Adsum for Women and Children adds 6 new family units to Halifax housing community

New units at Adsum for Women & Children are fully furnished two- and four-bedroom apartments, complete with kitchen appliances and full-sized bathtubs. (Courtesy of the Province of Nova Scotia)

Six new family units have been added to a supportive housing community in Halifax.

The Rose, a supportive housing community operated by Adsum for Women and Children, opened in December 2024 in partnership with the province of Nova Scotia. It started with 18 affordable units for families and now has 24.

The Rose provides affordable supportive housing for families with children who are experiencing homelessness, including those who have been staying in hotels funded by the province.

“The expansion means more families have a safe place to call home and the support they need to rebuild their lives,” said Minister of Opportunities and Social Development Barbara Adams in a news release from the province.

The housing project includes two- and four-bedroom apartments, which come fully furnished with kitchen appliances. Utilities are included and residents have access to communal laundry rooms and play areas.

Families are required to contribute 30 per cent of their income toward the cost of the program.

Residents also have access to supports delivered by Adsum staff on-site.

“These services help families stabilize, strengthen their well-being and build toward long-term independence after experiencing homelessness, including homelessness linked to gender-based violence,” reads the news release.

Sheri Lecker, executive director of Adsum for Women & Children, says they’re thrilled to create the spaces for families in need.

“The Rose now has capacity to house 24 families. That’s as many as 90 people, most of them children, who would otherwise experience homelessness,” she says in the release. “This is a wonderful example of repurposing an underused building to realize a solution to ending homelessness.”

The Nova Scotia government has spent $1.2 million on The Rose, including the news units, since it opened.

The province says it has allocated $165 million for supportive housing and homelessness supports in its 2026-27 budget. The province hopes to open 1,586 supportive housing units by 2027-28. It says there were 1,207 such units in place as of May 1.

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