Halifax campground to stay open all winter for people living in RVs amid housing crisis

Halifax will be keeping its municipally owned property, ShubieCampground,open all winter so people living in their RVs have a place to stay and others elsewhere in Canada are hoping their governments will follow suit.

The municipality has some of the fastest-rising rentsand one of the lowest vacancy rates in Canada. There arealso more than 1,000 people on Halifax's homelessness list, which doesn't include people who are couch surfing or living in their cars.

"It is still just a camper. But a camper is better than a tent," said Carrie Steeves, who will be living in her RV all winter for the first time.

Steeves said being able to park at theShubieCampground through the winter makes her feel a little more secure. She worksa retail job. As the cost of living rises, permanent housing has becomeout of reach for her. She,and others like her,are the new face of homelessness.

"Now you have people that go to work every day and have an income and have a resource. They just don't have a house," Steeves said.

Trevor Boudreau,Nova Scotia's minister of community services, said last month hisdepartment gave Halifax $180,000to keep theShubie Campground open through the winter.

"This is a crisis that's happening across Canada, it's across North America," Boudreautold CBC News.

The municipality will providesnow removal, garbage collectionand sewage services, but bringing in water and propane is up to the people living there.

The municipality will also provide electricity, and the people staying there will pay $250 per month in rent.

WATCH | A call for temporarily allowing year-round RV living:

N.S. councillor says people should be able to temporarily live year-round in RVs

11 months ago

Duration 5:48

Kings County councillor Joel Hirtle says allowing people to temporarily live in their RVs year-round would give those without other options a place to stay this winter.

In Nova Scotia's Municipality of the County of Kings, Coun. Joel Hirtle told CBC Nova Scotia News at 6 on Friday that he hopedto see the suspension of a bylaw so people in his municipality would be allowed to stay in their RVs year-round. He said he believes there is a housing crisis in the area. Hirtlesaid that would give those without options a place to stay this winter.

"There are currently bylaws in effect that could cost them money. They may experience fines, they may experience the requirement to leave their property if they're living in an RV as a permanent dwelling. So I'm hoping we can put a temporary suspension on this bylaw that stops them from living [in their RV] year-round and protect some folks," Hirtle said.

Hirtle says one of his neighbours recently lost their home in a fire, and because the insurance didn't match up with the cost to replace and repair his home"he's had to find an RV as his means to live until he's able to do the work himself so that he can afford the costs."

On the other side of the country, Rob Fenton is hoping governments in British Columbia willfollow Nova Scotia's lead and fund a campground for people who have nowhere else to live.

Fenton is a practising lawyer who, because of housing prices, lives in an RV that's hooked up to utilities on North Pender Island in B.C.'s Southern Gulf Islands. He'sfighting for municipal governments to approve and legalize living in that type of vehicle.

"People are living in unsafe regular housing, in their cars, all sorts of places that are way worse," Fentonsaid.

WATCH | Halifax keeps city campground open to provide affordable housing:

Halifax keeps campground open as housing option for the winter

11 months ago

Duration 2:05

Halifax will keep a city-owned campground open through the winter as a housing option for those whove been priced out of the rental market and are living in RVs.

Back in Halifax, Steevesis in the process of winter-proofing her RV. The city experienced its first snowfall of the season this week.

Steeves said she doesn't expect her situation to change any time soon.

"The perfect solution would be building apartments and building housing, but that's not happening ... and even if it does start to happen, it's still going to take years to be done," she said.

Until then, she said she hopes her RV will keep her warm until a better solution comes along.