Five matches.

One goal.

Raising money to fight homelessness.

That’s what Fight for Change is all about.  Nine women, each a community leader in their own right, have enthusiastically stepped into the ring to make a difference. 

These nine women have been training and fundraising for the big fight night on Thursday, December 1.  The night promises to be exciting, fun and an amazing celebration of these nine women who have unselfishly chosen to Fight for Change.

Shelter Nova Scotia is enormously grateful to these nine women.  What they’re doing is important, impactful and inspirational.  With respect and enthusiasm, allow us to introduce you to the team.

Meghan “The Closer” Laing

 Kim “Upper Cut” Grant

  Pearleen “Pearl Jam” Mofford

 Leslie “Boomer” Gascoigne

 “Fierce” Sasha Irving

 Pamela “Hurricane” Scott Crace

 Leanne “Showtime” Andrecyk

 Delvina “Voodoo Vina” Bernard

“Fancy” Nancy Regan 

Join us on Thursday, December 1 at Fight for Change.  We’d be happy to host you.   And if you can’t make it to fight night, feel free to make a donation.  The gift you make will make a difference.

Box on.

There are certain labels which can be harmful.  Think for a moment how hurtful it can be when someone labels another person in a way that is mean and unfair.  We can be very unkind when we make assumptions or judgements about someone based on what we see or think we see.

Shelter Nova Scotia understands dramatically the impact of positive and negative labels.  Sadly, we see and hear an astonishing amount of hurtful labels every day.  The men and women we serve are human beings, first and foremost.  Each comes from a background that may not be much different than someone else’s background.  The biggest difference is that during the struggles they endured, their support network either disappeared or did not exist.  Bad things can happen to good people and it is the support of caring individuals that can help someone successfully navigate the obstacles life places before them. 

What works against a person’s progress is derogatory labels.  Imagine what it must feel like to have someone call you – repeatedly – a criminal, bum, vagrant, no good bastard, drain on society, bottom feeder, nut job, lazy, crackhead, junkie or panhandler.  These are horrible labels.  They are labels that pierce the spirit of Hope.  They’re labels that impede progress.  And, they’re unnecessary.

When an individual begins their journey towards success, positive reinforcement is critical to that person’s positive trajectory.  Part of that positive movement can be things like Warm Words. 

We know our community is comprised of amazing human beings who have kindness, compassion and positivity to offer.  These human beings can be found everywhere in our community, including our halfway houses and homeless shelters. 

Let’s remember how helpful labels can be.  The labels that provide positive direction, guidance and keep us safe are the very labels needed to help the men and women we serve move forward. 

The positive label you use just might change a life.

In 1968, a group of committed and compassionate volunteers formed a halfway house to help men change from prison living to community living.  At that time, other volunteers across Canada were forming Saint Leonard’s Societies to open halfway houses for men.  Some remarkable work was accomplished in those early years.

Fast forward to 2011 and our organization has changed dramatically.  We now operate two Community Residential Facilities, two facilities for men and women experiencing homelessness, a supportive housing program for men and women moving from shelter living to community living, and a Community Trustee Program for individuals in the community.  We have grown from a small volunteer operation with a couple of employees to a volunteer-lead organization with 75 employees.  Things have changed since 1968!

We live in the real world and we know bad things can happen to good people. Compassionate people in our community understand this.  When obstacles placed before a person become too enormous to overcome, it’s crucial that person have a place to go.  We are proud to offer up Shelter Nova Scotia as the place.

We invite you to join us in our journey as we all work together to demonstrate our passion for accomplishing two things:

1. Helping men and women make the change from prison living to community living
2. Ending homelessness one person at a time.

Join with us as we stand together to help individuals maximize their inherent greatness.  Together, with the help of your friends, we can connect positively with the men and women we serve in ways that help them experience a better life.

Welcome to Shelter Nova Scotia!