Latest news with #12Neighbours
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Saint John set to open homes for people who've been living in encampments
Twenty-eight tiny homes in Saint John's first "green zone," built for people now living in encampments, will be open to residents on Friday. The launch of the green zone on Egbert Street, a small side street off Thorne Avenue in east Saint John, has been a "long time coming," Mayor Donna Reardon said Monday. "We've got 28 buildings here we're going to move people into — it's something we've been waiting for, something that we've wanted to do," she said at a news briefing. A second site will open later this year, for a total of 56 tiny homes for people who have been living in encampments. Both sites are near the Atlantic Superstore and the Church of England Cemetery. The 12 Neighbours charity, creator of a similar development in Fredericton, will operate the green zones, which are intended to be transitional housing. The first Saint John site, a community to be called Neighbourly Homes, has two courtyards and 28 individual units. Every unit has a bed, locking doors, heat, lights and internet. Residents will have shared washrooms, laundry, kitchen and multi-purpose facilities. The community will also have some 24-hour-a-day services such as recovery aid for people struggling with addictions. Saint John first announced its plans for the green zones as a part of its Housing for All strategy launched in July 2024. The housing plan followed a public outcry and calls for action on homelessness after a deadly winter for some people living in encampments. The site was made possible through a $3.5 million funding agreement with the provincial and federal governments. "It's all very thoughtful the way it's been put together and it's a great step," Reardon said. "We need the housing, so this is it." A starting point for a growing problem Meanwhile, the city's and the province's homeless population as a whole has grown. The most recent numbers from the Human Development Council, a Saint John-based non-profit, show homelessness in the province grew to 1,529 from 493 between March 2021 and 2025. The group's data dashboard on homelessness shows there were 287 chronically homeless people in Saint John in June. That number was 159 in the same month last year and 142 in June 2023. WATCH | Get a glimpse of Neighbourly Homes: Early this year, the government of Premier Susan Holt pledged to reduce the homelessness population in the province to 621 between by 2029. "Some people said, 'Well, that's not very aggressive — and I say it's absolutely aggressive " said Marcel LeBrun, the founder of 12 Neighbours. "Because the train is going the other way and we're trying to stop the train and move it the [opposite] way. It's a huge challenge to reduce chronic homelessness. But this government's been really committed to it." LeBrun said he hopes the Saint John site and other housing affordability plans approved this year position the province as a leader. "There's no reason we can't actually be a national leader and even an international leader in reducing chronic homelessness," he said "We believe that housing is more than just shelter. It's just the beginning. It's the critical starting point. You need a house to be able to recover, to be able to heal, to be able to move forward. But it's just a starting point." Greg Cutler, the city's community development manager, said the site will have security cameras, foot patrols by Saint John police and vehicle patrols for safety within and surrounding the green zone. The city's Housing for All strategy also includes plans for red zones —- spaces that would prohibit encampments — details for which, Cutler said, are still being ironed out. "Those sites will be a buffer zone around particular spaces like schools, children centre splash pads, that kind of thing — that's what people can expect," he said. Other municipalities in the country has seen push-back, including legal challenges against efforts to tear down encampment sites. Edmonton, for example, saw an unsuccessful lawsuit against that city's efforts to dismantle encampments. Cutler said the green zone strategy in Saint John is an effort to have places for people to relocate once red zones are decided, and the city's lawyer and the province's Social Development Department are involved. "We're cautiously moving forward with that piece," he said.
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
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.' For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Saint John set to open homes for people who've been living in encampments
Twenty-eight tiny homes in Saint John's first "green zone," built for people now living in encampments, will be open to residents on Friday. The launch of the green zone on Egbert Street, a small side street off Thorne Avenue in east Saint John, has been a "long time coming," Mayor Donna Reardon said Monday. "We've got 28 buildings here we're going to move people into — it's something we've been waiting for, something that we've wanted to do," she said at a news briefing. A second site will open later this year, for a total of 56 tiny homes for people who have been living in encampments. Both sites are near the Atlantic Superstore and the Church of England Cemetery. The 12 Neighbours charity, creator of a similar development in Fredericton, will operate the green zones, which are intended to be transitional housing. The first Saint John site, a community to be called Neighbourly Homes, has two courtyards and 28 individual units. Every unit has a bed, locking doors, heat, lights and internet. Residents will have shared washrooms, laundry, kitchen and multi-purpose facilities. The community will also have some 24-hour-a-day services such as recovery aid for people struggling with addictions. Saint John first announced its plans for the green zones as a part of its Housing for All strategy launched in July 2024. The housing plan followed a public outcry and calls for action on homelessness after a deadly winter for some people living in encampments. The site was made possible through a $3.5 million funding agreement with the provincial and federal governments. "It's all very thoughtful the way it's been put together and it's a great step," Reardon said. "We need the housing, so this is it." A starting point for a growing problem Meanwhile, the city's and the province's homeless population as a whole has grown. The most recent numbers from the Human Development Council, a Saint John-based non-profit, show homelessness in the province grew to 1,529 from 493 between March 2021 and 2025. The group's data dashboard on homelessness shows there were 287 chronically homeless people in Saint John in June. That number was 159 in the same month last year and 142 in June 2023. WATCH | Get a glimpse of Neighbourly Homes: 12 Neighbours: Saint John edition 2 hours ago Early this year, the government of Premier Susan Holt pledged to reduce the homelessness population in the province to 621 between by 2029. "Some people said, 'Well, that's not very aggressive — and I say it's absolutely aggressive " said Marcel LeBrun, the founder of 12 Neighbours. "Because the train is going the other way and we're trying to stop the train and move it the [opposite] way. It's a huge challenge to reduce chronic homelessness. But this government's been really committed to it." LeBrun said he hopes the Saint John site and other housing affordability plans approved this year position the province as a leader. "There's no reason we can't actually be a national leader and even an international leader in reducing chronic homelessness," he said "We believe that housing is more than just shelter. It's just the beginning. It's the critical starting point. You need a house to be able to recover, to be able to heal, to be able to move forward. But it's just a starting point." Greg Cutler, the city's community development manager, said the site will have security cameras, foot patrols by Saint John police and vehicle patrols for safety within and surrounding the green zone. The city's Housing for All strategy also includes plans for red zones —- spaces that would prohibit encampments — details for which, Cutler said, are still being ironed out. "Those sites will be a buffer zone around particular spaces like schools, children centre splash pads, that kind of thing — that's what people can expect," he said. Other municipalities in the country has seen push-back, including legal challenges against efforts to tear down encampment sites. Edmonton, for example, saw an unsuccessful lawsuit against that city's efforts to dismantle encampments. Cutler said the green zone strategy in Saint John is an effort to have places for people to relocate once red zones are decided, and the city's lawyer and the province's Social Development Department are involved.
