Shelter Nova Scotia

What Shelter Nova Scotia does

Shelter Nova Scotia is a registered Canadian charitable nonprofit (Charitable Registration #: 108027590RR0001) that operates an integrated continuum of homeless support services across seven facilities in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), Nova Scotia. The organization was founded on the legacy of Sir Sandford Fleming House (1984) and Metro Turning Point (1973), with subsequent facilities added through 2015, and now provides emergency shelter, supported housing, community corrections residential facilities, and community-based outreach and prevention programs.

Its service portfolio comprises two emergency shelters (Barry House, 17 beds for female-identifying individuals; Metro Turning Point, 30 beds for male-identifying individuals), two supportive housing complexes (The Rebuilding, 19 units; Herring Cove Apartments, 12 beds for individuals with alcohol dependency), two community residential facilities operating under Correctional Service Canada agreements (Sir Sandford Fleming House, 20 beds; Nehiley House, 8 beds with a Mother/Child program), and The Hub, a drop-in community center offering housing navigation, diversion, and basic needs services. Complementary programs include the Community Trustee Program (eviction prevention serving over 200 clients), Diversion Program (financial assistance for rent and utility arrears), Housing Support Program, Street Outreach Program, and volunteer-driven meal services (Adopt-a-Meal and Joan's Table). Annual capacity is 106 overnight beds and approximately 1,500 individuals served across all programs.

The operating model relies on a combination of government grants, charitable donations, and volunteer labor. The Province of Nova Scotia pledged CAD 713,000 annually in October 2021, the organization fundraises approximately CAD 1M annually from individuals and corporate donors, and additional funding flows from federal agencies (Employment and Social Development Canada, Correctional Service Canada, Canada Border Services Agency), municipal councillors, and partner grants (Second Harvest, AHANS). Services are delivered free of charge to clients under Harm Reduction and Housing First frameworks. The organization employs 101-250 staff and is led by CEO Linda Wilson and COO Chris Cotton, with a Board chaired by Lynn Hartwell.

Name

Shelter Nova Scotia

Legal name

Shelter Nova Scotia

Website

https://shelternovascotia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Shelter Nova Scotia is a Halifax-based charitable nonprofit operating seven emergency shelters, supportive housing complexes, and community programs serving approximately 1,500 people annually experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, and correctional re-entry across Nova Scotia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless Support Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Affordable / Low-Income Assisted Living (Medicaid Waiver Focused) (HLADABAE)

Keywords

• Emergency shelter services
• Supportive housing programs
• Homelessness outreach
• Community corrections housing
• Eviction prevention services

Headquarters

HQ city

Halifax

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Shelter Nova Scotia receives partial funding from the Province of Nova Scotia and the Federal Government. In October 2021, the Nova Scotia government pledged $713,000 annually to support staffing and operations. The Diversion Program is funded by the Department of Opportunities and Social Development.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: The organization fundraises almost $1M annually from individual and corporate donors. Donations are accepted online, via mail, through the Care & Comfort Wish List, Adopt-a-Meal program, the 'Homes For All' 50/50 monthly draw, Real Estate for Real Change campaign, and in-kind donations of new unopened items.
3. Grant Funding: The organization receives grant funding for specific programs, including a Second Harvest grant for food security and municipal funding grants from Halifax Regional Councillors for Joan’s Table volunteer recruitment and training.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shelter Nova Scotia is a registered charitable nonprofit organization that operates seven facilities across Halifax Regional Municipality providing emergency shelter, supportive housing, community corrections residential facilities, and community outreach programs. The organization serves approximately 1,500 people annually, offering overnight shelter for up to 106 individuals nightly, supported housing for 31 individuals, and community residential facilities for 28 individuals transitioning from correctional care, along with eviction prevention, diversion, and street outreach services delivered at no cost to clients.

Product overview

Shelter Nova Scotia is a charitable organization operating seven facilities in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) providing homeless support services. The organization offers a portfolio of integrated programs including two emergency shelters (Barry House for females, Metro Turning Point for males), two supportive housing facilities (The Rebuilding for 19 individuals, Herring Cove Apartments for 12 individuals with alcohol dependency), two community corrections residential facilities (Sir Sandford Fleming House and Nehiley House), and community support programs including The Hub, Community Trustee Program, Diversion Program, Housing Support Program, and Outreach Program. These services are complemented by volunteer meal programs including Adopt-A-Meal and Joan's Table. The organization supports approximately 1,500 people annually with a bed capacity of 106 people per night across six overnight facilities plus The Hub community center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barry House
• Metro Turning Point
• The Rebuilding
• Herring Cove Apartments
• Sir Sandford Fleming House
• Nehiley House
• The Hub
• Community Trustee Program
• Diversion Program
• Outreach Program
• Housing Support Program
• Joan's Table
• Adopt-A-Meal Program

