Let’s Talk About Moving Viola’s Place Shelter

There has been a lot of discussion recently about moving Viola’s Place Shelter. The suggestion came up multiple times during the October 1 Community Safety meeting, and Councillor Jim McKenna has shared that he hears about it frequently from Ward 1 constituents. I have also learned that a community petition related to the shelter is gaining traction.

So, let’s talk about what moving the shelter actually means.

A Brief History

Before Viola’s Place Society existed, the Life Shelter operated out of the basement of Calvary Temple. It was a small overnight emergency shelter that closed during the day. The church eventually closed it's doors, which meant so too did the emergency shelter. In 2018 a group of concerned community members recognized how essential that shelter was. They came together, raised funds from local donors, purchased the church, and incorporated a new organization to continue operating the shelter. This is how Viola’s Place Society was formed.

In its early years, the number of people using the shelter was manageable given the size of the space. For the first several years, the entire operation was run by volunteers. Some of those individuals are still involved today and carry a deep institutional memory and wealth of experience.

At that time, the shelter was small and relatively quiet. It operated from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., during hours when most people in the community were winding down for the night. Because of this, its presence often went unnoticed.

What Changed

By 2020, the world had changed. The pandemic brought lockdowns, job insecurity, isolation, and a sharp rise in anxiety. Mental health challenges increased. Substance use increased. All of this landed on systems that were already stretched thin. Homelessness had been rising steadily throughout the 2010s due to a growing housing shortage. The pandemic accelerated this dramatically. Shelters across the country saw a surge in demand, particularly from people with higher levels of need. In homelessness work, “higher acuity” refers to individuals with severe, complex, and often overlapping health and social challenges. These are people who require intensive, ongoing, and specialized support to achieve and maintain housing stability.

Simply put, the situation became far more complex after 2020.

By 2025, rural communities across Canada are experiencing what large urban centres have faced for decades. Not just homelessness, but homelessness combined with trauma, mental illness, and untreated health conditions. I think of a man I once worked with who had been sexually abused by his mother. He was gentle and kind, but lived with constant internal torment. He was not violent, yet when he became emotionally overwhelmed, he could appear frightening. These moments were not within his control. You could see the pain on his face as he cried openly, overwhelmed by suffering.

I also think of another man who shared his music with me online. He was an incredibly talented musician with a strong voice, a compelling presence, and real stories of touring with bands. He also grew up in the foster care system, where he experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. His trauma followed him into adulthood. He used opiates to numb the pain, not to live a glamorous lifestyle, but to survive memories that never left him. Despite immense talent, those experiences kept him from the success he might otherwise have had.

These stories are not unique. They are timeless, nameless, and repeated endlessly across shelters everywhere. This is how we moved from a small emergency shelter that was rarely full to a facility that has nearly tripled its number of beds and fills every night. The need is real.

The Realities of Moving a Shelter

Moving a shelter is not simply a matter of choosing a new address. Based on research into shelters of similar size that have relocated, there are several major components involved.

1. Physical Move

This is the most straightforward piece. The cost to physically move furniture, equipment, and supplies is estimated between $10,000 and $30,000.

2. New Site Setup Costs

This is where the most significant costs arise. A shelter cannot simply move into a building and open its doors. Any new site must meet health, safety, accessibility, and operational standards.

Based on three Atlantic Canadian shelters that converted existing buildings, setup and renovation costs can range from $180,000 to $750,000. These costs reflect fire code upgrades, security systems, IT infrastructure, accessibility modifications, commercial kitchen requirements, HVAC upgrades, office space, and more. Unless a building was originally designed as a shelter, extensive renovations are almost always required.

3. Operating Costs During the Move

There are also costs associated with maintaining services during the transition. This can include temporary shelter space, staff wages during a shutdown, or overtime during the move itself. A critical question must also be asked: where do people go if the shelter closes, even temporarily?

Estimated costs for this phase range from $30,000 to $80,000.

4. Municipal Considerations

Zoning, inspections, accessibility certification, and code compliance all carry costs. If the municipality is supportive of a move, these expenses may be lower, but they are still real. Research suggests a range of $10,000 to $50,000. Even assuming a best-case scenario, $15,000 is a reasonable estimate.

5. Total Estimated Cost

Even under optimistic conditions, the total cost of relocating a shelter is likely between $250,000 and $1 million. That assumes no major complications and a significant amount of alignment across systems.

Location Is Not a Simple Question

Cost alone does not make a move possible. A suitable location must exist.

So far, few concrete suggestions have been offered. One idea raised was repurposing the Glen Haven building. I am not familiar with its structural condition, but the location and size are promising. Another potential option is a large space owned by NG Town Works near the movie theatre. It is away from residential neighbourhoods and close to essential services, including Mental Health and Addictions. Even so, substantial renovations would still be required to make it suitable for shelter operations.

