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

District 3 Coun. Maddie Charlton asked for a way on Tuesday to boost funding for the South Shore Transition House Association. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

Thirty-four community groups in Queens County will be getting almost $150,000 in funding from the municipality, but one councillor worried on Tuesday that one organization wasn’t getting enough.

The Region of Queens approves funding requests each year from non-profit groups for operational, capital or event funding through its community investment fund.

Groups have to meet various criteria to be approved for funding. Eighteen groups applied for funding of more than $1,000. Another 16 applied for help under $1,000. Council must approve all requests over $1,000. Staff alone can assess and approve those requests under $1,000.

The South Shore Transition House Association asked for $5,000 so that the Bridgewater-based Harbour House can help clients in Queens County from a more secure location in Liverpool. 

Stephanie Sereda, the region’s community development co-ordinator, explained the association’s request to councillors.

“They currently have been in the Liverpool area serving clients for two years from a location that is just not secure. They have requested that they can find a safe and secure space, this would cover rent, transportation to and from for their clients.

“This would be for Queens County residents who are experiencing domestic violence to go and receive counselling and support and they’re brought in from all corners of Queens to the Liverpool area to this particular location. … But the space is very public and it’s a very private matter. They’re just hoping to continue to support in a better location.”

But because the organization’s cash assets made up more than half of their operating budget, they were eligible for only $1,250 under the community investment fund. The amount that can be awarded to an organization is reduced if its bank balance or assets are above a certain threshold.

Some other organizations were also not awarded all the funding they requested.

District 3 Coun. Maddie Charlton asked if there was any way to make an exception to the policy to ensure the transition house association got its full funding request.

“I want to see this request considered to be supported in the full amount because I think it’s important that women in Queens County have access to a resource like this in Queens County and they don’t have to go elsewhere.”

Charlton wanted to see the motion amended. 

Other councillors, however, said that while they support more funding for the organization, they couldn’t support going against the policy.

District 6 Coun. David Brown said he would support a standalone request, but he wouldn’t support changing the policy in this case.

“This is a very worthwhile cause but we have to have some consistency in how we deal with things. We can’t decide that one area or group is not as deserving as another area or group. I think that’s a slippery slope we go down.

“But if we decide we want to give more to this organization, it’s a very good organization, we have that option at a later time and in my mind, that’s the best way to go today.”

Mayor Darlene Norman said that she couldn’t amend the motion, because it would be a substantive change and it would be out of order. Norman suggested that Charlton make a motion at a future meeting that council fund the remaining $3,750 requested.

“This council does highly support South Shore Transition House and the outreach they provide for the women in Queens but this council wishes to keep in check with the policy that we’ve developed.”

In the end, councillors voted to support the recommendation to give the South Shore Transition House Association $1,250. 

Councillors approved all funding requests recommended by staff, for a total of $147,858.64.

Here are the organizations awarded more than $1,000 in funding through the Region of Queens community investment fund.

Operating investment funds (for eligible operating expenses up to the amount stated)

• CJQC Radio Society (QCCR) – $5,000
• Queens County Museum – $10,000
• South Queens Chamber of Commerce – $5,000
• Queens County Fair Association – $10,000
• North Queens Heritage Society – $1,125
• South Shore Transition House Association – $1,250
• Mersey Point Community Association – $10,000
• The Friends of Carroll Baker Society – $4,847.50
• Coastal Queens Place – $5,000
• Queens County Blades – $5,000
• Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute – $5,900
• Friends of Hank Snow Society – $10,000
• North Queens Board of Trade – $10,000

Capital investment funds

• Seaside Recreation and Community Centre Association – $33,723.64
• Liverpool Baseball Club – $1,025
• Westfield Community Center Society – $23,197.50

Event investment funds

• Native Council of Nova Scotia – $2,300
• Privateer Days Commission – $3,400

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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