The Housing Hub started as a simple idea about how to better meet the needs of a growing number of people who were staying at Barry House and Metro Turning Point find housing and remain housed. It was to provide our Housing Support Workers and Intensive Case Managers a place to work from and form a team approach to their practice. Now with a place to work from, what if we extended services to people not in shelters, but people forced to live outside? What if that same space could also have some basic services available? And community resources? AND help people stay housed? What if we could break a cycle of isolation and instead provide a place of community and hope?
With tremendous donor and corporate support, lots of hard work, and a few coats of paint, The Housing Hub became a reality, opening its doors November 15th with drop-in hours every Monday from 1-4pm and Fridays 9am – noon and additional support events and clinics throughout the week.
By opening the Housing Hub, Shelter Nova Scotia aims to provide a safer space for individuals to access basic needs, social inclusion, and provide support with diversion and eviction prevention.
We at Shelter Nova Scotia continue to evolve our practices and services as the needs of the community change. Pre-COVID 19, Housing Support Workers and an Intensive Case Manager already worked from our shelters, Barry House and Metro Turning Point, to assist people to find places to live and to provide ongoing support to help people maintain their housing.
The pandemic and the increasing provincial housing crisis have pushed resources to their limits. Shelters are full and affordable housing is scarce. Support workers are responding; reaching out to also help people who are forced to live outside.
Shelter Nova Scotia decided to open a Housing Hub where Housing Support Workers and our Intensive Case Manager can work together as a team. This team will be led by our Hub Manager, Julie Slen, who has done amazing work in making this new community space a reality.
The goal of the Hub is to support people through a connection to the Coordinated Access System which operates to match those in deepest need to available housing and resources in our community. The Hub provides a place for those who are outside to shower and do laundry. The facility also offers free food, basic supplies, and access to community resources.
The Housing Hub is currently only operating thanks to the generous support of individual and corporate donors. Continuing to provide free access to food and other necessities for those in need in our community, requires your support.
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