Two new modular housing buildings are set to open their doors to tenants soon in Saint John.
It’s offering 20 public housing units for non-elderly singles and helping ease pressure on the city’s growing waitlist.
The 10-unit, Boars Head Road site is nearing completion and is expected to welcome tenants before December, according to Sean Chappell, director of corporate sales at Kent Homes.
A second 10-unit development on Woodward Avenue is scheduled to open about a month later. Both buildings are designed for single adults who do not qualify for senior housing.
Chappell confirmed the expected opening timeline during the announcement. The company built both modular complexes on surplus provincial land.
Housing Minister David Hickey said the province is working to rebuild its capacity to deliver public housing after decades of limited construction.
“The province in New Brunswick hasn’t built public housing in more than three decades, more than my lifetime,” Hickey said.
“And that means scraping a lot of rust off of an organization that hasn’t built in a long time. That means making really clear investments like this.”
Hickey also emphasized the importance of thoughtful planning in how new housing is developed.
“In 50 years, I don’t want to look back and say we should have been smarter about the way we built our public housing,” he said.
“We’re going to do it in a way that’s measured and reflects what urban planners have long said about how to build cities and integrated communities.”
The province has committed to building 573 new public housing units during its current mandate.
That total includes 233 units from the previous government and 340 from the current one.
Hickey said the new builds are part of a broader strategy to increase community housing across New Brunswick.
Saint John’s public housing waitlist currently includes 2,821 people.
The new units will be filled based on need, with priority given to those facing the most urgent housing challenges.
