A transitional housing pilot project for people experiencing homelessness is coming to Saint John.
The Somerset A.C.R.E.S. initiative will be located in Crescent Valley behind 344 Somerset Street.
Up to 25 people experiencing varying levels of homelessness will be housed in several mobile trailers.
Fresh Start Services, which provides outreach services to those experiencing homelessness, will operate the site.
Melanie Vautour, the agency’s executive director, said support services will be provided to those living on the site.
“That includes physical and mental health support, life skills development, access to community resources,” Vautour said in an interview with our newsroom.
“It’s impossible to try to do the work to move ahead and to connect with services when you’re living outside in a tent.”
What will the site look like?
Each mobile trailer will be equipped with separate bathrooms, showers, toilets, beds, microwaves and storage. One trailer will be dedicated as an office, laundry, communal kitchen and clinical space.
Vautour said the property will be fenced and staffed 24/7 to ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone.
“Part of that is for us and the residents but also for other people [living near the site],” she said, adding that there have been some concerns.
As part of the project, a community engagement session was held on Monday for invited residents closest to the site.
Vautour said this was an opportunity to reassure those individuals and dispel some of the myths about unhoused individuals.
“Misinformation and the sharing of some of that stigmatized language is so prevalent that we have started doing education and information posts on social media just to try to dispel some of that and give people accurate information,” she added.
Implementing supported sites to reduce the number of encampments throughout the city was one of the action items in Saint John’s three-year homelessness strategy, which was recently adopted by council.
RELATED: Saint John council adopts homelessness strategy
Vautour said the goal with transitional housing is to give people the support so they can eventually transition into fully independent housing.
“The idea is to build those wraparound services and supports, really help people to heal and recover from living with homelessness and then see them go into independent housing,” she said.
“Some individuals might be able to accomplish that in six months, others it’s maybe almost two years.”
Provincial minister welcomes initiative
The Department of Social Development is leading this pilot, in partnership with Housing NB and the city.
Social Development Minister Jill Green was not made available for an interview, but in a statement, said she is encouraged by this pilot project.
“We know homelessness is a complex issue that requires multi-faceted solutions, and addressing the needs of this population requires strong collaboration between the province, municipalities, and community partners to ensure the unique needs of each municipality are met,” said Green.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with the City of Saint John and other municipalities across the province to make housing affordable and accessible for all New Brunswickers.”
Our newsroom also requested an interview with the city but was directed to social development.
Meanwhile, work is underway to decide who will live in Somerset A.C.R.E.S.
Vautour said they will look at the By-Names List, which includes “pretty well all of our unsheltered population,” to determine who is prioritized for housing and who would be a good fit.
“They have to be willing to participate. They have to be engaged and wanting to work with staff and take these next steps,” she said.
She hopes the pilot site will be up and running in early fall and that it can eventually be copied elsewhere in the city.
