Government departments and offices (including Opportunities and Social Development, Growth and Development, Addictions and Mental Health, Service Nova Scotia and Justice) work with community organizations, private organizations and all levels of government to provide supports for people experiencing homelessness.

Housing approach

People experiencing homelessness need a variety of supports. Some people need access to public or affordable housing. Others may require a supportive housing option with wraparound services and supports (like employment assistance and mental health and addictions care) to prepare them for more independent living.

Outreach and housing support workers work one-on-one with people experiencing homelessness to find the best option for their unique circumstances.

The Department of Growth and Development and the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency also provide programs and supports for community housing and affordable housing.

Outreach and housing support

Outreach teams work directly with people experiencing homelessness, including those who are sleeping rough, to connect them to services and supports in the community. They help people with urgent needs, like food and clean water, and longer-term ones, like healthcare.

Housing support workers help people and families find and maintain housing. They can help with applications for public housing, market rental units and rental supplement programs. They can help make sure lease agreements are complete and provide information about the roles and responsibilities of tenants and landlords. They can also help people connect to programs like income assistance, mental health and addictions care and other government and community-based services.

Housing support workers also provide ongoing support to people and families to help them maintain their housing.

Shelters

Emergency shelters

Shelters provide a temporary option for people experiencing homelessness. There are 557 emergency shelter beds throughout the province.

Call 211 to find available shelter beds near you or visit 211 to learn more.

The Department of Opportunities and Social Development works with community-based service providers to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events.

Transitional shelters

Transitional shelters provide temporary housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness. They’re operated by local service providers who deliver wraparound services and supports to residents.

Shelter villages

There are 6 shelter villages in Nova Scotia that provide housing and support for up to 200 people – 20 units in Kentville, 35 units in Sydney, and 145 units across 4 sites in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

Community	Service provider	Number of units
Burnside	Atlantic Community Shelters Society	45
Dartmouth	Atlantic Community Shelters Society	41
Halifax	Atlantic Community Shelters Society	40
Kentville	Open Arms	20
Lower Sackville	Beacon House	19
Whitney Pier	New Dawn and the Ally Centre	35

The Bridge

The Bridge provides shelter with integrated support and healthcare services for up to 190 people in Halifax Regional Municipality. There's a clinic on site, and a dedicated floor for people leaving the hospital who don't have a place to go to recover.

Supportive housing

Supportive provides safe, affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness who need ongoing support to maintain their housing. There are more than 1,030 supportive housing units in Nova Scotia.

Service providers offer a variety of supports, depending on the model and the needs of residents, including:

• navigating housing (like tools and skills to enter a lease, trustee services and financial help)
• support services (like life skills, parenting support, employment and food security)
• health and wellness (like healthcare services, mental health and addictions care and disability support)

Service providers also help connect residents to programs and services available in the community.

Residents in supportive housing pay rent, usually capped at 30% of a tenant’s income, which could include job earnings, employment insurance, income assistance or disability support. 

People can stay in supportive housing units for a few months or as long as they need.

The Overlook  

The Overlook (in Halifax Regional Municipality) provides 60 permanent supportive housing units for people who have been unhoused for a long time.

Many residents have complex health needs and require ongoing supports to maintain housing.

The Overlook also has 5 respite units for people leaving hospital who are experiencing homelessness and have complex needs.

Tiny homes

Government worked with community-based partners and the private sector to build a tiny home community in Lower Sackville.

This supportive housing community has 60 single and double occupancy units with space for up to 70 people experiencing homelessness. Fully accessible units are available. The community began welcoming its first residents in November 2024.

The project is a collaboration between the provincial and municipal governments, United Way Halifax, Atlantic Community Shelters Society, Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.

Learn more: Lower Sackville Tiny Home Community (video)

The Rose

The Rose is an innovative housing partnership that’s transformed unused space in downtown Halifax into beautiful family apartments. Funded by the government and operated by Adsum for Women and Children, The Rose provides supportive housing for families with children. Once renovations are complete, The Rose’s 24 two and four-bedroom units will be home to up to 80 people.

Each apartment is fully furnished and includes kitchen appliances and a full-sized bathtub -- an important feature for families with young children. There is a laundry room and lounge with a play area on each floor and a playground outside.

Wraparound supports

Wraparound supports are professional and peer supports for people experiencing homelessness. They’re specific to the needs of a person.

Wraparound supports may include:

• mental and physical healthcare
• substance use treatment
• harm reduction support
• wellness checks
• access to food and other essentials
• legal and other navigation services (like helping those involved with corrections or justice system navigate their way through – getting to their meetings, helping with parole issues)
• trusteeship
• employment support
• finding financial support (like rent supplements, income assistance or disability support)
• life skills

Prevention and early intervention

Government provides targeted support to community partners to help prevent homelessness from happening and to intervene early when it does. This includes diversion funding, which helps Nova Scotians with costs like overdue utility bills, rental arrears or damage deposits that prevent them from finding or maintaining housing. 

Call 211 to find housing support near you or visit 211 to learn more.

News releases

Latest news releases and announcements:

Homelessness supports news releases

Related information

• Action for Housing
• Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency
• Our Homes, Action for Housing (PDF)