New Dawn Trustee Program supports housing stability in rural Cape Breton

PORT HAWKESBURY, NS — New Dawn Enterprises is providing Community Trustee services to help residents in Richmond County and Port Hawkesbury maintain stable housing and manage essential expenses.

“New Dawn’s work has always been about strengthening the conditions that allow people to live with dignity, stability, and self-determination. Our Trustee Program grows naturally from that commitment,” said Erika Shea, President and CEO of New Dawn.

The program is free, voluntary, and confidential. It helps ensure essential bills such as rent and utilities are paid on time and supports participants to create a simple monthly budget with clear records and plain language communication.

With participants’ consent, the Community Trustee receives income, pays essential expenses, and helps plan for costs like food and transportation. The service also includes reviewing letters and forms related to income or benefits and offering financial literacy support.

The Community Trustee program is funded by the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Opportunities and Social Development.

“Trustee programs play a quiet but powerful role in helping people stay housed and build stability in their lives,” said Barbara Adams, Minister of Opportunities and Social Development. “Through partnerships with organizations like New Dawn, Nova Scotians can get the support they need to manage their finances and pay their bills. But it’s so much more than that—it empowers people with skills and knowledge and builds independence so they can move forward with confidence.”

“This program is about trust. It is about walking alongside people as they build steadier ground beneath their feet,” Shea added. “When individuals feel more secure in their financial lives, families are stronger, and communities are stronger.”

Marguerite Conradie serves as Community Trustee with New Dawn Enterprises, supporting residents with day-to-day money management and financial literacy, with a trauma-informed and non-judgmental approach. Originally from South Africa, she holds a degree in commerce and has worked with newcomers and students in Cape Breton, drawing on both international and local experience. As a newcomer to Canada, she navigated systems without a credit history or local references, an experience that informs her work today.

“I’ve seen life and money from more than one side, and that perspective keeps me humble and practical in how I support people,” Conradie said.

The program recognizes that financial stress is often shaped by broader life experiences, including systemic barriers and past hardships. Services are designed to be respectful, collaborative, and paced to individual needs. Participants can ask questions at any time, bring a support person, request changes, pause or end services, and decide what information they share.

“Housing stability is a team sport,” said Conradie. “We build relationships and collaborate with landlords, service providers, and community partners so payments are steady, communication is kind, and problems get solved in a timely manner.”

Residents of Richmond County and Port Hawkesbury who are interested in the program can contact New Dawn Enterprises for more information.

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QUICK FACTS

• The Community Trustee program is free, voluntary, and confidential.
• It supports residents of Richmond County and Port Hawkesbury.
• The program helps ensure rent and utility payments are made on time.
• Participants work with the trustee to manage income and create a simple monthly budget.
• The program is funded by the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Opportunities and Social Development.

ABOUT NEW DAWN

New Dawn is Canada’s oldest Community Development Corporation. Since 1976, we’ve been working to create a more just, healthy, and self-determined community by responding to local needs and driving long-term, systems-level change. Today, New Dawn continues to focus on self-reliance, resilience, and community-led transformation. Every day, we engage thousands of community members and employ over 150 Cape Bretoners through programs and services that are practical, creative, and grounded in care. Our work spans health and social care, housing, the arts, youth and family services, immigration, and community development. Some of these services generate revenue, which we reinvest into our organization — fueling sustainability and deepening community impact.