Free help with housing in Halifax-Dartmouth.

Emergency placement, transitional housing, the rent bank, and housing navigation, with no referral needed. Call 555-555-5555, 8 am to 9 pm, seven days a week.

Emergency housing placement

Same-day safe shelter for individuals and families in a housing emergency.

If you have been evicted, are not safe where you are, or are leaving hospital with nowhere to go, we find you short-term shelter the same day. We place people in emergency shelters, motels, and private boarding houses across HRM, so there is somewhere to go even when the city-run shelters are full.

Your emergency housing worker stays with your case through placement, confirms you are safe, and starts planning transitional or permanent housing within 72 hours.

Hours: Seven days a week, 8 am to 9 pm
Where: Placements across Halifax Regional Municipality
Priority: Families with children
Who qualifies: Anyone in HRM or a surrounding community who has nowhere to stay or is about to lose their housing

Age 16 or older; families with children of any age

No referral, income, or citizenship requirement

Call 555-555-5555

Transitional housing

Furnished units with weekly case management for 3 to 12 months.

We run 24 furnished units across four properties in Halifax and Dartmouth: Gottingen Street, Alderney Drive, Windmill Road, and Robie Street. Every unit comes furnished, with utilities included, for people moving out of a shelter, a hospital, or somewhere unsafe while they find permanent housing.

You meet your case manager every week. They help with income support, health care, and work, and with the plan for where you go next. Stays usually last 3 to 6 months, with extensions up to 12 months if you need them.

Units: 24 units across four Halifax-Dartmouth properties
Stay: 3 to 12 months, furnished, utilities included
Support: Weekly case management
Priority: People leaving a shelter, a hospital, or jail
Who qualifies: Adults 18 or older, or emancipated youth

Leaving emergency shelter, hospital, or unsafe housing

Able to live on your own with weekly support

Household income below 60 per cent of the provincial income threshold

Willing to meet a case manager at least weekly

Apply for transitional housing

Rent bank and utility assistance

Emergency funds to prevent an eviction or a utility disconnection.

If you are about to be evicted or have your power cut off because of a short-term money problem, the rent bank pays the arrears once, directly to the landlord or Nova Scotia Power. We decide within 48 business hours of a complete application.

The rent bank has kept 1,200 households housed since 2014. The money is a grant, not a loan, and it comes from the Province, individual donors, and United Way Halifax.

Amount: Up to $2,500 per household per calendar year
Decision: Within 48 business hours
Payment: Direct to the landlord or utility company
Apply: By email, or in person at 1425 Hollis Street
Who qualifies: Renting in Halifax Regional Municipality

Holding an eviction or utility disconnection notice

A one-time setback, not an ongoing shortfall

Household income below 80 per cent of the provincial income threshold

No rent bank use in the past 24 months

Apply for the rent bank

One-on-one help finding and securing permanent housing.

A housing navigator works with you, one-on-one, to find and get a permanent place through private landlords or Nova Scotia Housing. They help with the search, the application, reference letters, explaining a bad credit report, talking to landlords, and reading a lease before you sign.

Navigators also connect you with income support programs, the Canada Housing Benefit, and rental supplements you may be eligible for. Drop in Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 am to 4 pm, at 1425 Hollis Street, or Wednesdays, 1 to 4 pm, at the Dartmouth North Community Centre. Appointments are available on other weekdays.

Drop-in, Halifax: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 am to 4 pm, 1425 Hollis Street
Drop-in, Dartmouth: Wednesdays, 1 to 4 pm, Dartmouth North Community Centre
Appointments: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Languages: English, French, and Arabic
Who qualifies: Anyone in HRM looking for a permanent rental. No referral needed, and immigration status does not matter.

Meet a navigator

Not sure if you qualify? Call us at 555-555-5555. We will talk through your situation and find the right option, or connect you to another organization that can help.

How to apply

Intake is one conversation, often the same day you reach out.

Call, email, or drop in. Call 555-555-5555, email info@example.com, or drop in to 1425 Hollis Street without an appointment.
Talk with a housing worker. A 20 to 30 minute conversation about your housing, your immediate needs, and any risks, with no form to fill out.
Get matched to a program. We pick the right program with you. Emergency placements start right away; rent bank decisions come within 48 business hours.
We stay in touch. Once you are housed or stabilized, we check in for at least 12 months and connect you to anything else you need.

Each step is explained in full on What happens after you call.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a referral from a doctor or social worker?

No. Call, walk in, or email; nobody else has to be involved. We also take referrals from social workers, hospitals, and housing programs, but you do not need one.

Are your services really free?

Yes. Emergency housing, transitional housing, the rent bank, and housing navigation are all free. The Province of Nova Scotia, federal programs, and individual and corporate donors pay for them.

I have a pet. Can I still get help?

Two of our four transitional properties take pets. For emergency placements it depends on which shelter or motel has space that night, so tell the housing worker about your pet on the first call and they will only look at places that take animals.

Will my immigration status affect my eligibility?

It does not matter for emergency housing or housing navigation. For the rent bank, some of the government money has residency rules, so for some people the grant comes from donor funds instead. We do not share information with immigration authorities.

How long does it take to get into transitional housing?

There is a waitlist, and the wait runs from a few days to a few months. Once a unit is yours, you usually move in within a week. While you wait, your housing worker finds you an emergency placement if you need one.

What if I've already used the rent bank once?

You can apply again 24 months after your last grant. If it has been less than that and you are facing eviction, call anyway. The provincial Emergency Assistance Program and United Way community funds have different rules, and a housing worker will apply to them with you.

One call, 8 am to 9 pm, seven days a week.

A housing worker answers, and the first call takes less than five minutes.

Call 555-555-5555 Send a message