Viola’s Place shelter in New Glasgow, N.S., renamed to Northstar

The Viola's Place Society is pictured in New Glasgow, N.S. (Emma Convey/CTV Atlantic)

A homeless shelter in New Glasgow, N.S., will no longer be called Viola’s Place after the town requested a name change last year.

Viola’s Place Society announced at its annual general meeting Thursday that the shelter will now be known as Northstar Shelter and Support Services, though it’s still legally registered as Viola’s Place Society.

“The name Viola’s Place Society will always be the foundation of our story,” said board chair Dwayne Wright in a statement Friday.

“It was selected with profound respect for the pillars of inclusion and dignity for all. This new operating name allows us to carry that legacy forward while more clearly reflecting the work we do every day: providing shelter, support, direction and hope.”

The shelter was named after Nova Scotia civil rights activist Viola Desmond, a Black businesswoman who challenged racial discrimination when she refused to leave the whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow in 1946.

The society says the new name “was chosen with intention and thought,” as the North Star “has long symbolized guidance, steadiness, and a way forward through darkness.”

“This is about carrying the best of Viola’s Place forward with a bright light – the light of the North Star,” said executive director Lisa Deyoung. “Our commitment remains the same: to provide compassionate care, practical support, and to help people move from crisis toward stability.”

The not-for-profit organization says it will begin updating public-facing materials and channels to reflect the new name in the coming weeks.

Why did the town want the name changed?

The shelter first opened in 2018 and was forced to expand in 2022 due to increased demand.

The team helps with housing, medical, mental health and addiction support and an outreach team checks on people living in encampments.

But some New Glasgow residents and business owners near the shelter have raised safety concerns, including public drug use, assaults, property damage and theft.

Mayor Nancy Dicks previously told CTV News that, while the shelter does crucial work, some people in the area no longer feel safe.

The complaints prompted the town to hold a public meeting about the facility on Oct. 1, 2025.

After the meeting, the town submitted some requests to the shelter, including changing the name from Viola’s Place.

“We have also asked them, because this has been asked by Viola’s Desmond’s family, is that they do look at a name change,” said Dicks in December 2025.

There have also been calls to relocate the shelter, which is near a school. The town formed a committee in January to explore solutions, including possibly relocating the shelter.

The committee is expected to bring those ideas to New Glasgow Town Council later this year, though the final decision will ultimately be up to the province.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Emma Convey

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