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Emergency Shelters Project

Dear friends,

Nova Scotia is currently experiencing a housing crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the challenge of finding safe, affordable housing. Many people across the province are facing the prospect of spending the winter living in a tent. Corporal acts of mercy, including sheltering those who go without, are central to our Christian faith and teachings. These are not optional projects – we are called to love “not in word or speech, but in truth and action” (1 John 3:18).

I invite you to help construct 15-20 temporary emergency crisis shelters, each one housing a single occupant. These are not long-term solutions, but they are a way to immediately provide support and dignity to some of our brothers and sisters who are without shelter. These shelters will be located on parish property around the diocese. We currently have eight potential sites identified, with each site accommodating one to five shelters. We are working with government and non-government service organizations to help us find people who are currently seeking shelter.

These shelters have been professionally designed in accordance with safety and municipal standards. Each temporary shelter will cost $11,500. The total cost of 20 of these emergency shelters is expected to be $230 000 – all of which we need to raise, as soon as possible, through donations and private grants.

This is a major undertaking that will require generosity of time, talent, and treasure from our entire community. But this is who we are called to be as Catholics – this is how we are called to live the Gospel in our present time and place.

Please give generously by making a donation through our website, calling (902) 429-9800, or putting an envelope labelled "Emergency Shelters Project" in your parish collection basket this weekend.

Sincerely in Christ,
+Brian Joseph Dunn
Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth 

 For more information including FAQ's and Donate, see www.halifaxyarmouth.org/shelters

Archbishop Brian Joseph Dunn's Crest

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