Rising Tide Community Initiatives Inc., a non-profit organization aimed at solving homelessness, expects to fill 15 affordable housing units by the end of the year.
At a Moncton City Council meeting on Monday, Managing Director Myriam Mekni provided a progress report on their work.
The City of Moncton agreed to give Rising Tide $6 million over three years to create affordable housing units. The federal and provincial governments both agreed to chip in funds as well.
During a news conference in March, Rising Tide co-founder Dale Hicks said they had to finish 62 units by the end of the year.
Since then, the organization has encountered several roadblocks as outlined by Mekni on Monday, including a historically hot real estate market, a low supply of construction materials and a lack of available sub-trades workers.
Two properties are expected to be finished and accepting residents by the end of the year.
One building will be converted to eight individual units with washrooms and kitchenettes, as well as services provided through the YWCA. It is expected these units will be complete by Nov. 22, and move-ins can occur between Nov. 29 and Dec. 17.
Another property will convert a Bed and Breakfast into seven individual units and include washrooms and a shared kitchen with services provided through Harvest House. They believe this property will be complete on Dec. 3, with the latest move-in date on Dec. 17.
Mekni walked through plans for several other developments planned for the next few months.
“With all of these properties, we will have secured by the end of the fiscal year of April to March 2022, 80 units out of the target 162 for the three years,” she said.
Over the next two fiscal years, Rising Tide plans to continue to acquire properties and open a centre that focuses on community partnerships, with a clinic operated by the Salvus Clinic in partnership with Horizon Health.
Through the approved tri-level funding, the centre will have units for up to 20 people considered “high acuity,” Mekni told council, adding they will try to “tap in” to other areas of funding.
Co-founder Dale Hicks said talks have already begun with the provincial government for a facility that would be the first of its kind in New Brunswick, and he envisions at least three of these clinics across the tri-community.
Hicks said the province will have to step up to cover the costs associated with providing mental health services at these clinics.
