...and we were absolutely floored at some of the messages, letters and texts that flooded in. In our mission to revolutionize affordable communities these stories remind us what an impact it has on people to have a safe, secure, community-driven and affordable home.

Here is a sampling of the many we've received so far:

Learned to accept help because my neighbours were so caring 

"First of all I would like to say I love my apartment. I also care very much for my building and am proud. My building ambassador keeps it very clean and is very attentive to the tenants. I’m proud to say I live in the building on the hill. Everyone seems to know what building I’m talking about. Many years ago I lived in this building until my husband got transferred to Truro. I always said when I retire I will be moving in this building again. Since I moved in I became completely disabled. My ambassador Crystal has helped me in many ways. I have no family or friends to help me. I don’t ask for much but if I do need something she’s there. I have neighbours who check my mail and take my garbage to the bin every day. I am a 71 year old, disabled, low income senior and my building fits my budget. I have neighbours telling me that if I need anything, to just ask! I was one who never asked anyone for anything but I learned to accept help because my neighbours are so caring. One night I fell and of course I couldn’t get up. My alarm went off and the men down the hall came running to me and helped me up. They opened doors with a smile and if my ambassador knows I’m going out, she tells me to call her and she will let me in. She helps in so many ways! What more could I ask for!"

 Yours Truly,

VIDA Resident, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Finally found a place that accepted our whole family 

"My husband and I struggled for nearly a year to find a dog friendly apartment to move into with our rescue, Buddy. Buddy is a mixed breed, and reactive to men he doesn’t know so when apartment owners found out that he was mixed breed they said no to him because he “looked like a pitbull.”

In April of 2022, two months before our wedding, we were living with my parents and unexpectedly had to fly home to Newfoundland when my grandmother passed away. When all hope was lost, we figured we didn’t have a lot of time to find a place since we were told we couldn’t live with my parents after the wedding.

Fast forward to the end of May 2022, two weeks before our wedding, my manager was telling me about VIDA and how she has been living in a Vida apartment for years with her dog and there were new openings. So we applied and not 3 days later we were doing a walk through, and an hour later we were signing a lease.

It was such an easy process and I wish I heard of it sooner. I was so stressed and couldn’t see us finding a place due to owning a dog, but Vida welcomed our little family in and our building ambassador actually bought Buddy some treats for move-in day.

If we wouldn’t have found Vida, I hate to think of what our situation would be today. We are so grateful for Vida!

Thank you so much,

Kaitlyn, John, and Buddy ????

Went from not knowing where the next meal would come from, to saving for things we always wanted 

"Being a tenant with VIDA has been an amazing experience for me and my 4 children there is a huge community base and they do so much good around the community and buildings it's a nice place to raise a family and it's so affordable to rent here so my family can afford other things and we can save for things we always wanted and eventually we can afford a car before we started renting with VIDA we were struggling to get by and keep food on the table it was a horrible experience for my family and I always wondering where the next meal will be coming from so moving here has changed my life and the lives of my children they never need to worry about that struggle anymore and we can be happy and content here." 

- VIDA Resident, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia 

Could not ask for a better, life-changing place to live.

"My Vida story: We moved in may/June of 2018, finally into a bigger apartment with our small 3 kids. It was our first week, and a small fire broke out within the power outlet by our kitchen. We called 911, and as we were leaving our apartment a lady appeared in the hallway to ask if we wanted her to watch our two oldest children (one was the same age as her little boy) while we waited for the fire department (we kept our baby with us).

That woman became one of my closest friends, our children eventually going to the same school, where I then met my closest group of female friends, all 5 living here at my building (who have become more like sisters) I have never had a more supportive, loving group of friends, and their children came into my life at the perfect time.

Living here has given me that great sense of community, almost like my own family is living here in these building with me. It’s amazingly close to a perfect elementary school, in close proximity to essential shopping. Could not ask for a better, life changing place to live." 

VIDA Resident, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia