Halifax Homelessness Count Shows Overall Decline but Rise in Unsheltered, Scattered Living
The 2026 Point-in-Time Homelessness Count for the Halifax Regional Municipality recorded a drop in total homelessness from 1,150 to 1,078. However, officials warn of a concerning shift as more people are sleeping in vehicles and isolated outdoor locations, while shelter capacity has decreased.
The annual Point-in-Time (PiT) Homelessness Count for the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), conducted from the evening of Oct. 14 to the morning of Oct. 15, recorded 1,078 people experiencing homelessness, down from 1,150 the previous year. Despite the overall decrease, the count revealed a significant shift toward unsheltered and scattered living situations.
The number of individuals found sleeping in vehicles increased from 34 to 51. Of those 51 people, 17 were located in rural areas of the HRM where no shelter option exists. The number of people staying in other unsheltered areas, including streets, parks, and wooded areas, also rose from 42 to 69. Conversely, the number of people staying in encampments dropped significantly from 121 to 44.
On the night of the count, there were 18 shelter sites across the HRM with a maximum capacity of 817 beds. Actual occupancy was 725 people. The number of available shelter beds dropped by 21 over the year, largely due to the closure of one shelter site.
Michael Kabalen, executive director of the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia (AHANS), attributes the stabilization of homelessness numbers partly to a decrease in in-migration to the municipality. AHANS and the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre (MNFC) jointly co-ordinate the annual HRM PiT Count.
Other categories saw notable declines. The number of people in domestic violence transition housing decreased from 64 to 18, and the number of people in shelter diversion hotel programs fell from 90 to 29.
Rain on the night of the count may have made it harder for volunteers to locate people, potentially underrepresenting scattered homelessness.