'The new face of being houseless': Haligonians living in RVs plead for campground to stay open

For Carrie Steeves and a group of nine other people living full time in RVs in a campground near Halifax — the clock is ticking. 

Renfrew Camping, where Steeves lives and works full time, is closing for the season in less than a month. When that happens, she doesn't know where she will live. 

"There's no choices, there's nothing available," Steeves said in an interview outside her RV parked in Nine Mile River, about 50 kilometres outside Halifax.

"There's no light at the end of the tunnel. Nothing's changing. Nothing's getting done."

Steeves and others are calling for the Halifax Regional Municipality to keep Shubie Campground, the only fully serviced campground within city limits, open throughout the winter so they'll have somewhere to park their RVs.

According to the municipality, the campground sits on property it owns in Dartmouth and is leased to an operator for the summer season. Steeves said all the group needs is water and sewer services, and electricity — and they're willing to pay to stay there.

The area's municipal councillor, Tony Mancini, said he supports the idea, but he doesn't have an answer for the group just yet.

Mancini said he has spoken to city staff and "it's not as simple as just keeping the doors open," noting other considerations including snow removal, garbage collection and washroom services. 

"If it's simple dollars, I'm comfortable we can make that happen, but it may be beyond just simple dollars. But we really should be creative on how we deal with it," he said.

Steeves said herself and the others like her are "the new face of being houseless." They're working and call their RVs home, but finding an affordable rental or owning a home is out of reach. 

"I've been looking for places for four years," said Steeves, who works two retail jobs when the campground closes. "I've been on people's couches ... basements, and then, that's it. There's nothing ... it just got worse and worse."

Housing in Halifax is becoming increasingly precarious. According to the latest rental market report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Halifax saw the highest year-over-year spike in residential rent across the country between 2021 and 2022, with the average for a two-bedroom unit jumping 9.3 per cent. 

The vacancy rate in Halifax stayed around one per cent — the second-lowest in the country.

"It's a major crisis," Mancini said. "All you have to do is drive around the municipality, you can see it."