Published May 06, 2025 • 3 minute readA community home program for Mi’kmaq with disabilities based in We’koqma’q, Inverness County, is one of 16 community organizations across the province to receive the latest round of funding through the Service Evolution Fund. Photo by FILEA community home program for Mi’kmaq with disabilities based in We’koqma’q, Inverness County, is one of 16 community organizations across the province to receive the latest round of funding through the Service Evolution Fund, which helps advance the Nova Scotia Human Rights Remedy. Mawita’mk Society supports community engagement and strategic planning with a focus on meeting the unique needs of Mi’kmaw community members with disabilities. The charitable society that values and supports the gifts of all people will receive $19,100 from the Department of Opportunities and Social Development. 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Among its goals is to close institutions and provide supports for people with disabilities to live in community with dignity and safety. The fund was launched in October 2024 to support Disability Support Program service providers to transition from facility-based to community-based service delivery. New projects are funded quarterly. Applications are due on the last business day of February, May, August and November. Also among the latest recipients of funds in Cape Breton is the Horizon Achievement Centre. It has been granted $23,172. “The Service Evolution Fund presents an exciting opportunity for Horizon Achievement Centre to take meaningful steps toward aligning our internal operations with the goals of the Remedy. This funding will support and strengthen our capacity in ensuring we are equipped to fully support participant choice and individualized funding. It’s a vital investment in our future and in the people we serve,” financial co-ordinator Amanda Burt said in a news release. Article contentAnd a charity in Port Hawkesbury and CBRM, the ROC Society, has been granted $15,955 to evolve existing services and to create new ones in line with the needs of members. The ROC offers community inclusion, social activities, pre-employment, employment and residential services to individuals with disabilities.“Service providers are reimagining how they deliver services and, in many cases, creating entirely new ways of supporting people in their communities,” said Minister of Opportunities and Social Development Scott Armstrong. “We’re seeing real momentum across the sector – especially coming out of the recent Rebuilding HOPE conference. These new projects show how committed service providers are to making this transformational change happen.”The 16 latest projects aimed at strengthening supports for people with disabilities will receive more than $618,000 in provincial funding through the Service Evolution Fund, which helps advance the Nova Scotia Human Rights Remedy. Article content The 13 other projects across the province are: – MusGo Rider Cooperative, Guysborough County and Halifax Regional Municipality – community engagement, strategic planning for disability support services on the Eastern Shore; $37,855 – Balsam, Lunenburg County – a new, user-friendly and accessible website to share up-to-date information; opportunities for learning, employment, recreation and community engagement; resources and tools to support community-based living; $17,000 – Colonial Community Services, Halifax Regional Municipality – a technology-based platform for participants, staff and other members of a person’s support network for support planning, scheduling, billing and ongoing training; $26,225 – Colchester Residential Services, Colchester County – branding and website redevelopment with a focus on accessibility, supported decision-making and community inclusion; $25,000 – Directions Council of Nova Scotia, provincewide – provincewide co-ordination and sector support to transition traditional day programs to wage-based social enterprises; $114,387 – Diverse Abilities Nova Scotia, provincewide – a new information management system for member organizations and their staff to support community-based service delivery; $36,000 – Homes for Independent Living Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Municipality – to develop a five-year strategic plan for the organization in line with the remedy; $43,085 – Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre, Kings County – new technology, tools to reduce administrative burden for staff and improve client service; $32,500 – Liberty Lodge, Kings County – architectural services to redesign existing infrastructure to support independent living, program delivery, community inclusion; $14,676 – Metro Community Living Supports, Halifax Regional Municipality – community outreach and engagement; $37,500 – New Vision Care Homes, Kings County – a new platform to support individualized planning and service delivery; $35,000 – South Shore Community Service Association (Bonny Lea Farm), Lunenburg County – strategic planning and financial expertise to support a human rights-based approach to service delivery; $105,750 – Wolfville L’Arche Homefires Society, Kings County – feasibility analysis, strategic planning to establish a new social enterprise in Wolfville; $15,000Article content
Funding for more disability support projects in Cape Breton
