Hope Cottage stabbing prompts soup kitchen safety questions
A number of Halifax soup kitchens say the Friday night double stabbing at Hope Cottage was a rare incident, but it reinforces why safety is top of mind for volunteers.
At Saint George's Round Church on Brunswick Street, a free meal is offered to those struggling to get by every Saturday. Mary Hills has been volunteering there for four years.
"We usually have a man on at the door to just keep an eye on things as people are coming in, but in all the time I've been here, I don't recall a time I've ever actually had to call the police, so we feel pretty safe," she said.
At the Out of the Cold shelter on Barrington Street, organizer Shannon Aulenback says the shelter takes safety very seriously and that volunteers get conflict training once a year.
"If there's any sense somebody is going to be a threat to themselves or others, they can't come in to begin with. That's the only barrier Out of the Cold kind of stipulates is you have to be safe to be in the space," he said.
On Friday evening, two staff members were stabbed at Hope Cottage. Police said a man inside caused a disturbance at about 5 p.m. Staff escorted the 19-year-old out of the building, then he allegedly stabbed them. Two men, aged 58 and 30, were treated at hospital for minor wounds.
Police arrested the 19-year-old and he faces weapons charges.
An official with Hope Cottage told CBC News the man would likely be banned from the premises.
