PCs prod province over cost efficiency of former Comfort Inn hotel

January marks one year since the province signed a three-year multi-million dollar lease with Clayton Hospitality for the former Comfort Inn hotel in St. John's.

With two years left on the lease, and 56 of 100 resident spots filled at the facility, PC housing critic Joedy Wall is questioning its cost efficiency. 

In the House of Assembly on Thursday, Wall said the facility's total cost to taxpayers is $13 million each year, equating to $240,000 per person annually.

"Is this a cost-efficient model?" Wall asked the House.

The facility was recently named Horizons at 106. Housing Minister John Abbott said the facility is designed to support individuals coming from long-term homelessness into stable housing. 

The operating cost is high because of the services the facility provides, he said.

"We're providing them in a facility that is current and maintained quite well. We're providing security. We're providing housing supports. We're providing medical supports. We're providing counselling. And that all costs money," Abbott said.

Wall also asked if the province can house any families on the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation's waitlist at the hotel.

"Has he reviewed the list of almost 3,000 people on the housing waitlist to see if we can accommodate any of these families at the airport inn and get them off the street?"

Abbott said Horizons at 106 serves a different demographic than those on NLHC's waitlist.

"That's a totally different program, a totally different list of individuals. The folks who go through our central wait assessment are not the folks that are awaiting to get an apartment with NLHC," he said.

"I think we're doing both well, but we have improvements to make on our waitlists for NLHC for sure.

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