Deborah Herman-Spartinelli is the chair of Jane’s Place Society, a group working to bring second-stage housing to Queens County for survivors of domestic abuse. (Rick Conrad)

A new group is in the early stages of trying to create safe and secure housing for Queens County residents fleeing domestic violence.

Jane’s Place Society wants to provide second stage housing for women and families who are leaving shelters, but still need supportive places to live.

Group chair Deborah Herman-Spartinelli says Queens County needs more supports for victims of intimate partner violence. 

“The plan is to buy a property and develop it into second-stage housing, which means making apartments. When you leave a transition house you go into this second-stage housing for a limited time. It gives women and their families a step in the right direction to get their finances in order and get back into the regular (housing) market eventually.”

She says a small group of Queens County residents got together about two years ago to talk about forming the society. They’ve recently been meeting with officials from all levels of government, including Queens MLA Kim Masland and South Shore-St. Margarets MP Jessica Fancy-Landry. They’ve also met with representatives from Harbour House, a transition house in Bridgewater that provides services in Queens County.

“This is new. Even though the idea was brought together two years ago it didn’t really get any feet under it till this spring,” Herman-Spartinelli says.

“I think Queens County is underserved and we felt like we needed to do something. And we have the seed money from some donors and we felt like this was the best way to (do it). After talking to Harbour House and various levels of government and so on. We’re still meeting with different levels of government again to go over this second-stage housing and how to go about it.”

The Nova Scotia government declared intimate partner violence an epidemic last September and increased funding to transition houses across the province. 

The Transition House Association of Nova Scotia says its member organizations supported about 4,500 women and children in abusive situations in 2024. It says the problem is only getting worse.

Kelly Ann Hamshaw, the executive director of the South Shore Transition House Association which operates Harbour House, says there’s a critical need for second-stage housing on the South Shore.

“We desperately need access to second-stage housing,” she told QCCR earlier this year. “For women to be able to access our shelter environment, they need to be able to transition to safe and secure housing. So there’s a critical shortage of that across the entire province.”

Herman-Spartinelli, who has a background in construction, says the group will have up to nine members on its board. And it will be looking for volunteers to help in other ways.

She says they’re also planning public consultation sessions around Queens County, likely to begin in the next month.

“We’re trying to get enough people on the board from all parts of Queens County, trying to get their opinion and their thoughts because it’s a big community. It can’t just be focused on Liverpool. It might have the secondary housing in Liverpool, but it is for the whole community, and it could even house people from other communities too if there was room.”

Jane’s Place is named after Jane Hurshman, the Queens County woman convicted of killing her abusive ex-husband in 1982.

Herman-Spartinelli was a friend of Hurshman’s. She says the problem of intimate partner violence is just as prevalent more than 40 years later. 

She says the group’s members know there’s a lot of work ahead of them. But they’re committed to creating safe and secure second-stage housing for women and their families in Queens County.

“We’re going to work very hard and we have positive support from the people we’ve met so far, so I think it’s not going to be quick because nothing ever is. So it’s not going to happen tomorrow, but it’s going to happen.”

If you’re interested in volunteering with Jane’s Place Society, you can email Deborah Herman-Spartinelli at dahsnseb@gmail.com.

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Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

(Transition House Association of Nova Scotia Facebook page)

A transition house in Bridgewater is trying to expand the services it offers in Queens County.

Harbour House provides round-the-clock support for women and children in Lunenburg and Queens counties. And Queens County residents can access emergency shelter and transitional housing through Harbour House if needed.

It provides the only services in Queens County for women and children dealing with domestic violence.

There is no permanent physical location in the area for people to access Harbour House services. But they’re working to change that.

Kelly Ann Hamshaw, executive director of the South Shore Transition House Association which operates Harbour House, says they’re trying to get office space in Liverpool so that Queens County residents have a safe, secure and reliable spot to access services on a certain day each week. 

“There’s a notable increase in demand for our services, both anonymously or in our emergency shelter or for our outreach programs and services across both regions, both in Lunenburg and Queens,” Hamshaw said in an interview.

The association asked the Region of Queens last year for funding of up to $5,000 to help with that. But because of the rules of the municipality’s Community Investment Fund, councillors approved funding of $1,250.

“We were wanting to have a presence in Queens County on a regular and consistent date or day so that individuals who wanted to stop in and come see us and access support would be able to do that,” Hamshaw says.

“But we will travel to meet individual women and make arrangements for a safe, secure place to meet them. We just wanted to have a more regular and frequent, secure location. … We have a desire to expand our service reach in Queens County.”

Transition houses around the province are calling for more support for people fleeing domestic violence.

Police say six women have been killed in Nova Scotia in the past three months by their male partners.

The Transition House Association of Nova Scotia says its member organizations supported about 4,500 women and children in abusive situations in 2024. It says the problem is only getting worse.

The Nova Scotia government declared intimate partner violence an epidemic last September and increased funding to transition houses across the province. But organizations that help people in abusive situations say more resources need to be directed to address the problem.

District 2 Coun. Maddie Charlton raised the issue of more funding for the South Shore Transition House Association at a council meeting in May. She told QCCR recently that ultimately, she’d like to see a secure shelter space locally for people fleeing abusive situations. 

“I would like to see something permanent pop up in Queens so that we have our residents who want to access these services here who can stay in the community if they wish,” Charlton said.

“I think those conversations should happen as soon as possible and take some initiatives if we can because those numbers are terrifying. It’s becoming a pattern that you don’t want to see.” 

Hamshaw said that people who need support or counselling in Queens County can access Harbour House’s services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“All of our services are available to women seeking support from Harbour House in any area of Queens County. So they just need to reach out and make arrangements. So that would be safety planning, supportive counseling, perhaps assistance navigating the justice system, and any other supports that a woman may require. … Our professionally trained support workers are here to support the citizens of Queens County. … And we’ll make appointments to meet women in their community at a safe place.

“What’s important for everybody to know is that Harbour House is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Women can call us any time at 902-543-3999. And if somebody is in immediate danger, we always encourage them to call 911. Another thing if you know someone in an abusive relationship, it’s important to listen without judgment, validate their feelings and encourage them to seek support from professionals like us at Harbour House.”

Hamshaw says many people in abusive situations call anonymously, or they’re not ready or able to leave. Counsellors work with women to offer support and to create a plan they’re comfortable with.

“We do provide emergency shelter, which is safe refuge for individuals who need to come into our emergency shelter. A big part of what we do is counseling. So not all women are ready to access our emergency shelter or to end their relationships, but they do want support in navigating healthier relationships, boundaries, or safety planning or counselling after experiencing the trauma of leaving an abusive or domestic violence situation.

“Ultimately, we want to empower women to make choices that are best for them and their families. And we’re here to support them as they make those choices and provide the options that are available to them. So if a woman chooses that she would like to access emergency shelter, we have a network of shelters across the province. So not all women are going to feel safe in a community where the person causing harm resides or works.

“So a woman may call Harbour House, but makes a choice to go to another shelter under our umbrella that they feel safe and secure in. Some women may choose to stay near for things like child care, employment, or access to school, or even their support network in the community.”

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP

• Harbour House services are open to Queens County women and families year-round, at 1-902-543-3999 or toll free at 1-888-543-3999 or by text at 1-902-514-4019. You can also visit their website here.
• People can also call 211 or go online at ns.211.ca to access services in their area.
• You can also call the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia toll-free line at 1-855-225-0220. Or visit their website here.
• Here is a list of transition house shelters around the province.
• Teens and young adults can also call the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or at kidshelpphone.ca/urgent-help.

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your own safety or others around you, call 911.

Email: rickconrad@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below