A new housing complex opens in Saint John. For these 4 tenants, it's a life-changing event

In her new apartment, April Urquhart can lie in bed at night and look up at the stars through a big picture window.

It's the first time the 23 year old has ever lived on her own. The sky's the limit.

Her dreams include getting a job — and visiting Paris one day. Her brand-new unit at The Wellington, a 47-unit housing development in uptown Saint John, is decorated wall-to-wall with photos of French landmarks, Parisian maps and Audrey Hepburn quotes. 

"Since I was little, I always wanted to go to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. Paris is just something I always dream about," she said. 

Her current view isn't the Champ de Mars, but it's stunning in its own way: the church towers on Germain Street, rooftops and brick buildings, and the leafy maples of Queen Square in the distance. 

"I enjoy being by myself, alone," said Urquhart who lives with a global developmental delay (GDD) that affects her cognitive and physical development. 

Urquhart, along with Warren Tompkins, 41, Shawna Morgan, 38, and Kathryn Titus, 26, are core members of the L'Arche Connects program.

It's a "supported independent-living model for adults with intellectual disabilities," said Rachel Vander Vennen, executive director of L'Arche Saint John. 

After months of preparation and planning, all four moved into The Wellington in early July. They live independently, with L'Arche providing support as indeed — whether it's help with cleaning, doctor's visits, and making meal plans — or just company for an evening of board games and pizza. 

Urquhart lived with her grandparents before the move. The program "gives her an opportunity to live a life that she may not have been able to have," said her grandmother, Linda Jarvis.

Before her furniture arrived, Urquhart "got an air mattress and slept on an air mattress because she wanted her own place. It's been wonderful to see," said Jarvis, wiping away tears.

L'Arche Connects is a two-and-a-half-year pilot program — a partnership between L'Arche, Social Development, Inclusion NB, and Saint John Nonprofit Housing.

The six-storey building on the former site of the Jellybean Houses contains 23 two-bedroom suites rented at regular market rates, and 21 one-bedroom affordable suites. The affordable suites, geared toward tenants with a gross household income under $33,000, are rented through Social Development. 

Three additional suites are fully accessible.