Moncton affordable housing group buys properties, aims to house people by September

A Moncton affordable housing non-profit has purchased its first properties and aims to start moving people in by Labour Day.

Rising Tide CommunityInitiatives hasreceived$15.4 million from the federal, provincial and municipal governments to createup to 160 affordable housing units over three years.

The non-profitwas launched more than a year ago in response to Moncton's affordable housing plan that called forthe city to support a new housing entity that could add cheaper housing to the market.

"We've been busy acquiring properties,"Myriam Mekni, Rising Tide'smanaging director and first staff member, said Friday.

"From the outside it doesn't look likemuch is happeningbecause we have beenclosing on a few of them."

Rising Tide declined to specify the exact locations of their newly acquired properties.

However, public property records show a Church Street property and a Dominion Street property were purchased in June.One is expected to have eight housing units, while the second will have seven units.

Meknisaid the hope is to start moving people inby Labour Day. One of the properties requires more renovations than the other, she said. Each unit will have its own washroom, and there will be some common spaces.

A vacant lot at the northern edge of downtown Moncton has also been purchased.

Meknisaid contractors are already lined up to build a 21-unit apartment building on the property. The aim is to have the building complete in December with people moving in before Christmas.

Meknisaid the organization is looking at add several other properties that should allow them to meet the goal of creating 62 affordable unitsby the end of next March.

Rising Tide expects to hire support staff for those who move into the housing units.Meknisaid they're preparing to post job ads in the coming weeks.

Rising Tide will rent some of the properties it owns and renovates to other organizations, such as Harvest House, the YWCAor Crossroads for Women, thatalready assist people who are homeless by providing emergency shelter beds ortransitional housing.

Meknisaid those organizations have their own systems already in place for people they're assisting.

"That's whyit makes moresense thatall the tenants in onebuilding would be served by that same organizationbecause we don't want any disruptionto theirservices," shesaid.

"We want it to be a continuity.And it's just to providemorebeds for those organizations to beable to house people."

Under the plan, Rising Tide would still own the buildings and be responsible for any renovations and for furnishing them. Some buildings will also be directly managed by Rising Tide.

"All theclients have different needs and all the organizations providedifferent services," Mekni said. "So we're going to have to adapt andadjust and provide services that suit those needs, so it's not acookie-cutter system."

The number of homeless people in the region has been climbing in recent years, prompting calls for the municipality to do more. That led the previous city council to vote in favour of providing financialbacking to Rising Tide, despite housing mainly being a provincial responsibility.

Trevor Goodwin of the YMCA's ReConnecttold CBC in early June that thestreet outreach service had counted140 people as homeless, though others who are "sleeping rough" aren't on the list, so the true figure is larger.

Mekni said the organization will help in the midto long term, but the province needs to increase the availability of mental health and addictions services in the short term.