Tenants will be able to start moving into a new building in Miramichi in about a week.
The $2-million development has 20 units in total, with more than half of those designated for rent supplements, said Blair Martin, a managing partner with Belleterre Community Partners in Toronto, the company behind the Water Street development.
The supplemented units will be for women and children facing domestic violence and youth at risk of homelessness.
The remaining five units will be rented at current market price, said Martin.
Patricia Michaud is the executive director of the Miramichi Transition House, which will recommend tenants for seven units designated for families facing domestic violence.
“We’re not doing enough prevention to stop the cycle and to help kids so that they will grow up and have healthier lives free of domestic violence,” she said.
“To me, this is a huge step in the right direction because, right now, a lot of our services are just reactive services. But this is a concrete service that will actually help to stop the cycle.”
She said there will be a dedicated staff working with the clients, likely on a monthly basis or if something comes up and they need help.
These units will be considered third-stage housing and Michaud said because of this, tenants can stay long-term, as opposed to second stage which she said has a limit of up to two years.
“There’s not a lot of third stages in Canada. So we’re really kind of trailblazing here,” said Michaud.
Martin said his company also had plenty of other affordable housing projects planned for the province.
Two of those are underway in Miramichi, he said. One of the properties was given by the City of Miramichi and the other was purchased from the New Brunswick government, said Martin.
He said the company has also started working with the towns of Hartland and Woodstock. Martin said Belleterre is a part-owner of a former middle school in Woodstock that it’s going to be be repurposed into affordable housing apartments.
Community effort
With the Oct. 30 move-in date for the Miramichi building quickly approaching, Martin said the experience has been a positive one.
He said the community has stepped up to help and a group of volunteers, organized by MLA Michelle Conroy, came together to bring furniture to the apartment for those who need it.
Michaud said move-in day is going to be exciting, but a lot of work.
“There will be tears — and there already have been with the clients that we’ve been working with,” she said.
“People need to know how life-changing this is for our families.”
With files from Information Morning Moncton
This story was originally published in CBC News on Oct. 23, 2023.
Hannah Rudderham Portfolio 