Less than half of the 200 self-contained shelters Nova Scotia bought for unhoused people are open almost a year after the plan was announced.

As of Tuesday, 80 of the insulated, 70-square-foot fibreglass shelters made by the U.S. company Pallet are ready for use.

When Nova Scotia announced on Oct. 11, 2023, it was putting $7.5 million toward Pallet shelter villages, the Department of Community Services said vulnerable residents would benefit from them by winter of that year, along with other supp…