Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruled this month that a tent-dwelling man met the eligibility requirements for enhanced rate assistance
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Activist lawyers are aiming to leverage a recent court ruling to dramatically increase income assistance levels for homeless welfare recipients in Nova Scotia who live only in tents, trailers or their cars.
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Dalhousie Legal Aid Service has prepared a guide encouraging the homeless to apply for expanded benefits after the court ruled that a Halifax tent dweller was eligible for enhanced income assistance.
Monthly income assistance could rise from $410 to $738 for people living in tents, cars or trailers.
The effort comes in the wake of a decision from Chief Justice Michael Wood of the province’s Court of Appeal, who ruled earlier this month in favour of the estate of Bradley Lowe, a homeless man who died of an overdose in a tent in front of Halifax City Hall ten days before the Christmas of 2023.
“When we’re talking about what has to be called an appalling situation, this decision holds the promise for them of maybe being able to live a little bit closer to the poverty line,” said Vince Calderhead, the Halifax lawyer who represented Lowe’s estate.
The standard household rate for two people living in a tent or trailer could rise to $1,442 a month, according to Dal Legal Aid. People with disabilities could qualify for more help and get up to $1,022 monthly, the organization said in its guide for applying for more benefits.
“Everyone with a disability may also get an additional $308 Disability Supplement,” according to the organization that does “community outreach, education, organizing, lobbying, and test case litigation to combat injustices affecting persons with low incomes and barriers to accessing justice in Nova Scotia.”
The guide notes that Wood’s decision “does not apply to people living in shelters,” but that “it may apply to people who live in other owned accommodations such as vehicles or travel trailers.”
It’s “hard to say” if people living in trailers will qualify for the larger payments, Calderhead said Monday.