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
12 Neighbours: Saint John edition
The first units of Neighbourly Homes, a 12 Neighbours development in Saint John for people struggling with homelessness, will welcome residents on Aug. 1.
CBC
22-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Saint John greenlights two areas for transitional housing for 54 people
Social Sharing Saint John council has approved a plan for "green zones" to tackle the city's growing homeless population and reduce the number of encampments around the city. The pilot project aims to bring 54 individual transitional housing units to two sites — one off Thorne Avenue and the other nearby on Egbert Street, a small side street off Thorne Avenue. Both are near the Atlantic Superstore and the Church of England Cemetery. On Tuesday night, council voted in favour of the city recommendation to designate the two areas "pilot sites." City staff, Mayor Donna Reardon and various organizations also presented the plan at a media event Wednesday morning. Reardon said it's a significant step. "This strategy reflects our commitment to a people-centred, human-rights-based approach, ensuring that every resident has access to safe, supported and sustainable housing," she said. "The sites are city-owned properties providing legally sanctioned, safe transitional housing for individuals experiencing homelessness." Saint John first announced green, yellow and red zones as a part of its Housing for All strategy in July 2024, in a city-led response to the growing homeless population. Cara Coes, the city's senior manager of community support services, said at Tuesday's council meeting that the 12 Neighbours charity group will be operating the green zones and running their "Neighbourly" project on the sites in order to "rapidly deploy" transitional housing. The two green zones will each have two courtyards, Coes said, that will have individual units for at least 13 people each. Every unit will have a bed, locking doors, heat, lights and internet. Both green zones will be staffed 24/7 and will have shared washroom, laundry, kitchen and multi-purpose facilities. 12 Neighbours also runs a tiny home community in Fredericton. "Each of the units are also equipped with an Android tablet," said Marcel LeBrun, the organization's founder. "That gives people access to services, but also entertainment and things like that ... having communications and those things is very important." LeBrun said people living in the units will be able to live there for free to start. WATCH | 'We all need a warm, dry place we can put our head down' Saint John launches long-awaited green zones to tackle homelessness 8 minutes ago Duration 1:58 "There's no charge to begin with," he said. "We are in discussions between the province and the city about transitioning to moving to paying something because that's part of housing stability. So part of housing stability is you have to learn to pay rent." Future residents will be chosen from the city's co-ordinated access system — a system run by a group of agencies that identifies where to place individuals according to need. The separate courtyards, Coes said, will also allow separation for different needs — such as a wet versus dry courtyard. The plan is to open the Egbert Street site in August and the Thorne Avenue site in December. In March, the Human Development Council said there were 276 people experiencing chronic homelessness in the city. Last June that number was 159. Reardon said the green zones are a result of funding from federal and provincial governments of $3.5 million announced earlier in the year. Plans for other zones not finalized In the Housing For All plan's early stages, green zones were planned to be areas in the city that would allow encampments and would have services such as frontline staff, electricity, heat and garbage pickup. The plan also includes yellow and red zones that haven't been finalized. Yellow zones, according to the plan, are areas that would allow encampments at certain times and red zones are "high risk areas" such as public parks, where encampments wouldn't be permitted. The new green zones will be near the overnight shelter on Rothesay Avenue. The roughly 60-bed shelter — which Coes said will now be a permanent overnight shelter — operated as an out-of-the-cold response during the winter. The sites will also be close to an existing encampment near the rail line that crosses Thorne Avenue near the Superstore. Coun. Gerry Lowe — who represents the ward the zones will be in — was the only councillor to vote against the staff recommendation on Tuesday night. "I like the idea of the green zones," Lowe said. "But the location bothers me as a councillor that has to deal with that area. The amount of break-ins there for the last year have been bad, and the garbage that's left behind," he said. Lowe said he wishes red zones were announced first to have an idea of what areas will have tents removed.
