Nova Scotia has announced $2.6 million in funding to go towards safe and supportive housing for people transitioning out of correctional facilities in the province.
Funding to Create Community Housing Proposal for Women
May 12, 2021 - 11:01 AM
The province is providing $100,000 to develop a proposal for a community-based, permanent housing project for up to 100 women and children.
The YWCA, Alice House, Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia and the Marguerite Centre will work together on a plan for the Home for Good Centre. The vision is to create a community hub with a mix of housing options for women and families. The plan would include supported housing, affordable housing, multipurpose spaces for community use and office space for service providers.
“We are focused on creating permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness or living in precarious housing,” said Kelly Regan, Minister of Community Services. “Having safe, affordable housing that supports mothers and their children will have a lasting impact on their lives and their ability to succeed.”
The classroom at Marguerite Centre can accommodate 4 additional women.(Elizabeth Chiu/CBC)
A Halifax-area treatment centre for women with addiction that is operating at full capacity is trying to meet a growing demand among women leaving prison.
The Marguerite Centre in Timberlea is a 12-bed recovery house for women battling substance misuse or gambling addiction. Three of the beds are allocated to women who are on parole.
With increasing attention on mental health and addiction, particularly during the pandemic, the charity has felt the pressure to expand its services, said Lisa Mullin, executive director of the Marguerite Centre.
The facility is looking at helping offenders who are living at a halfway house by introducing day programming to them, she said.