SSODA (South Shore Open Doors Association) is the living vision of the community’s collaborative approach to addressing the rapidly increasing housing crisis and situations of energy poverty in Lunenburg & Queens County, Nova Scotia. Our website offers info, stats, programs, services and resources. We believe everyone has a right to live in a safe, adequate, accessible, and affordable home. We know that ending homelessness is not simply a matter of serving clients better, but about creating environments in which doing better is easier. SSODA is the living vision of the community’s collaborative approach to addressing the rapidly increasing housing crisis and situations of energy poverty in Lunenburg & Queens County, Nova Scotia. SOMETHING BETTER POTENTIAL FOR CURRENT STATS PROGRAMS & SERVICES ACCESS OUR SERVICES BOOK AN APPOINTMENT Call 902-521-0994 or Email intake@ssoda.org HOW IT WORKS... The Household Navigator will schedule an appointment with you to gather all the information required to better understand your needs. Appointment times are available Monday to Thursday from 10am-12pm, and 1pm-3pm. PLEASE NOTE all intake appointments must be scheduled in advance due to the increase in demand for services. OTHER ASSISTANCE OPTIONS RURAL vs URBAN HOMELESSNESS Homelessness doesn’t always mean sleeping in a tent, or in public spaces. In fact, the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness are not sleeping “rough”, but living in temporary, inadequate and unsafe accommodations. READ MORE 723 INDIVIDUALS total number intakes completed 127 HOUSEHOLDS number of households/individuals currently experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity 5 MONTHS is the average length of homelessness MORE STATISTICS Stats Energize Bridgewater is working towards eliminating energy poverty in Bridgewater. They are working with partners like the South Shore Open Doors Association, Efficiency Nova Scotia, and the Clean Foundation to support Bridgewater residents who are struggling to afford their energy costs. Energize Bridgewater will help renters, landlords, and homeowners complete home energy retrofits. They will help navigate participants through energy financing, rebate, and incentive programs to reduce energy costs and improve the livability and affordability of housing in Bridgewater. The program will be up and running later this fall, and in the meantime you can learn more about energy resources that you might qualify for on their website’s resource page . Energize Bridgewater is a project of the Town of Bridgewater . LATEST REPORT SSODA 2022 Annual Report VIEW/DOWNLOAD VIEW ALL

See our list of local resources for food, financial assistance, family support, addiction services and more. GET LOCAL HELP HOUSING SUPPORT ROOF 25 SHELTER St. Paul's Lutheran Church 25 Phoenix Street, Bridgewater 902-530-3198 Open nightly from 8:00pm - 8:00am Intake closes at 11:00pm It is serviced on a first come first serve basis with a 15 bed capacity. Beds can not be held in advance. All guests must be 19 years or older. FOOD SUPPORT MEALS Bridgewater Interchurch 150 Churchill Rd 902-543-1915 Tuesdays & Fridays Souls Harbour 136 Pleasant St. Monday - Friday St Paul's Lutheran 25 Phoenix St 902-543-4106 Wednesdays FOOD BANKS Lighthouse Food Bank Society 101 Valley Rd. Chester, NS 902-275-5304 Wednesdays 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM Mahone Bay Food Bank Association 45 School Rd, Mahone Bay, NS 902-624-0890 Tuesdays - 2nd and 4th of each month 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM Lunenburg Interchurch Food Bank 283 Lincoln St, Lunenburg NS 902-930-3050 Tuesdays - alternate weeks 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Call ahead to confirm which week it's open Bridgewater Interchurch Food Bank 150 Churchill St, Bridgewater, NS 902-543-1915 Tuesdays & Fridays 12:30 PM - 3:15 PM OTHER ASSISTANCE FINANCIAL HELP Salvation Army Bridgewater 902-543-0356 Income Assistance 877-424-1177 St. Vincent de Paul 902-527-6431 Employment Assistance 800-206-7218 FAMILY & YOUTH SUPPORTS Better Together Family Resource Centre 902-543-3119 Employment Solutions Society/Nova Scotia Works 902-543-2479 YMCA Youth Outreach & Drop in Centre 902-530-3352 SEXUAL HEALTH, VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT Sexual Health Centre 902-527-2868 Child Protection 902-543-4554 Adult Protection Services 800-225-7225 Harbour House 902-543-3999 Senior Safety 902-543-3567 Second Story Women's Centre 902-640-3044 ADDICTIONS & TREATMENT SERVICES Alcoholics Anonymous 902-466-7077 Narcotics Anonymous 902-789-8323 Mental Health & Addictions 902-543-5400 Opioid Treatment at Fishermans Memorial 855-273-7110 Mainline Needle Exchange 877-904-4555 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 211 Call to find community supports 411 Call to access Directory Assistance 511 Call to access NS Road Conditions 711 Toll free teletypewriter (TTY) message relay service 811 Telecare Non-Urgent Care Concerns 911- Emergency

PROGRAMS & SERVICES COORDINATED ACCESS Coordinated Access is a system that brings consistency to the process by which individuals experiencing housing insecurity, energy poverty or homelessness access resources and services throughout Lunenburg County. COORDINATED ACCESS HOUSING SUPPORT TRUSTEE PROGRAM HOUSING SPECIALIST coordinated-access HOUSING SUPPORT SERVICES SSODA’s Housing Support Services helps potential tenants find and maintain their housing through weekly home visits, case management and goal setting sessions. housing-support TRUSTEE PROGRAM SSODA’s Trustee program offers financial literacy and basic money management services for individuals and families who may be struggling to maintain their housing costs, create and/or keep a budget, or pay bills in a timely manner. trustee-program System Planner The Affordable Housing Specialist engages multiple partners, agencies, rental providers and stakeholders in the implementation of the Coordinated Access System, and is responsible for the following: Leads the operations of the Coordinated Access System Establishes quality control for data Provides regular maintenance and updates within the Coordinated Access System Guide Manages data entered into Homeless individuals & Families information System (HlFlS) database Supports community organizations interested in the adoption of HIFIS Champions data driven community response by providing real time data reports to stakeholders, funders and community partners affordable-housing-specialist