Forest Hill transitional housing project nearing completion, some residents moved in

The new transitional housing project on Forest Hill Road in Fredericton is two weeks away from completion and some residents have already moved in to their new spaces.

Organizers behind the Neighbourly Homes project — an initiative of the non-profit 12 Neighbours — said the project will include two twin courtyards with a total of 27 single-person units.

Marcel LeBrun, the founder of 12 Neighbours and man behind the Neighbourly Homes project, said 13 people moved into the first courtyard this week while the second, 14-unit courtyard is being completed.

“We have people come in who hadn't had food in a few days and so it was just exciting to see people get kind of the basics of what they need,” said LeBrun.

He is building and operating the development, which he calls the Neighbourly Homes transitional housing solution.

This project is different from LeBrun’s 12 Neighbours community on Fredericton’s Northside. Residents on Forest Hill Road will get their own small modular unit that has a bed, desk, power, internet and a combination lock door.

Dividing the two courtyards are the communal services. Each side has three bathrooms and one shower. Both sides share a kitchen space with storage and a laundry room.

LeBrun wants residents to feel like they have ownership of their space, which he said is different from other homelessness interventions.

“Things like curfews, things like having to vacate during the day, things like having a lockable space so they can come here, leave their stuff, leave, go to work, go do whatever and then come back and it's still their space,” he said.

Residents also get other services while living in the courtyards.

Lunch and dinner is delivered by Fredericton Community Kitchens each day and breakfast is provided on site. Residents are also steps away from a public transit bus stop, which they’re given a pass to use.

“One guy right away was looking at the bus routes, wanted to head up to the bank, wanted to see if he could find himself a mobile device because he has Internet,” said LeBrun.

“People now all of a sudden have a little skip in their step and they're like, OK, I can actually work on some things. And so it was good.”

There are also addictions and general counselling services as well a Horizon Health mobile team that will visit the courtyards to work with residents.