Holistic support: Access to on-site or nearby support services addressing health, mental wellness, and social needs.

Permanent housing: Stable, long-term housing options, reducing reliance on precarious or temporary solutions.

Empowerment: Opportunities for community engagement, leadership, and ownership.

Thriving in housing means having a secure foundation to live authentically, freely, and healthily, surrounded by support and acceptance.

To me this represents the many cracks in the housing crisis system that needs to be fixed.

I have to move

I didn’t know what a housing crisis situation meant when we arrived to Halifax in 2022. We were glad we managed to get an apartment, that was 2100 dls with just one room. I emigrated with my wife, my ten-year-old kid. And the place looked so nice. We were so happy we found it, until we realized we didn’t have the money to pay, because finding a job was not as easy as I thought it would be, and we were expending our life time savings. And the nightmare started, it took the last part of my relationship as well. As a cashier, as my survival job, I was merely making enough to live.

We ended up my matrimony due to the lack of social support to us, first as a queer family, and then as temporary workers. We were used to live in our own house in Mexico, so never have to deal with such a burden.

alongside all the other pressures that we face as, 2SLGBTIQA+ newcomers, among some many others populations, living in the poverty line, in despair, making line either for shelter or food, or both. Many government institutions in Nova Scotia are not designed yet to address nor attend cultural differences, or it takes a long time for them to understand our troublesome daily life, even though there already made several efforts and attempts by different local women organizations to become racialized inclusive. Latino community in HRM is full of women being abused by their partners, and they are terrified of breaking the silence, yet they can lose their emigration status, or worst. I had no idea who to ask for help, neither my wife who barely spoke English.

Then, one day, after I had an incredible financial stress along with emotional crisis, and a lot of group therapy, as well as a female friend suggestion, I felt empowered, and act in consequence. And start thinking of renting my room and moving to our own living room. Knowing it was illegal, but since that’s the way things are being done by so many students, we started doing it, just to keep a roof on our heads.

Then, when finally the contract was over, we moved to a basement, all full of mold. My daughter started soon being so sick and with allergies. So, we ended up searching for a new place, but could afford to pay a house security deposit. After a couple of months, an ex colleague told me she was renting a place, that is were we are for now, also subleasing the extra rooms, to mostly other newcomers lesbians, and latino women who are also having so much trouble to be accepted in Halifax or to be seeing as people who can rent places as well. But it has been so much stress for so long time, so much uncertainty. I am currently with no job, and still not getting any social assistance because we have a precarious emigration status.

(closet). This faerie book is also about the importance of shelter and community.

Thriving in housing as a Two-Spirit person and part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community means

having a place where I can just be myself without fear of judgment or discrimination. It’s about feeling safe, comfortable, and respected in my own home—somewhere I don’t have to hide who I am or worry about being treated unfairly.

It’s also about stability, knowing I won’t lose my housing because of who I am, and having

access to resources that support my well-being. For me, it’s more than just a roof over my head—it’s about being part of a community that gets me, where I can connect with others, feel seen, and grow.

As a Two-Spirit person, it’s important that my space reflects not only my identity but also my culture. Thriving means being able to honor my traditions, connect with the land, and feel at home both in my surroundings and within myself. It’s about belonging and being in a place where I can truly live, not just survive.