“When the Roof Falls In” is a 2020 to 2021 research project that identifies intersections of gender-based violence and housing insecurity.

The project was a collaboration between four partnership organizations, Alice House, Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia, The Marguerite Centre, and YWCA Halifax

The project identified four dominant themes related to housing insecurity for women experiencing violence through partnership focus groups, in-depth interviews with eleven frontline workers, and a meaning making session with participants and stakeholders

From these sessions, “When the Roof Falls In” developed recommendations to programs and interventions that disrupt cycles of violence and housing destabilization, improve organizational support for victims and survivors of violence, and shift systemic policies to better respond to the needs of women, address barriers to services, and promote gender equality in Nova Scotia.

“When the Roof Falls In” was funded by the government-led Standing Together grant to support learning and developing best practices in preventing domestic violence, supporting survivors and victims, and disrupting cycles of gender-based violence in Nova Scotia.

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Nova Scotia has the highest provincial rate of police-reported human tracking in Canada, including one of the highest provincial rates of tracking of victims aged 12-17.

Exploring why Nova Scotia has the highest trafficking rate and high levels of commercial sexual exploitation requires exploring the root causes and risk factors that increase the vulnerability of Nova Scotia’s children and youth.

In 2021, the YWCA Halifax, the Association of Black Social Workers, and the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association conducted a wide scale consultation, titled “Hearing Them,” involving 149 adult individuals with either past or present lived experience in the sex industry.

“Hearing Them” is a five-part paper series and describes the findings from these consultations related to understanding, addressing, and preventing the involvement of children and youth in the sex industry in Nova Scotia.