A dozen new affordable housing units are nearing completion in Waterloo Village.
The House of Merritt is expected to open in the fall and give vulnerable women a safe place to rebuild their independence.
The building is named for Lois Merritt, a founding member of Fresh Start Services.
Fresh Start executive director Melanie Vautour said Merritt believed every person deserves a forever home.
“Regardless of what you did or who you were or how you lived, housing was a human right and we’re honoured to have this space to build that legacy for her and prove that it’s true,” Vautour said.
“Everyone deserves serves a home, regardless.”
Brenda Cullins is one of the women who will be moving in once the building is complete.
“I’ve been on the street for a long time,” an emotional Cullins said.
Cullins said she’s happy to see new housing to help some of the homeless people in the city.
“We’re doing the best we can,” she said. “We can’t afford the higher rents anymore.”
Now she hopes to see more.
“Nobody knows what it’s like to live on the street unless you live on the street,” Cullins said. “We’re just trying to get by.”
The project began back in 2021, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic put a lot of pressure on the housing market.
Seth Asimakos, general manager and co-founder of Kaleidoscope Social Impact, the project’s proponent, described the project as “housing first.”
“It means people are housed first without any judgment and provided support,” Asimakos said.
On-site support will be provided by Fresh Start.
Services like transitional support, budgeting assistance, basic health care and mental health support will be available year-round.
“Waterloo Village has watched the housing crisis unfold on its streets,” said New Brunswick Housing Corporation Minister David Hickey.
“The status quo is unacceptable and all levels of government need to be responding with the urgency it deserves.”
The project received more than $2.3 million from the federal government and about $840,000 from the province.
