Your safety is the most important concern. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you are not in immediate danger, consider these options:
- Call a hotline for free, anonymous help. Call the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia at 1-855-225-0220. The hotline offers help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Experienced counsellors answer the phone and can give you numbers for other resources, such as domestic violence shelters across the province. The Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team has a hotline to help children, youth, and adults manage a mental health crisis. Call 902-429-8167 or 1-888-429-8167 (toll free) for 24-hour support.
- Find out where to get help in your community. There are people who want to help you and who are trained to respond. Bryony House (902-423-7183) provides crisis housing services for women and children fleeing intimate partner violence. Adsum House (902-423-4443) provides crisis housing services for women and children experiencing homelessness. Both shelters are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Make a safety plan to leave. Intimate partner violence usually does not get better. Think about a safe place for you to go and other things you will need. Staff at Alice House can help you plan. Get started with this seven step guide written by the Nova Scotia Department of Justice.
How can I help someone who is being abused?
If you suspect a neighbour, friend, or family member in Nova Scotia is experiencing intimate partner violence, call 1-855-225-0220.
Here are some concerns you may have about whether you should help:
Point of Concern: You feel it’s none of your business.
Point to Consider: It could be a matter of life or death. Violence is everyone’s business.
Point of Concern: You might make things worse.
Point to Consider: Doing nothing could make things worse.
Point of Concern: You think she doesn’t really want to leave because she keeps going back.
Point to Consider: She may not have had the support she needed.
Point of Concern: It’s not serious enough to involve the police.
Point to Consider: Police are trained to respond and utilize other resources.