Northstar Shelter and Support Services

09/27/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DC2BzmPHU/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Since late February 2026, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has spent every Friday night at the Aurora Regional Navigation Campus, sleeping on a cot in the same entry-level dormitory used by people experiencing homelessness. He leaves City Hall, meets residents, stays overnight and helps serve breakfast the following morning. Coffman said the routine allows him to see how the city-supported program functions beyond official reports and to hear directly from people navigating homelessness. The campus opened in November 2025 inside a converted hotel and can eventually serve more than 600 people through a three-tier system offering emergency shelter, case management and transitional housing.

The experience has also exposed Coffman to problems inside the facility, including plumbing, mold and maintenance issues that temporarily closed some transitional-housing rooms. He has said his conversations with residents changed how he understands the circumstances that can lead someone to lose housing, telling Denverite that the stays had “shifted” his perspective. It is not his first attempt to experience homelessness more directly: in 2021, while already serving as mayor, Coffman spent a week living in shelters and encampments around Aurora. His current Friday night stays are scheduled to continue while he evaluates the Navigation Campus, and the services residents receive there.

09/25/2026

Northstar's Trustee Program

09/24/2026

09/21/2026

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Here's what Northstar has been up to over the summer months 🌻

*Glitch fixed

09/18/2026

Something pretty special has been happening at Northstar!

Songwriter Club has been giving clients a chance to write songs, explore new sounds, and share their creativity.

This week we celebrated with some live music, a BBQ, and two special guests — Andre Pettipas and Cst. Becky Heighton. It was a great afternoon filled with music, laughs, food, and community. It’s amazing what music can do for the atmosphere — it brings people together, lifts spirits, and can completely change the feel of a space.

A huge thank you to Andre and Becky for spending the afternoon with us and making it such a great day!

09/16/2026

UNCOMFORTABLE REALITIES.

This is what homelessness looks like. The man in this photo is a senior. In 2024, he lost his housing in New Glasgow through no fault of his own. The building he called home was demolished. He was one of many who had a home that morning. By later that day, he, his belongings, and the home he had known for years were gone. No warm transfer to another home. No temporary hotel accommodations until he gained housing. And not even a tent was allowed.

This is what life on the streets looks like for a senior surrounded by fractured and outdated systems—the very systems that were designed to keep our most vulnerable safe.

He is aging. He is medically ill. His days are coming to an end. And what he needs is far beyond what our community is willing to give him.

He needs supportive housing. He needs consistent health care. He needs appropriate pain management. He needs a level of support and medical care that Northstar does not provide.

And this is where we need to have an uncomfortable conversation.

While the rest of us go home at night, there are seniors in Nova Scotia desperately trying to survive—suffering from serious health conditions while sleeping in the rain, snow, and extreme heat.

Look at this photo for a moment.

Not as a homelessness issue.

Not as a community safety issue.

Not as an addiction issue.

Look at the human being.

This photograph is what happens when humans fail humans.

Whatever someone’s history may be, dignity should never be conditional. Neither should access to health care, safety, or a place to live.

When systems fail, a human being is the one who falls through the cracks. And many times, they don’t survive to try again, and again…and again.

No senior in Nova Scotia should be left lying on pavement while society walks by simply because the level of care and housing they need isn’t there.

We can all do better - as humans.

09/16/2026

Wishing our partners at Truro Housing Outreach Society a successful AGM tonight! Your hard work and accomplishments deserve to be celebrated 👏🏼 Your team is making a life-saving difference to so many, and your dedication is deeply respected. From our team to yours - Keep up the incredible work 💛✨

We're happy to announce our Annual General Meeting, set for Wednesday, September 16th, 6pm at the Bible Hill Fire Hall. This year we're very lucky to have a special guest speaker. Hope to see you all there!

09/16/2026

Happy belated birthday, Racquel! 💙

09/15/2026

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