About Us
Our Story
The Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association (NSNPHA) was founded in 2023 after two years of extensive consultations with hundreds of people. The NSNPHA is dedicated to supporting, growing, and mobilizing the non-profit housing sector. The association is a non-profit, membership-based organization governed by a diverse board of directors. The NSNPHA forms strategic partnerships and centralizes people, resources, and activity to support the work of the non-profit housing sector. We are a voice for the non-profit housing sector in Nova Scotia at the provincial and national levels.
Our Vision
Everyone living in Nova Scotia has dignified housing that meets their needs for home.
Our Mission
The Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association supports the mobilization, empowerment, growth and sustainability of the Nova Scotia’s non-profit housing providers and the informal housing groups, networks, and coalitions that support their work.
Our Values
Hundreds of Nova Scotians invested in the non-profit housing sector contributed to the development of the NSNPHA’s values:
Housing as a human right, to ensure everyone has a safe accessible, affordable place to live.
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and inclusion including first voice, and decolonization in the community-housing sector.
Environmentally sustainable non-profit housing.
Equitable access and opportunity for both rural and urban community housing organizations.
Identifying and addressing racism and stigma that limits access to appropriate housing.
Providing navigation and support services to people in housing need.
Our Organizational Model
The NSNPHA’s organizational model was developed in consultation with over 100 people aligned with the non-profit housing sector using a community-first, decolonized approach.
Download full description of Organizational Model
Meet Our Team
Trish McCourt (she/her), Executive Director of the NS Non-Profit Housing Association
With a decade of experience providing leadership in the non-profit sector, Trish has dedicated her career to community development and social justice advocacy. Trish is a registered social worker who has traveled Canada from coast to coast to coast, living in six provinces and territories, but has always considered Nova Scotia home. In addition to her social work degree from Dalhousie University School of Social Work, she has been awarded a degree from Saint Mary’s University and certificate from the Nova Scotia Community College. Over the past four years, Trish has led as an executive director at a non-profit women’s center in Southwest Nova Scotia, where her collaborative approach addressed a myriad of women’s issues, including housing challenges. Trish believes housing is a human right. She is dedicated to ensuring rural and urban perspectives and the voices of all communities are included in housing solutions. Trish’s background in the non-profit sector and her unwavering commitment to fostering inclusive communities align perfectly with our organization’s mission. Contact Trish: [email protected]
Bryanna Zwicker (she/her), Program & Membership Coordinator
Bryanna Zwicker is a Nova Scotia Community College graduate with expertise in growth marketing and a deep commitment to mindful consumerism and community well-being. She has a proven track record in driving business development within Nova Scotia and brings a unique perspective from her time living in the United States, although she is a proud Canadian and has called Nova Scotia home for the past decade. As an advocate for small businesses and the Vice President of the Valley Women’s Business Network, Bryanna is dedicated to supporting local initiatives. She believes everyone should know the peace of having a safe, affordable place to call home. In her personal time, Bryanna enjoys exploring beaches and trails with her dog, embracing the tranquility of her stable home environment.
Devan Bell, (she/her), Capacity Building Coordinator
Devan holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of Victoria and is a graduate of the Master of Planning program at Dalhousie University, where she continues to work as a research assistant. Devan is interested in participatory community building initiatives and has worked with community-based organizations both internationally and at home. She is excited to join the NSNPHA and to work with member organizations towards the development of sustainable, affordable housing options.
Meet Our Board
Aiden Kivisto (he/him)
Board Chair
YMCA of Cumberland
Nick Russell
First Vice-Chair
Dartmouth Housing
Mitchell Archibald
Secretary
Student Housing NS
Leslay Harris
Treasurer
Tawaak Housing
Rob Morris
Director
Phoenix Youth Programs
Nicole Wright (she/her)
Director
Elizabeth Fry Society
Tina Feth
Director
Northwood
Michael Kabalen (he/him)
Director
Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia
Cheryl Deveaux-McDaniel
Director
Strait Richmond Housing Matters Coalition
Annual General Meetings & Reports
2023 Inaugural Annual General Meeting
2023-2024 Annual General Meeting
The Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association received funding from the Community Housing Transformation Centre (the Centre) and the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing (the Department), however, the views expressed are the personal views of the author and the Centre and the Department accept no responsibility for them.