Dartmouth needs winter shelter for homeless, says advocate

The co-ordinator of a soup kitchen in downtown Dartmouth thinks the area needs a small shelter for people who are sleeping out in the cold.

Karen Goudie hears a lot of stories at Margaret's Place that keep her awake at night. Last year she worried about a woman out on the streets.

"This woman was my age, sleeping in a tent in the winter," Goudie explained. "It was heartbreaking because she had mental health issues that made it difficult to find her a place to live."

According to Goudie, the woman refused to go to Halifax. A local church stepped in and provided a warm place to stay.

But this winter Goudie has someone else to be concerned about.

"We have a really nice man who's been living on the streets for six months," Goudie said. "He's afraid to go to Halifax. We've tried everything to get him to go."

Volunteers at the soup kitchen give the man fast food gift cards so he can spend at least part of the night inside.

"I wish there was a place in Dartmouth that I could take him to."

Goudie believes a few beds over the winter months could make a big difference.

There are 186 beds at shelters in Halifax:

• Phoenix Shelter (Youth): 20 beds (15 male and 5 female)
• Metro Turning Point (Men): 75 beds
• Salvation Army(Men): 40 beds
• Barry House (Women and Children): 20 beds
• Adsum House (Women and Children): 16 beds
• Out of the Cold Shelter Saint Matthew's United Church: 15 beds