Questions you might have.

We support adults in the Halifax Regional Municipality who receive (or are eligible for) Individualized Funding through the DSP. Our deepest experience is with people whose disability intersects with mental-health complexity, substance use, justice involvement, trauma, housing instability, and institutionalization — barriers the standard system has often struggled to address together.

If your strongest barriers are something different — for example, mobility — we’ll be honest with you and help you find a provider who’s a better fit.

You can reach out to ELM directly at any time — self-referrals are welcome. If it helps, a family member, community agency, or DSP Care Coordinator can make contact alongside you. We aim to acknowledge inquiries within two business days, and we’ll be honest about whether ELM is the right match. See our Referrals page for more, or get in touch.

Supports are delivered under your Individualized Funding agreement with the Province — the funding that flows through Nova Scotia’s Disability Support Program. We’ll walk you through how this works for your situation when we talk. There’s no charge for an initial conversation about whether ELM is a good fit.

Our direct support includes relationship-building, health maintenance and promotion, supported decision-making, trauma-informed behavioural supports, community inclusion, and overnight support where it’s part of your plan. We also offer housing navigation and Individualized Funding management. Everything is delivered in alignment with your individualized support plan. You can read more on our Services page.

Yes. ELM is participant-led. Your support plan is co-developed with you, reviewed at least every 90 days — and sooner whenever you ask. We start from your choices, not from caretaking. As we put it: empowerment, not just care. You are the expert on your own life.

Where housing is part of your plan, we help you find suitable housing, navigate tenancy, communicate with landlords, complete applications, and build household-management skills. ELM does not own or operate group homes or congregate-care settings — the home is one you choose, rent, or own, and our support comes to you there.

Yes. ELM runs a structured on-call system with a designated staff member available 24/7. You’ll receive, in writing, the after-hours contact number, a clear description of what counts as an emergency, the list of external emergency resources (911, mobile crisis, hospital), and the expected response times.

We don’t replace clinical, medical, or specialized professional services. If you need those, ELM staff help with warm referrals, applications, and follow-up — but we don’t deliver them directly. We’re also not specialized in supporting people whose primary barriers are physical or mobility-related; in that case we’ll say so and help find a better-fitting provider.

Individualized Funding is a funding allocation provided through Nova Scotia’s Disability Support Program that you direct toward the supports you choose. It’s designed to give you real choice and control over how your support is delivered.

Yes. ELM can receive, hold in trust, administer, and report on your IF allocation in line with your funding agreement with the Province. We support self-managed, ELM-managed, or blended arrangements — whichever you prefer. You stay in control.

Your funds are kept segregated, and you receive a written IF Management Plan, monthly financial statements showing spending against approved categories, and quarterly budget reviews. Transparency is built in, so you always have visibility into where your funding goes.

Yes. Our model assumes the presence of trauma rather than its absence, and our staff are trained accordingly. We’re harm-reduction aligned and committed to respect, dignity, and non-judgment — we meet you where you are, on your terms.

We’re committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, reconciliation, and anti-racism. Disability intersects with race, gender, sexuality, class, immigration status, and history with systems of state intervention — and our services, hiring, and governance are shaped by that understanding. We work in partnership with Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian, and other equity-deserving communities so our supports are accessible and culturally safe.

You can raise concerns at any time. We maintain clear, open channels for feedback and complaints, and you should feel safe to express concerns without fear of any negative consequence. We take feedback seriously and use it to improve.