New supportive housing units in Saint John will be made available to young people in the city’s north end.
Centre for Youth Care Inc. (CYC) is the organization behind the project.
Now, thanks to funds from the provincial and federal governments, it has become a reality.
The New Brunswick Housing Corporation provided a forgivable loan of $645,000.
The federal government invested $437,128 through the Affordable Housing Fund.
The homes will be available for people age 19 to 25 who are at risk of becoming homeless.
CYC executive director Karen Cummings said the project is about providing an opportunity.
“Youth at that critical age, especially youth who have experienced trauma or a lot of the impact of poverty, they’ve really been excluded from opportunities,” she said.
Cummings said the units will be affordable, with tenants paying 30 per cent of their income for rent.
“It will give them the opportunity to put the rest of their income where it should be,” she said. “They can focus on school, they can focus on employment programs, on building or reconnecting with relationships in their lives.”
Cummings said youth homelessness statistics in New Brunswick are startling.
“But we also don’t talk about the hidden homelessness that’s happening,” she added.
Cummings said there are many youth couch-surfing, living with family members or friends and moving from place to place to place.
“You cannot think about your future if you’re just spending every day trying to survive,” she said.
New Brunswick Health Minister John Dornan, who attended on behalf of Housing Minister David Hickey, said he had been struck by something he heard while visiting with people at Sophia House in Saint John.
“To thrive, we need three things,” Dornan said. “Someone to love us. Something to do, whether it’s looking after a family, being on a job.
“But the third thing is a roof over our head. And too many of our young people today do not have a roof over their head. And how do you do something when you don’t get a good night’s sleep when you’re wet in the rain.”
It’s expected residents will start being accepted in the next few weeks.
There will be on-site supports for residents as they take steps toward long-term housing solutions.
“Every young person deserves a safe place to land, people who believe in them and the chance to build the future they want for themselves,” Cummings said.
Saint John-Kennebecasis MP Wayne Long, speaking on behalf of federal Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, said housing is more than just four walls and a roof.
“It’s about safety,” Long said. “It’s about belonging. It’s about community. It’s about mental health. It’s about giving someone that chance.”
Long said while government has a role to play in addressing homelessness and the related issues, it’s the organizations on the ground like CYC that take the lead.
“You’re the ones on the ground every day doing the work, building relationships, supporting people through difficult moments,” Long said.
“And you change lives. I’d argue you save lives each and every day.”
