Sarah Jervis

Sarah Jervis (she/her) has recently completed her Master of Arts in Sociology from Dalhousie. Her research focuses on the ways in which poverty is governed across Canada, examining the criminalization and medicalization of poverty and homelessness. Her Master's thesis closely examined Federal, Provincial, and Municipal responses to the rapid increase in homelessness in Halifax, Nova Scotia, over the last five years.

Sarah is currently a research assistant on the CIHR-funded project, 'Public Health Governance', which examines public health experiences and governance across Canada in the wake of the acute period of COVID, and aims to collaboratively design a public health framework for Canada. She is also working as a researcher with the Halifax Regional Municipality to develop a civilian-led mobile crisis diversion team, as per the city's new Public Safety Strategy.

Her past work has focused on improving conditions and outcomes for justice-involved persons. She has been involved in the evaluation of novel harm reduction, primary care, and occupational therapy programs for formerly incarcerated individuals in Halifax, including the city's first Safer Supply program for high-risk opioid users. During her undergraduate study at McMaster University, she worked as a research assistant on the University of Alberta Prison Project, which has successfully introduced victim services to Albertan prisons and jails.