Residents of Saint John’s new transitional housing community to move in this week

A new green zone for the homeless has been given the green light in Saint John, N.B.

Residents of a new transitional housing community in Saint John will begin to move in on Friday.

The Neighbourly Homes community on Egbert Street features 27 individual sleeping units, as well as shared bathrooms, showers, laundry, and kitchen spaces. Each sleeping unit includes a small desk, a single bed, an electronic tablet, and a locking door which connects to an outside courtyard.

A second Neighbourly Homes community will open later this year, nearby on Thorne Avenue.

Both sites will also have around-the-clock staffing.

The Egbert Street site is the first to operate inside a city designated “green zone,” defined as municipally owned properties for transitional housing and wrap-around services.

“We wanted to have a site that was on a bus route,” says Saint John mayor Donna Reardon. “We needed a site where we could bring in water and sewerage. We wanted a site that was accessible for walking, as well.”

The project is receiving $3.5 million in funding from the federal and provincial governments.

The “green zone” sites in Saint John are managed by 12 Neighbours.

“We need all kinds of solutions, this is one part of it,” says Marcel LeBrun, president of 12 Neighbours. “It’s low-cost, rapid to deploy, and we can get people housed quickly. But then, we also need to invest in more permanent supportive housing, which is also happening.”

“This is a place where we want people to be on the move,” he adds. ”When you’re here, your job is working on yourself, working on the next step.”

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