Taking it to the streets

Committed to social justice and community-based care, occupational therapist Becky Marval (BScOT’07) and her street team use frontline experiences to effect systemic change.

DAL MAGAZINE

By: Allison Barss

Photos supplied by Becky Marval

Fall 2025 issue

Two women and a man dressed in business casual attire smile alongside a large van with the sliding door open.

Becky Marval (right) with North End Community Health Centre's Marie-France LeBlanc and Ken Power, TELUS, at the launch of the TELUS Health-sponsored Health for Good mobile clinic.

Becky Marval (BScOT’07) is navigating the frontlines of homelessness in Halifax with compassion and clarity.

As leader of the collaborative (MOSH) team, Marval describes her work as being at the crossroads of housing instability, health care gaps and unmet health needs.

“We can’t just offer services the way they’ve been offered in the past,” says the alum and ��鶹�þ��ۺ� Faculty of Health adjunct professor and guest lecturer. “Zooming out, influencing systems, while still serving people directly—that’s the path forward.” 

Adapting through adversity

Marval joined MOSH when it was established in 2009 as the team’s sole occupational therapist. She quickly began to see how systemic issues like health-care gaps, housing non-availability and social services shortfalls shaped the quality of life for those her team treated. Back then, it seemed MOSH team members knew every person experiencing homelessness by name.  

Marval took over as the leader of MOSH in 2019. Within months, the pandemic changed everything.

The crisis magnified Nova Scotia’s existing housing challenges. Suddenly, the number of unhoused people more than doubled; the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia estimated in 2020 that Halifax had a total of nearly 500 individuals sleeping rough.

“The folks we serve didn’t have a home when everyone was told to stay home,” she says, adding that shelter capacity became halved, access to public services was reduced and health risks were increased for already-vulnerable populations. 

A woman in overalls, t-shirt and ball cap crouches down in front of five other people standing at the back of a red van in fine summer weather.

Becky Marval (BScOT’07) with some original members of the MOSH team at its 15-year anniversary.

Optimizing relationships

MOSH quickly adapted, conducting mass testing, managing outbreaks and coordinating care for those who tested positive for COVID-19.  

In 2021, when the province began its vaccination roll out, MOSH worked with public health to create new policies tailored to people who use drugs and face complex barriers to care. MOSH stepped in to provide emergency harm reduction services that ultimately led to the creation of permanent programs, including Opioid Safer Supply and Managed Alcohol Programs. Though while advances have been made, homelessness remains a complex issue.

It’s challenging but when you do the work, you quickly see the value. — Becky Marval.

“We’re always watching and ready, trying to best optimize our relationships with the folks we serve.”

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