Finding a building is only part of the challenge. Finding a neighbourhood that will accept a shelter is often the hardest part.

NIMBY, or “Not In My Backyard,” is a very real experience in this work. While I encountered the term YIMBY, meaning “Yes, In My Backyard,” during my research, I have yet to hear it spoken aloud in real life.

The Emergency Shelter Reality

In conversations with the Mayor and members of Town Council, one important point of agreement emerged. If Viola’s Place functioned strictly as an emergency shelter, as originally intended, its location would likely be far less controversial. Emergency shelters are designed for short stays during crisis situations, with the expectation that people can move quickly into more appropriate housing. The problem is that those housing options do not currently exist. As a result, stays are longer and needs become more complex. This was not the outcome Viola’s Place Society wanted. The organization would have preferred to remain a short-term emergency shelter. However, the reality of the housing system left no other choice.

Moving a shelter is neither simple nor inexpensive. It also does not address the underlying issue of insufficient housing and supports.

What I have not addressed here are the specific location characteristics that best support both shelter residents and the broader community. If there is interest, I would be happy to explore that in a second part.

--Dwayne Wright

Hello Pictou County,

My name is Dwayne Wright, and I am the Board Chair of Viola’s Place Society. Like many of you, I am deeply concerned by the rapid rise in homelessness and addiction in our province. These challenges affect all of us, and the frustration growing in a lot of smaller communities, including New Glasgow, is real. I feel it too.

Before I respond to recent public comments, I want to briefly explain why I speak with confidence about this work, not because others’ opinions don’t matter, but because context helps.

In the early 2000s, while working in a bookstore focused on Buddhist philosophy, I learned about the Bodhisattva—someone who reaches the threshold of personal liberation but chooses to remain in a world of suffering to help others rise. I know it might be a difficult name to pronounce, but the main point of this story is the ‘choice to stay and help those who need it.” That idea profoundly shaped me.

A few years later I retrained, graduated with an addictions counselling diploma, and began working frontline in Halifax’s largest men’s shelter at the time. We served up to 80 men nightly with only three staff. It was difficult, heartbreaking and heartwarming work. It also taught me the realities of homelessness and addiction better than any textbook could. I spent nine years on that frontline. I experienced burnout. I experienced my first death threat. I also witnessed profound moments of human change that I will never forget.

My roots are here. I grew up in New Glasgow, went to school here, and returned to Pictou County with my wife and daughter in 2020. Not long after, I joined the Board at Viola’s Place. After decades in this field, I know the sector. I know what good homelessness work looks like, what best practices require, and what happens when communities come together—or fall apart.

Addressing Recent Misunderstandings

There is a narrative circulating—reflected in the Town of New Glasgow’s “What We Heard” report—that shelters like ours operate with “compassion without boundaries” that supposedly “enable” unhealthy behaviours.

Let me be clear:
Viola’s Place does not operate without boundaries.
We operate with structure, policies and rules.
We are funded by Opportunities and Social Development (OSD), they monitor our operations and we provide them with regular reports. We are also receiving support from other provincial departments like Mental Health and Addictions as reported here. This tells me that we are on the right path.

Even so, because concerns were raised, we proactively requested a full policy review from a third party consulting firm, a national leader in homelessness best practices. We look forward to their recommendations so we can strengthen our work even further.

Community Hostility and Misplaced Anger

In recent months, hostility toward Viola’s Place has reached levels that are difficult to understand. Staff and clients have been yelled at, harassed, even egged. It forces me to ask: What did Viola’s Place staff and clients do to deserve this anger?

I keep returning to the same answer: people are afraid and frustrated, and their anger is being misdirected. If I believed otherwise, it would shake my faith in the community I grew up in. I choose to believe in the Bodhisattva—not the alternative.

We are not the cause of this crisis.
We are part of the response.

Clarifying Recent Media Statements

An article published by 98.9 XFM on November 18 quoted Councillor Joe MacDonald saying he plans to bring forward a motion to remove Viola’s Place’s municipal tax-exempt status due to “poor communication” since the October meeting.

After the Town released its “What We Heard” report, Viola’s Place responded publicly with “What We Want You to Know,” including detailed data about homelessness in our community. Councillor MacDonald has publicly questioned the validity of our numbers before—most recently during our August 2024 presentation to Council. It was disrespectful then, and it remains disappointing now. The facts may not align with the narrative some prefer, but they remain facts. To date Councillor MacDonald has not provided any proof verifying his assumption that our stats are incorrect.

