Affordable and accessible apartments being built, renovated in Moncton

An announcement on Monday that six new affordable and accessible apartments are being built and 34 more renovated was welcome news at Moncton's MacDonald Centre for Independent Living.

The $1.4 million comes from Ottawa's affordable housing strategy.

More than 5,000 people in New Brunswick are on the waiting list for subsidized housing, with more than 500 people experiencing homelessness in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton.

Stéphane Demers, the director of operations at the MacDonald Centre, said the six new units are one step toward easing the housing crisis.

"There's a great need in Moncton," he said.

Demers said the centre, which was built in 1983, is staffed 24 hours a day and residents can get help with meal preparation, personal care and housekeeping.

"People have their own apartment, [they] can be as independent as they can, and we offer also support if they need it," he said.

He expects the new apartments and renovations to be completed by late June. While Demers isn't sure how many people are on the centre's waiting list, he is confident it will be easy to fill the new units.

Vanessa Leslie agreed there is a huge need for more apartments like hers. She uses a wheelchair and has lived at the centre for nearly four years. 

Leslie moved into one of the newly renovated apartments last November and enjoys the new floor plan. 

"It's much more open, easier to get around," she said.

"You were always backing into something or trying to avoid an obstacle."

Leslie's new kitchen layout allows her to make her own meals. She said she needs help to change the sheets on her bed and to do laundry but otherwise is able to do everything herself.

Although Leslie lives independently for the most part, the 42-year old said that without the assistance she gets at MacDonald Centre she'd most likely still be living with her mother and stepfather in north Moncton.

"I just wanted to get some independence and to do my own thing — essentially have a life of my own," she said.

Leslie attended Monday's announcement and applauded the move to create more affordable and accessible housing.

"I wish there was more of these kinds of places around," she said.

"It can open up some doors and give [people] some options to have some freedoms."