NECHC Report Demonstrates Community-Based Model Reduces Homelessness and Improves Health
2025–2026 Impact Report provides evidence that the Community Health Centre Model of Care delivers better outcomes while reducing pressure on the healthcare system.
Halifax, NS – July 7, 2026
The North End Community Health Centre (NECHC) today released its 2025–2026 Impact Report, with data demonstrating that the Community Health Centre Model of Care improves health outcomes for people experiencing complex health and social needs.
The report highlights the measurable outcomes of NECHC’s integrated approach to care. “Our approach is built around people, not around existing healthcare structures. Over the past year, NECHC supported more than 200 people through housing and wraparound services, helped more than 100 people transition out of homelessness, delivered nearly 39,000 primary care and community health visits, and provided more than 6,500 Mobile Outreach Street Health (MOSH) clinic and outreach visits. These services are both supportive and proactive, working together to prevent crises before emergency or hospital care is required thus saving the system money” said CEO Marie-France LeBlanc.
The report quantifies NECHC’s work across critical social determinants of health: housing, healthcare, food security, and integrated mental health and addictions care. Together, these services reduce barriers to care and ensure people receive coordinated, person-centred support that responds not only to illness, but also to the circumstances that often contribute to poor health.
“This report isn’t simply about what happened at NECHC over the past year,” said LeBlanc, “It demonstrates that the Community Health Centre Model of Care works.”
Across Canada, provinces that have invested in this integrated, community-based approach have consistently seen better health outcomes, improved access to care, and more efficient use of healthcare resources at a lower cost. The NECHC is the largest Community Health Centre east of Montreal, and one of nine CHC’s in Nova Scotia.
“Nova Scotia has made important progress, but with this data, we hope the province will see the value of expanding the role of CHCs in delivering equitable, cost-effective community-based care”, added LeBlanc. “The evidence is clear. The question is no longer whether this Model of Care works, it is how quickly we can make it available to more Nova Scotians.”
The 2025–2026 Impact Report provides a snapshot of the people, partnerships, and programs that are transforming lives across the Halifax Regional Municipality. More importantly, it demonstrates what is possible when healthcare is designed around people rather than programs. NECHC hopes the report will contribute to the ongoing conversation about the future of primary healthcare in Nova Scotia and the important role the Community Health Centre Model of Care can play in creating a healthier, more equitable province.
The 2025–2026 Impact Report accompanies this release. OUR IMPACT IN 2025-2026
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About North End Community Health Centre
For more than 50 years, the North End Community Health Centre has been providing accessible, community-based healthcare to people across the Halifax Regional Municipality. Through integrated primary care, supported housing, Mobile Outreach Street Health (MOSH), harm reduction, dental care, mental health and addictions services, food security initiatives, and other community programs, NECHC delivers the Community Health Centre Model of Care by addressing the social determinants of health through an interdisciplinary approach that improves health outcomes while reducing demand on more costly parts of the healthcare system. NECHC prioritizes care for people experiencing homelessness and poverty, with a particular focus on African Nova Scotians, Indigenous Peoples, and 2STGD++ communities, recognizing the unique barriers and inequities these communities continue to face.
Media Contact
Marie-France LeBlanc
President & CEO
North End Community Health Centre
mleblanc@nechc.com
