St. John’s man fears he’ll be ‘back on the street’ after being evicted from social housing

Kyle Harbin, 40, moved from a private shelter into a supported-living house in St. John’s run by 3 Birds Housing Solutions, hoping for stability through a Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation–funded program for people with complex needs. He pays $700 in rent directly from his income support, leaving him reliant on food banks. In October, however, Harbin received a no-fault eviction requiring him to leave by the end of February. The eviction states he did not breach the lease; instead, 3 Birds says its transitional program is full and sometimes must remove participants so others can enter. The program operates outside the Residential Tenancies Act.

Housing Minister Joedy Wall said NLHC provides the building and $71,000 in support funding, and that alternative programs exist elsewhere in the province. He urged people who exit transitional housing to seek help from organizations like Choices for Youth, Stella’s Circle, and End Homelessness St. John’s.

Harbin fears he has nowhere affordable to go, especially with a dog and limited income, despite provincial goals to build 10,000 new homes. Experts, including sociologist Daniel Kudla, warn that evictions from social housing push people into an “institutional circuit” of shelters, hospitals, and jails, worsening long-term homelessness. St. John’s homelessness has risen to at least 475 people, two-thirds chronically homeless. Harbin says he now feels the system is putting him “back on the street.”