Women's shelter, 60 new affordable housing units announced for Summerside

Summerside, P.E.I., is getting 60 new rental units as well as transitional housing for women and their children fleeing domestic violence, following an announcement from the federal government.

Federal Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen announced Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is extending a $14.9-million low-cost loan for a 60-unit rental housing project on Simmons Avenue. Also, the Lifehouse Transitional Shelter by the Boys and Girls Club of Summerside will consist of 10 newly-constructed affordable housing units, with Ottawa investing $2.9 million.

"Our job is to incentivize and make it easier for proponents, both in the private sector, non-profit sector, but also other orders of government, to actually make this project viable.  How do we do that?  By bringing the lion's share of the funding," Hussen said at a news conference Monday.

The Lifehouse project will include services offered by the Boys and Girls Club.

"The vision of Lifehouse is to improve the lives of the residents and children experiencing homelessness by providing sanctuary, support, education, tools, and resources that empower them to improve the quality of their lives on every level, achieve greater self-sufficiency, and build safe and secure lives," said Adam Binkley, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Summerside.

Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher said these announcements show what is possible when all three levels of government work together, but there is still much more to do in order to provide affordable housing for all Summerside residents.

The aim is to have both builds completed a year or so from now and people living in them in early 2024.