PORT HAWKESBURY: The Leeside Society has formally presented its vision to Port Hawkesbury town council, outlining plans to expand its services through the development of a campus-style facility that would consolidate supports for women, families, and other community members in crisis.
As part of their proposal, the organization is requesting to purchase town-owned land at a fair price to help bring the project to fruition.
“We work with women and families who are in crisis, and we need your help for our next steps,” said Susan Noble, chair of the Leeside Society, during a presentation at the May 6 council meeting.
Leeside currently operates transitional housing and a drop-in centre in Port Hawkesbury, offering support counselling, educational programming, and resources for women and children who have experienced abuse.
Noble explained that the organization has steadily expanded its services, including the recent launch of a men’s support program.
“For more than 30 decades, Leeside Society has grown from beyond our original domestic violence roots,” Noble said. “We’ve evolved into a hub of holistic family support in our area. And in addition to our emergency shelter, our programs now include counselling for trauma, addiction, parenting, job readiness, child’s play therapy and outreach assistance.”
The society also runs the Strait Area Women’s Place, which provides broad-based support services to women in the community, with programming that addresses food insecurity, social isolation, family dynamics, and grief.
Noble said the group envisions integrating these offerings into a unified campus model.
“A person can come for one service and be seamlessly connected with other services they may need,” she said. “We see our clients not just as victims in need of shelter, but as whole families who need stability, guidance and hope.”
The campus concept is central to the Leeside Society’s long-term strategic plan.
It would include a larger transition house with expanded emergency shelter capacity, additional space for staff, and a comprehensive outreach and resource centre offering counselling, legal aid, mentoring, and addiction support.
Plans also include building “second-stage housing” for individuals not yet ready for affordable housing, which Noble emphasized is a crucial link in helping survivors of domestic violence move forward.
“This is referred to as second stage housing and provides stability that also has wrap around care provided by our staff and others that we need, rather than having people fall through the cracks,” she said. “Without this link to healing, women will return to an unsafe condition.”
A community garden is also part of the plan, intended to foster healing, social connection, and food security.
“Research shows us that community gardening can improve the wellbeing of underserviced groups,” Noble told council.
To make the campus a reality, the Leeside Society has identified a 23-acre property on Tamarac Drive, currently owned by the town. Noble said the site offers “ample room for our buildings, parking, playground and future expansion.”
The society is requesting that the town sell the land at its assessed value of approximately $160,000 – rather than at market value – to make the project financially viable. Acquiring the land would enable the group to proceed with a feasibility study.
The group also expressed openness to considering alternative land options within the town limits, should the Tamarac Drive property not be available. Town staff and council members voiced their support for the society’s vision and agreed to work collaboratively on identifying the best path forward.
“We’d love to be able to work with you,” said Chief Administrative Officer Terry Doyle.
Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton congratulated the Leeside Society on its ambitious proposal, stating that council is “excited to continue the conversation.”