A transitional housing project in Fredericton is operational after months of planning, with just over a dozen people now living in the units.
The modular units on Forest Hill Road are small — with only a bed, a desk and a chair inside — and tenants share spaces like bathrooms, a laundry room and a kitchenette.
Courtney Boon, who moved into her unit last week, said it’s a cozy and welcoming place to call home.
“I like it a lot. It’s very homey,” she said. “At first I didn’t know what to expect, but as soon as I came here, the staff were awesome, they’re very welcoming.”
Prior to the shelter’s opening, Boon says she would have had to stay with friends. Now, she has her own bed and her own space.
“It was great to wake up knowing that you have a warm place to sleep, you don’t have to worry about anything in the night while you’re sleeping,” she added.
The site is staffed 24/7 and residents receive bus passes and access to supports, including counselling and assistance with employment and housing.
“It’s people that need help and people that want help,” said Mike Sewell, the site manager.
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The site currently has 13 residents and has capacity for 27. Residents are referred by local organizations or the province’s social development department.
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Concerns raised
The project is being operated by 12 Neighbours, a non-profit group that aims to provide housing and resources to those in need in the province.
A separate 12 Neighbours community of modular housing is already set up on Fredericton’s north side, although those units are for long-term tenants.
Nearby residents have raised frustrations about the lack of public consultation for the new site on Forest Hill Road, as well as safety concerns regarding the nearby elementary school.
A public meeting was held last fall at which neighbours expressed their concerns, and an injunction was even filed with New Brunswick Court of King’s Bench to try and stop the project. A judge rejected the application for the injunction, however.
In a year-end interview with Global News on Dec. 16, Premier Susan Holt admitted not enough consultation was done prior to the project’s commencement.
“We did a lot of work on a lot of locations, and we finally found one that we thought would work. We asked the proponent to engage with the neighbours, but we didn’t get all of those conversations done with the right people in the right time,” she said.
“So then people get scared and upset, and they feel like they don’t have a voice, and they resist the project, not on its merits but on the fact that they don’t have the information they need, and they didn’t have a chance to influence the choices we were making.”
Holt said the province is always trying to find ways to house and support people who “need that safe roof over their head” before securing independent housing.
Sewell said the shelter does have behavioural rules and residents are required to abide by a policy that requires respect for neighbours. He added that there have been no issues so far.
“We’ll be very strict on making sure the site looks clean and good,” said Sewell. “They’re the same rules that we would all conduct in our own house, anywhere in the city.”
He added the rules include “keeping things clean, keeping things tidy, being good neighbours to each other in the courtyard and to the community that we’re living in.”
Meanwhile, Boon is trying to figure out her next steps, which includes applying to school to become a nail tech.
She said having a stable environment has been a big relief — one she hopes others find as well.
“If you’re struggling, if you need a place to go, there’s always places like these to go that are available,” she said.
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