GUYSBOROUGH — A stroll along the St. Mary’s River or a hike to the pebble-strewn tip of Ragged Head does not reveal everything about Guysborough County, where even the loveliest appearances in this most rustic, least-populated corner of the province can be deceiving.
“Our homelessness is not visible to people driving through our communities,” says Nancy O’Regan, one of the area’s most passionate advocates for more places where people can afford to live. “But, that doesn’t mean it’s not here.”
The chair of Community First: Guysborough County Housing Association has an urgent message for residents, local governments, and political movers and shakers across the province: Despite appearances, hidden homelessness is a real threat to the area’s standard of living, quality of life and long-term economic development. And, the threat is growing.
“Unlike Halifax, we don’t have [downtown tent] encampments,” she told The Journal in an interview last week following the recent release of a new Cape Breton University study that shows a 72 per cent jump in the number of people 16 and older living either rough or unsheltered in Nova Scotia’s Eastern Zone – including all of Guysborough County – since 2021.
“The fact that we don’t have visible homelessness makes us think that we don’t have it at all,” she said. “But, this new data shows that things are getting worse for folks [in Guysborough and Antigonish counties]. We [at Community First] are hearing of families [living] in campers, of people living in summer cottages, in places that are not suitable. We also know that people are living in poverty, trying to maintain their older homes.”
The research – conducted through surveys this past June – indicates that 719 clients of social service providers (housing groups, women’s centres, and other organizations) in Cape Breton, Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness, Richmond and Victoria counties reported being unsheltered, emergency sheltered, provisionally accommodated or at risk of homelessness. Another 174 under their care are children. That compares with approximately 419 adults and 100 kids four years ago.
The trend also appears to apply at the individual county level. This year, 75 clients reported unsheltered or precarious housing circumstances in Antigonish and Guysborough counties. Four years ago, the number in Guysborough, Inverness, Richmond and Victoria Counties, combined, was 43.
“There is an urgency,” O’Regan said, especially for those “who are [also] really struggling with violence, mental heath, addictions and other issues. And, there’s a real focus on people in their 30s and younger. It’s poverty-plus, almost, and that’s important for us [to consider] as we look at the overall housing needs.”
O’Regan is just as worried about the trends for which, she said, “We don’t have any good data yet ... Those are the seniors, which we know is a climbing demographic in our population. While we do have a lot of younger people moving [here], we also have an older population who want to downsize to somewhere more suitable, or closer to services. Carleton Place Apartments [in downtown Guysborough] is full. We know there is more need for seniors’ housing, and we’re in no way finished with the work that needs to be done.”
For its part, Community First is working to bring on new housing stock, she said. “We’ve got offers to purchase in on two properties in the Municipality the District of Guysborough and the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s. We would like to be able to move forward on [them] mid- to end-of January. [By then], we’ll have some confirmation on whether or not we can.”
She added: “We would [also] like to look at incorporating second-stage housing [transitional housing programs designed to support individuals or families who are leaving emergency shelters or unsafe situations] into [what we’re doing]. We’re planning to do a family housing build of two-and three-bedroom townhouses on a piece of municipal property [at] Cutler’s Estates [in Guysborough]. All of our planning includes making available a second-stage housing unit within that complex.
“Creating affordable housing that also has wraparound services is really critical. We hope we can focus the conversation around how all of our service providers build a real clear, collaborative approach forward [to] help the people who are most in need.”
Despite appearances, however, O’Regan remains optimistic that the message is getting out and that both local and provincial governments are increasingly aware of the threats to the area’s long-term social and economic integrity.
“As far as housing is concerned, I feel 100 per cent supported by [Guysborough-Tracadie MLA] Greg Morrow.... He has been behind us every step of the way, and continues to provide that support, and I have no doubt he will in the future.... The need is not going away. If anything, we are learning more about what is needed that helps all of us focus on the problem strategically.”
