Until last week, low-income Nova Scotians looking for a place to live could apply for a rent supplement benefit for two months while they searched. The province says this option was removed to "ensure fairness and program accountability."
Organizations that work with people experiencing homelessness or exiting the criminal justice system say the high cost and low availability of rentals in Halifax means people can't move out of shelters or temporary housing, and new people can't move in.
Temperatures across the province are expected to go into the negative double digits this weekend. Community organizations, shelters, and warming centers are ramping up their services so people without homes will have a place to go.