'The solution is actually quite simple': Fredericton tiny home community founder says about housing
While it seems like some Maritime communities are in an uphill battle with affordable housing, one Fredericton man's community model is thriving and expanding.
The 12 Neighbours tiny home community was first developed by Marcel LeBrun last year.
The community aims to give everyone a safe, affordable place to live.
"Homelessness on the one hand is very complex, but really the solution to it is actually quite simple and it starts with housing,” said LeBrun.
Eight new community members moved into 12 Neighbours on Thursday. They say it's not just about safe, affordable housing, it's also about having a community.
Al Smith has been living in the community for close to a year.
"For me it's really good. We have our original six people here, we kind of stick together. Anybody new that comes, like Justin that was just here for coffee. We get a lot of people a lot of gatherings in front of this porch,” Smith said.
12 Neighbours adds one new house a week to the project. The community now has 36 homes on the property and about 33 residents.
But the list of those in Fredericton in need of housing currently has about 170 people.
"We go through a process with social development so they, you know, contact people and check out their interest and we have a bit of an intake process where we show them a house and they learn about the community and decide if it's a fit for them,” LeBrun said.
Following the death of an unhoused man in Moncton last week, LeBrun says more shelters are not the answer.
"We put all this investment and energy into emergency response which delays the actual response, so in fact right now I'd say that we're deciding to have a crisis this time next year,” LeBrun said.
“Because the cycles to address the problem -- we need to go build 500 affordable homes in Moncton for example, and we have to decide that right now.”
On average, the building costs for each tiny home is about $50,000, with other associated costs, like power, water and sewer, adding an additional $38,000.
12 Neighbours take referrals the Social Development Department, but the community is mainly serving the Fredericton area when all regions of New Brunswick are seeing people living with homelessness.
"We're just a little bit addicted to crisis response, someone's hungry and you give them a sandwich, but if you keep doing that you normalize that kind of chronic situation as if it's an acute situation then you say well this is just a normal way to live,” LeBrun said.
“Now we're building all this infrastructure where people in Moncton are going to be housed in a large space living together,” he said – referring to an emergency shelter being created in Moncton.
LeBrun says creating homeless shelters is not the solution and that government should be creating affordable housing models ahead of next winter, such as the 12 Neighbours community.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.