The New Brunswick government is spending more than $100 million to build hundreds of public housing units over the next four years.
The department of social development currently owns and operates 808 public housing buildings, which contain almost 4,000 units.
Forty new units each will be built in Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton, with 68 units in northern regions of the province and 192 units in areas of “greatest need.”
Immediate renovations will also be made to 110 vacant units.
Most current units are about 50 years old and are in need of repairs and modernization. The province says while some renovations may be minor, others involve “substantial work” and upgrades to electrical or plumbing systems.
Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard says this is the first time government-owned housing units will be built in 38 years.
“There has not been a major capital renovation and replacement plan for public housing in decades, which has contributed to the current poor state of the infrastructure,” said Shephard, in a Monday news release. “Currently, about $15 million per-year is spent on maintenance and improvements through the ordinary budget. We now plan to invest an additional $2.2 million this year to ensure that 110 of the vacant units can be occupied as quickly as possible.”
The province says more than 14,500 New Brunswickers use public housing, affordable housing units, rent subsidies and other housing programs.
Robert MacKay, a common front for social justice, says he's happy to see steps being made.
"My reaction, it's a start and it's a good thing," he said. "$102 million is not chump change."
MacKay was one of dozens who gathered along Moncton's Riverfront Trail Monday afternoon to mark the United Nation's International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Other attendees to the event were also pleased to hear about the province's public housing announcement.
"It's a good amount. I hope to see more in the future, but it's a good start," said Christina Francoeur with Acorn New Brunswick.
New Brunswick Senator Nancy Hartling has been a longtime advocate for women and single parents on socio-economic issues, including affordable housing.
She called the funding announcement "significant," but says more needs to be done.
"I just hope that in the future, we're going to hear more about support services, because with housing, we need those wrap around services, like mental health, addiction, other things like that," said Hartling. "A lot of people come out of violent situations, abuse, and we definitely need to have the two together."
"Housing is one of the basic securities that individuals need in order to have a stable and fulfilling life. So, these 380 units are going to support those individuals," said Dorothy Shephard, New Brunswick's minister of social development.
Shepard said a surge in population, inflation, and the booming real estate market have all contributed to the unprecedented need for public housing.
"Even at low income, working poor, even at middle income, individuals are finding it harder and harder to find housing that they can afford," she said.
