating to more than double the capacity of the nine-bed co-ed facility.

Denise said the Open Arms staff have been amazingly supportive and "saved my life basically." She is now on the wait-list for subsidized housing, Denise said, and looking for a new job in her new town.

"I have a positive outlook because of these guys.… Had I not been here, I don't know where I'd be now. I really don't," Denise said.