New transitional housing for women in Saint John

Today, Wayne Long, Member of Parliament for Saint John – Rothesay, on behalf of the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Dorothy Shephard, Minister of Social Development, and Arlene Dunn, MLA for Saint John Harbour, announced an investment of just over $3.6 million to support a 12-unit building for transitional housing for women who have experienced homelessness.

The funding allocated by governments is as follows:

• Government of Canada’s Rapid Housing Initiative — $1.4 million
• Government of New Brunswick Social Development — $480,000 and 12 rent supplements for 20 \ years equalling about $1.4 million
• Saint John Regional Development Corporation — $400,000 contribution through the Community Development Fund

The project developed by the Coverdale Centre for Women aims at addressing the needs and gaps in transitional housing for women who are experiencing episodic or chronic homelessness. It will include four accessible units and a courtyard which will have a communal outdoor living space to provide gardening opportunities.

The Coverdale Centre for Women has been serving and providing services to vulnerable women and children in the community since 1975.

Quotes:

“Everyone deserves safe and affordable housing. This is why it is important to support local partners such as Coverdale Centre for Women to develop more housing options for vulnerable members of our population, particularly women facing challenging situations. The National Housing Co-Investment Fund allows our government to pursue its constant efforts in supporting non-profit organizations to better respond to the needs of our citizens across Canada. This is the National Housing Strategy at work.”

“Our Government is committed to providing communities the support they need to build capacity to develop local solutions to homelessness. Access to adequate, affordable housing is the foundation for socio-economic success. It supports better education and health outcomes, better employment prospects and better community engagement and cohesion, not to mention economic growth and financial security.”

“We are very pleased to support this important housing project for the Coverdale Women’s Centre which has been providing services to vulnerable women and children in Saint John for many years. This is designed to give women a chance to re-enter the housing market by providing them with a safe temporary place to live, complete with wrap-around services and resources needed for each woman’s success.”

Quick facts:

• The Government of Canada, through CMHC, works with its provincial and territorial partners to reduce the number of Canadians in need by improving access to affordable housing.
• The Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) is a $2.5 billion program under the National Housing Strategy (NHS) to help address the urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians through the rapid construction of over 10,000 units of affordable housing.
• The RHI takes a human rights-based approach to housing, serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and other vulnerable people, including women and children fleeing domestic violence, seniors, young adults, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people experiencing mental health and addiction issues, veterans, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, racialized and Black Canadians, recent immigrants, and refugees.
• Units are intended to be constructed within 12 months of funding being provided to program applicants (with some exceptions). Units in the North and remote communities are intended to be constructed within 18 months.
• Budget 2022 proposes to provide $1.5 billion over the next two years to extend the RHI and create 6,000 additional affordable housing units across Canada, with at least 25% of funding going towards women-focused housing projects.
• The Government of Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS) is an ambitious, 10-year plan that will invest over $72 billion to give more Canadians a place to call home.

Associated links:

As Canada's authority on housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC’s aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

Check out the National Housing Strategy Housing Funding Initiatives Map to see the affordable housing projects that have been developed across Canada.

Information on this release:

Arevig Afarian
Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
Arevig.Afarian@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

Rebecca Howland, communications
Department of Social Development
rebecca.howland@gnb.ca

Mary-Anne Hurley-Corbyn
RDC communications
506-429-2624