About Alice House
Life without safety is a life without basic needs being met. Despite this, individuals often remain in abusive situations because they do not perceive the situation as remediable, they lack alternative housing, or other barriers are standing in their way.
Alice House empowers women and their children to create a life free from intimate partner violence by offering safe housing, counselling, and support services. Families are able to reclaim their lives and ensure that intimate partner violence does not frame their future or define their legacy. We do what we can to remove the barriers standing in their way so they can reach their full potential.
Physical and emotional healing require time and support in a safe, stable environment. For this reason, Alice House provides longer term housing than emergency shelters. Women are welcome to stay in our apartments and townhouses anywhere from three months to two years. We also offer programs designed to help women break the cycle of violence in their lives and transition to independent living. Over the last four decades of operation, Alice House has gained valuable knowledge regarding the variety and complexity of needs confronted by women as they heal from abuse.
Our Mandate
VISION
A Nova Scotia in which women and their children can heal and live a life free from intimate partner violence.
MISSION
Alice House empowers women and their children to create a life free from intimate partner violence by offering safe housing, counselling, and support services
Our Values
Related item:
“Alice House saved my life. I don’t know how else to say it.”
Alice House & the THANS Network
Strengthening Province-Wide Support for Survivors
Strengthening Province-Wide Support for SurvivorsAlice House is a proud member of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia (THANS), deepening our connection to a province-wide network of support for survivors of intimate partner violence.
THANS is a member-led association committed to ending intimate partner and gender-based violence and supporting survivors through access to safe, empowering shelter and services. As part of this network, Alice House joins a collective of frontline organizations working together to create safer, healthier communities across Nova Scotia.
Alice House’s THANS membership strengthens our collective voice and deepens our connection to a community of shelters and transition houses working in solidarity toward a violence-free future for Nova Scotians.
Learn more about the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia: www.thans.ca
Our Story
Our story begins in November 1981, when the Board of Halifax Transition House Association identified the need for longer term housing for abused women and their children in the Metro area. At the time, alternative housing was available for the crisis period only – a maximum of six weeks. Rental units available to low income families were either suitable but over-priced or affordable but sub-standard. Many women had no option but to return to the violent homes they had left, putting their lives and the lives of their children at risk.
A committee was formed to help women transition from a shelter to a permanent home and independence. It was soon recognized this undertaking was too large to be operated solely by a committee. Alice House was born.
Incorporated in November 1982, Alice House was the second project of its kind to be established in Canada. Its mandate was two-fold: to provide safe and affordable housing for abused women and their children after the crisis stage; and to provide a supportive environment in which women can make changes they consider important in their lives. The first women came to Alice House in March 1983.
It was not until October of 1990 that the Coordinator’s position evolved from a part-time to full-time position. Her responsibilities included full-time support to 16 women as well as building maintenance. Initially, her salary was paid by the Sisters of Charity, but this was later assumed by United Way Halifax. The survival of Alice House has always depended on the generosity of community members and organizations.
Today, our work aligns with three priority areas: safe housing, counselling and support services, and educating the public about intimate partner violence. Over the years, our staff has grown to provide extra support to women and their children.