Our Operations Are Structured and Accountable

Recently, you may have seen a release from NG Police Department about a staff member being assaulted on-site, . This person was well supported and returned to work the next day. The individual responsible was immediately barred from service, following our clear policies.

Access to the shelter is a privilege with conditions. It is not anarchy. We enforce rules, including discharging and/or barring individuals whose behaviour threatens staff or clients. Unfortunately, when someone loses access, they do end up in the community—and the shelter is often blamed for that as well. This is the tragic reality of a system strained beyond capacity, not the result of poor practices.

Working in human services carries risk. I’ve lived that reality. However, in my 9 years working frontline in Halifax, I felt a sense of respect from the folks I served. I felt a sense of protection and care. I had the privilege of witnessing people transform from surviving to thriving. My last 4 years frontline were spent in Housing Support. I was able to house between 400-500 people, but this was just as the housing crisis was beginning to rise. It is exponentially harder to find folks housing now.

On the Relationship With the Town

Mayor Nancy Dicks recently stated that Council had “tried” to build a relationship with Viola’s Board, but that it did not turn out as hoped. From our perspective, we were having productive conversations about how we might best collaborate. The meetings occurred every 2-3 months and were comprised of the mayor, CAO, a rotating mix of councillors, and a representative from NG PD. These meetings highlighted a productive start to building this relationship and attempt to remove the silo’s we were working in.   Our last meeting was in July where Council requested that meetings pause pending the results of the Homelessness Strategy that is underway. We respected that request. Yet the narrative now suggests we were disengaged. We were not. That said, Viola's Place Society shares the mayors feelings about how our relationship turned out. The door is not closed in these conversations. In fact, we are meeting next week for further discussions. 

The Broader Truth

Viola’s Place is not just a shelter for the unhoused. Within a year, we distributed over $150,000 of OSD funds to housed members of this community who were facing eviction, choosing between medication and mortgages, or falling through cracks during a cost-of-living crisis. Our Trustee program is also assisting individuals with financial literacy and practical financial management skills. This program also assists community residents in creating budgets and managing their finances until they are in a place to manage on their own. This includes paying utilities and rent on behalf of the client.

Without that support, many of those neighbours—your neighbours—would now be homeless. These folks are sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and parents. They didn't dream of this as their reality. 

We are not the cause of this crisis.
We are part of the response.

Our Commitment to the Community

We acknowledge that we have not always communicated our work as effectively as we should have. The pace and intensity of crisis work can cause us to focus inward. That is not an excuse—it is something we are actively fixing. You will see more transparency, more updates, and more opportunities to understand how we operate. 

But we cannot do this alone.
We need a community that is informed, compassionate, and united.
We need volunteers, donations, and partnership.
And we need people to ask questions before passing judgment.

If you want to understand what we do, why we do it, or how decisions are made, there is a “Contact Us” section on our website. We will respond as soon as we are able. All we ask is that the dialogue be respectful.

A Path Forward

I remain optimistic. I believe in this community. I believe in humanity. And I believe that together we can restore a sense of safety and hope in New Glasgow—where everyone has a roof over their head, food on the table, and a warm bed at night.

But it will only happen if we walk this road together.

— Dwayne Wright

Similar to how a hospital emergency department accepts individuals experiencing a health crisis without requiring pre-approval, our shelter operates on the same principle. People arrive in moments of crisis, and just as hospitals do not conduct criminal history checks to determine whether someone “deserves” essential medical care, we do not withhold essential services like shelter or food, based on criminal history.

Shelter beds are available for adults aged 25 and older on a first-come, first-served basis. Individuals who call ahead are advised that intakes occur nightly at 7:00 p.m., and beds are offered on a first come first serve basis.

Once admitted, clients also have access to a range of in-house services, including counselling, medical care, mental health and addictions support, and the opportunity to work with a caseworker to support their individual goals to move on.

We do not pay for transportation to the shelter or pre-arrange admissions. Nor do we arrange warm transfers from other shelters, police, or hospitals. Admission is based on personal choice—adults arrive on their own when they find themselves in crisis. 

During our intake process we complete safety procedures which includes pocket checks, metal detector scanning, and personal belongings are locked up. We also have heavy surveillance and additional safety measures in place. 

Respecting confidentiality, I can assure you that Viola’s Place does not participate in bringing individuals into the community. Adults have the right to make their own choices, and as a charity, we have no authority over who decides to enter the community. 

Despite systematic barriers, our charity does great work in moving people along into safer and healthier environments for all.  We feel saddened by the justice system and systemic failures that lead communities to these types of situations. 

We intend to address any additional concerns during the October 1st meeting, where we can engage in a more structured and constructive discussion. The complexity of the situation makes it difficult to address effectively through email correspondence.