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Joan’s Table (Catherine Woodman and Maura Woodman)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Joan’s Table is a volunteer-based meal program launched in 2017 by Catherine and Maura Woodman to provide nutritious meals to tenants at Herring Cove Apartments, now expanded to include The Rebuilding. Over 200 volunteers have contributed more than 1,500 meals and approximately $10K annually. The program addresses food security gaps not covered by government funding.
• Heart & Home Realty (Mary-Jane and Meghan)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerHeart & Home Realty partners with Shelter Nova Scotia on the Real Estate for Real Change campaign, donating $100 per home sale and inviting clients and other real estate industry professionals to contribute. The partners are actively rallying others across the industry to participate in the campaign.
• Mobile Outreach Street Health (MOSH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOSH provides essential medical care to people experiencing homelessness, insecurely housed, and underserved in the community through a collaborative primary health care team including registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, and an occupational therapist. MOSH conducts a drop-in clinic at The Hub on Tuesdays.
• Correctional Service CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal correctional authority that partners with Shelter Nova Scotia to provide housing support at community residential facilities for individuals making the transition from institutional care to community living while maintaining public safety.
• Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia (AHANS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHANS is listed as a funder of Shelter Nova Scotia, contributing to the organization's housing support mission.
• Coordinated Access System (Housing and Homelessness Division of HRM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hub connects individuals to the Coordinated Access System which matches those in deepest need to available housing and resources in the community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Calgary Drop-In Centre: The Calgary Drop-In Centre is one of Western Canada's largest multiservice homeless-serving organizations, operating emergency shelter, housing, and community supports serving thousands annually. It mirrors Shelter Nova Scotia's integrated shelter-to-housing continuum model in a different Canadian metro.
• Old Brewery Mission: Old Brewery Mission operates emergency shelters, transitional housing, and community programs for people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty in Montreal. Comparable to Shelter Nova Scotia in offering a continuum of emergency and supported housing services in a major Canadian city.
• Ottawa Mission: The Ottawa Mission provides emergency shelter, food, housing, and health services for people experiencing homelessness in Ottawa. It shares Shelter Nova Scotia's mission of running multi-program shelter and housing services with a harm-reduction orientation.
• The Mustard Seed: The Mustard Seed operates shelter, supportive housing, and community programs in Calgary and other Canadian cities. It is comparable to Shelter Nova Scotia in delivering a faith-informed continuum of shelter and housing services with significant volunteer engagement.
• Union Gospel Mission: Union Gospel Mission operates emergency shelter, supportive housing, and meal programs for people experiencing homelessness and addiction across Metro Vancouver. Comparable to Shelter Nova Scotia in combining emergency shelter, harm-reduction supported housing, and volunteer-driven meal services.
• Covenant House Toronto: Covenant House Toronto provides shelter, housing, and trauma-informed support services for youth and young families experiencing homelessness. It is comparable to Shelter Nova Scotia in offering emergency shelter and supported housing pathways, though with a younger demographic focus.
• Inn from the Cold: Inn from the Cold operates emergency shelter, family-focused housing programs, and homelessness prevention services in Calgary. Comparable to Shelter Nova Scotia in combining emergency shelter with eviction-prevention diversion services.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Canada: The Salvation Army Canada runs a national network of emergency shelters, transitional housing, and community support programs for people experiencing homelessness. It overlaps with Shelter Nova Scotia's core offerings but operates at much greater scale and across many non-housing programs.

Emerging players

• John Howard Society of Canada: The John Howard Society delivers reintegration and supported housing services for individuals transitioning from correctional facilities across Canada. Comparable to Shelter Nova Scotia's correctional reintegration work at Sir Sandford Fleming House and Nehiley House, though with broader non-housing mandates.

Regional players

• Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia: AHANS is a Nova Scotia-based association of nonprofit and cooperative affordable housing providers, and a listed funder of Shelter Nova Scotia. It is a regional peer working on the housing-policy and supply side of the same continuum Shelter Nova Scotia delivers on the direct-service side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGgtKUNS0nYZhvzdN3yjO8A/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShelterNovaScotia
• Instagraminstagram.com/shelternovascotia
• Xx.com/ShelterNS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Shelter Nova Scotia