Photo L to R: Miranda, Catharine, Jen missing Charlie & Stephanie
| A Place To Feel Safe |
I’d like to take a moment to shine a light on an extraordinary group of people here at Landing Strong. Our Homelessness Prevention Team members: Charlie, Jen, Stephanie, Catharine, and Miranda.
This team is truly a tour de force. Every day, they advocate for veterans and first responders with a level of care and commitment that goes far beyond simply finding housing.
Their work is about creating spaces where people feel safe, where stability can begin again.
Through wraparound supports, they help address the complex realities of financial strain, food insecurity, and housing challenges, meeting people where they are and walking alongside them toward something better.
Recently, a story came across my desk that perfectly captures the heart of this work. One of our board members, Mark Larkin, reached out with a generous offer to donate medical equipment and a mattress. We connected him with the team, and what followed was something special. The medical equipment went to a deeply grateful first responder. Mark then personally delivered the mattress to a veteran living two hours away. He then went a step further, donating an entire bedroom suite to go with it.
What Mark may not have fully seen was the ripple effect of that kindness. We later heard from a family member of the veteran, who lives nearby. They shared that since moving into his new apartment, their loved one had been leaving his bedroom light on… all night, every night. But after the bedroom suite arrived, complete with beautiful bedding, for the first time, he turned the light off. And it has gone off each night since.
A small detail, perhaps. But not really. To me, it speaks volumes about safety, comfort, and the quiet return of peace. It’s a reminder that this work changes more than circumstances; it changes how people feel in their own space, and how families rest knowing their loved one is okay.
So, thank you to Mark, and to this incredible team. Because of you, someone is sleeping better tonight. And so is their family.
And thank you to the funders of this project: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC), Dollar A Day Foundation, the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia (MHFNS) and Veterans Affairs Canada. Your continued support ensures no one is left in the cold.
Warmly,
Belinda Seagram, Ph.D., R. Psych.
Executive Director, Landing Strong
