**** NS Gov Release
More Funding for Transition Houses, Addressing Intimate Partner Violence
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The government is taking action to address the epidemic of intimate partner violence with a new $23.7-million funding commitment to transition houses.
“An epidemic-level response means working together to support victims, survivors, families and communities, and no one understands how best to do that than the organizations on the front lines,” said Premier Tim Houston. “The critical and often life-saving work led by our community-based partners has never been more urgent or more important. This new funding helps ensure these services and supports continue to be available to Nova Scotians when they need it.”
This investment includes $17.9 million over four years to stabilize operations at 10 transition houses. The Province worked with the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia to ensure this new funding commitment would meet the needs of its members over the next several years.
The government is providing an additional $1.9 million in project-based funding to association members to advance initiatives that prevent or address gender-based violence. This is part of $5.8 million in new project-based funding for the sector. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Quotes:
“This sector is made up of professionals with decades of experience and a deep understanding of the communities and people they serve. THANS has been candid about the challenges its member organizations face and committed to working together on solutions that work. This funding is just one of the ways we are showing up for a sector that has always showed up for Nova Scotians.”
— Leah Martin, Minister responsible for the Advisory Committee on the Status of Women
“This investment is a vital step toward ensuring that our member organizations can continue providing safety, shelter and support to women and children experiencing violence. They work tirelessly to meet the growing demand for services, and this funding brings much-needed stability to their operations. We appreciate the Province’s recognition of the essential role transition houses and other community organizations play in responding to and preventing intimate partner violence, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to strengthen support for survivors.”
— Ann de Ste. Croix, Executive Director, Transition House Association of Nova Scotia
Quick Facts:
– the stabilization funding to transition houses is $4.4 million annually
– Budget 2024-25 included a $7.7-million annual increase in core funding to transition houses and women’s centres, for a total of $17.8 million – the largest increase in two decades
– Budget 2025-26 includes a $103-million funding commitment across government to address intimate partner violence, including the $17.8 million in core funding for transition houses and women’s centres
– a new inquiry response unit was established to support government’s work to respond to recommendations in the Mass Casualty Commission and Desmond Fatality Inquiry final reports
Additional Resources:
Transition House Association of Nova Scotia: https://thans.ca/
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**** NSGEU Release
CAMPAIGN AIMS TO “TURN THE TIDE” ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Nova Scotia has seen a terrifying rise in incidents of domestic and intimate partner violence, which has resulted in at least seven known deaths of women since October 2024. Federal statistics show that the number of reported acts of intimate partner violence causing violent harm or death has risen in Nova Scotia from 2,972 to 3,187. Since 2019, the number of women and children seeking help from women’s shelters in this province has increased by 182 per cent. And these are just the reported and known statistics.
“Domestic violence doesn’t stop at home: it permeates all areas of our lives, including our workplaces,” said NSGEU President Sandra Mullen, “Many NSGEU members working on the front line – social workers, health care workers, correctional officers, and many more – work with victims and survivors of domestic violence on a regular basis, and bear witness to the toll it takes on these individuals and the people who care for them.”
Moreover, workers experiencing domestic violence report that the abuse often permeates their own workplace in the form of abusive phone calls or text messages, stalking or harassment, and that it affects their work performance and attendance, as well as their coworkers. There is also the serious risk that perpetrators may come into the workplace and commit acts of violence.
As a union representing 38,000 workers – more than 70 per cent of whom are women and are therefore disproportionately impacted by domestic violence – we recognize we have an important role to play in trying to address this crisis.
Specifically, recommendation #14 of the Mass Casualty Report calls for mobilizing a society-wide response, which includes “Non-governmental bodies, including learning institutions, professional and trade associations, and businesses, declare gender-based, intimate partner, and family violence to be an epidemic that warrants a meaningful and sustained society-wide response.”
That is why today, in honour of International Women’s Day, the NSGEU is calling on employers to help Turn the Tide, and sign on to a pledge, which both recognizes the epidemic of domestic violence and calls on them to take steps towards addressing it.
All employers in Nova Scotia are encouraged to sign on. Those who successfully complete action items towards fulfilling their pledge will receive a sign that identifies them as an organization that has taken a meaningful step toward ending this epidemic.
