Eleanor’s Court harm reduction housing to welcome residents

SYDNEY, N.S. – Eleanor’s Court will open its doors later this month, becoming a warm and welcoming home to 25 residents.

“It’s going to be wonderful for them – some have never, ever experienced their own home. They’ve lived rough for many, many years, some of them, and now they will feel safe and very much supported,” said Christine Porter, executive director of the Ally Centre of Cape Breton.

The Ally Centre will operate Eleanor’s Court, providing around-the-clock staffing, programming and supports for the residents. New Dawn owns and will maintain the building, which is located on the same property as the New Dawn Centre and Eltuek Arts Centre in North End Sydney.

$5 million of capital funding for the design and construction of the building was provided by the Rapid Housing Initiative, a federal program administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), with additional contributions from the federal and provincial governments and a private donor. Ongoing operating funding will come from the Province of Nova Scotia’s Department of Opportunities and Social Development.

The individual apartments, including two accessible units, each have a private washroom, kitchenette/living area, and bedroom. The building has a shared kitchen and social area, laundry facilities, and spaces for services and programming, including counselling, a managed alcohol program, peer support, and housing support.

Residents will also have access to nearby services including the regional library, the YMCA and its employment programs, Loaves and Fishes foodbank, the Every Women’s Centre, Transition House, and the Ally Centre, which provides healthcare, a safe needle exchange, and a federally regulated and provincially funded overdose prevention site. A new Integrated Youth Services site will open in the spring at the New Dawn Centre.

The soon-to-be residents of Eleanor’s Court are clients of the Ally Centre and many have lived at The Village at Pine Tree Park, the short-term emergency shelters that opened in October 2024. Eleanor’s Court will provide them with stable, long-term, affordable housing and will make space for some of the people on the waitlist for The Village to move in. As we know from the 2024 Service-based Homelessness Count, the number of people experiencing some form of homelessness in CBRM has increased and that mental illness and addictions are among the most significant barriers to finding safe, stable, appropriate housing.

Eleanor’s Court is harm reduction housing. Harm reduction is an evidence-based approach that seeks
to reduce the health and social harms associated with addiction and substance use without necessarily requiring people who use substances to abstain. Instead, this approach provides housing first, along with access to peer, medical, and social services that supports people to make positive change without coercion, discrimination or judgement. Research shows those who engage in harm reduction services are more likely to participate in ongoing treatment as a result.

“I think what makes this housing project special is that it is a declaration to the world that the CBRM
is a compassionate place,” said New Dawn President and CEO, Erika Shea.

“By providing beautiful, dignified, affordable supportive housing to those in our community who are struggling the most, we are a stronger, better, more loving, and safer community for it.”

The project partners invite the media to join us for a tour of the building prior to residents moving in. Please note: the building is in the final stages of construction and some details may not be finished at
the time of the tour.

EVENT DETAILS:

DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
TIME: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
LOCATION: 95 Charlotte St., Sydney

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ardelle Reynolds
Manager, New Dawn Community Engagement
areynolds@newdawn.ca
(902) 539-9560 ext.251

PROJECT PARTNERS:

New Dawn Enterprises owns and will maintain Eleanor’s Court. Since 1976, New Dawn has operated in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality as a not-for-profit social enterprise. New Dawn is governed by a volunteer board of directors and employs more than 100 people across its eight divisions. The organization’s mission is a self-reliant people in a vibrant community, and the mission is to engage the community to create a culture of self-reliance.

In the last number of years, New Dawn has executed various renovations and developments in our residential and commercial portfolios. New Dawn owns and operates 5 commercial buildings, 150 apartment units housing more than 250 people, and 28 units of Supported Housing for Individuals with Mental Illness (SHIMI). The SHIMI program was the first supportive housing of its kind in Cape Breton (when it was launched in 2004) for individuals living with or recovering from mental illness and/or addictions. It is a partnership with NS Mental Health and Addictions wherein MHA provides the wrap-around and support services that tenants require with their activities of daily living and New Dawn is the owner/landlord and property manager of the buildings.

The Ally Centre of Cape Breton, a non-profit, community-based, harm reduction-based organization that provides prevention, support and education services to people living with mental health and/ or addictions, will be responsible for the operations at Eleanor’s Court. Using a harm reduction philosophy and a community development approach, the Ally Centre encourages citizens to engage in healthy practices, creating healthy communities across Cape Breton.

Established in 1991, their services are available to every Cape Bretoner and are especially focused on the most vulnerable people, including those with substance use disorder, street-involved people, injection drug users, sex workers and people living with blood borne pathogens. The Ally Centre offers a primary health care clinic, take home naloxone/overdose prevention program, as well as the Sharp Advice Needle Exchange and Peer Six overdose prevention site.

DORA Construction is the Construction Manager at Eleanor’s Court. With 20 years in the market, DORA Construction has delivered exceptional projects ranging from large commercial projects to meticulous restorations across Atlantic Canada. During the planning, design, and building phases, DORA’s priority is to address the community’s concerns, expectations, and perspectives. DORA’s core values and guiding principles include life-long learning, integrity, collaboration, safety, and inclusion.

Passive Design Solutions (PDS) is Canada’s most experienced passive house design firm. With 10 years of experience and over 100 passive house projects that are net zero-ready, PDS takes an open, collaborative design approach to their designs – integrating architecture, engineering, and construction expertise into every project.

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