After years of encampment living, a Saint John woman sees her life change at transition house

Deborah Ann Badeau listens to rural area 94 radiocommunication in her little flat. It’s been nearly a yr since she moved into the transitional housing unit, after about six years living in a tent. 

For a long time, Badeau, 61, lived with an abusive partner in a relationship she says she got out of "with my life." Seven years ago, after being struck by a bus, she became homeless.

“Then I chose to go with a tent because it was a lot freer," she said. "I knew I was a tough little bird."

She said she knew she could handle it and during summers, she did. But her voice breaks when she talks about temperatures dropping and the moment when frontline workers told her she would be getting a home — a moment she says changed her “whole life”.

“Because I was losing all hope and was thinking about suicide," she said. "I didn’t think there's any point."

On hearing about the housing, she said, she started crying.

“I told them, I got nothing — no clothes, no blankets."

It didn't matter.

"I walk in and everything is right there."

Badeau was one of over 20 residents who started living at the Somerset ACRES site — a housing program that made 18 micro units out of five trailers — when it started operating.

The units are essentially small bachelor apartments, all with private bathrooms, kitchenettes and basic furniture and storage spaces. They also accomodate couples.

Run by the non-profit Fresh Start Services, the pilot project goal is to help people transition from encampment life to independent living.

Residents living at Somerset ACRES, which stands for Advancing community with respect, empowerment and support, pay 30 per cent of their income in rent.

Now in an accessible unit decorated with pictures and drawings, Badeau said projects like the small north end community are important to give hope to people facing homelessness.

“They are fighting against the wind,” Badeau said.

Transition home in Saint John changes life of woman after six years in encampments

Residents get help developing basic tenancy skills such as budgeting and cooking, but for Badeau the biggest differences come down to feeling warm and safe.

“Out in the tent, I was bothered a lot,” she said.

Badeau, who struggles with a mobility disability, said she chose to live in a tent because she found it safer than a shelter, where her belongings could be stolen. Tents came with their own challenges, however.

“People would come and shake the tent because they knew I was a little bit disabled. And then one night I came home and the tent is burnt to the ground.”

Melanie Vautour, Fresh Start’s executive director, said the pilot is the first of its kind in Saint John to focus on “housing first,” noting most residents had been homeless for at least three years.

Three residents have moved on from the site after rebuilding tenancy skills such as taking out garbage regularly, learning to cook again and practising good neighbour skills.

“So working on a lot of those pieces so that when they move out from the support staff … they can manage maintaining an apartment themselves,” she said.

A year ago the site was a gravel lot with newly set-up trailers.

Since then, staff have added barbeques, grass, flowers and a space for a bonfire, though it couldn’t be used because of summer fire bans. Much of this is now covered by snow.

Residents formed a council to bring concerns to staff and help create rules.

“It was really about establishing it as a home where they had ownership and they could lead that discussion and those changes themselves,” Vautour said.

The site faced early pushback from the community over public safety. 

Since it opened, Saint John police have received 64 calls to Somerset ACRES, most non-criminal. Twenty-one were medical calls, 16 were related to disputes and 27 were well-being checks or about damaged or lost property.

Vautour said some challenges were expected, particularly when moving in. People are "transitioning from street life" and part of what they're learning at the site is to "let that go and becoming neighbours."

She also said that some of the police calls came from residents themselves wanting to access emergency services, which she said is a sign of success.

"We need to remember that asking for help is a positive thing, especially when, as stated. These calls are non-criminal in nature," she said.

Vautour said the relationship with the community has also improved greatly, with residents making efforts to engage with the neighbourhood.

But residents are also aware of negative public comments about homelessness, and this kept many at the site from speaking, even if they were doing well.

“When you're trying to make change and you're trying to move forward, it's really difficult to still see the negative comments and the negative assumptions about you,” Vautour said.

“For them, there's always that fear: why do we want to talk about how good we're doing when no one's going to believe us anyway?”

The pilot is part of the city’s Housing for All strategy and shares similarities with the city’s “green zone” transition housing sites launched this year, which also faced opposition. 

Vautour said Somerset ACRES is distinct in offering individualized units — creating more independence — compared with the green zone sites, where bathrooms and kitchens are shared.

A challenge, Vautour said, is the need for more housing for residents to transition into.

"But in the meantime, for us, it's really about keeping going with those goals and keep moving forward towards independent living," she said.

The pilot was intended to last two years but the province’s housing minister, David Hickey, said the site will continue for at least an additional year while governments explore permanent solutions.

Badeau said she hopes to be living independently in a year.

"Its only been a year, so it's pretty hard to get used to, but I'm doing a pretty darn good job, I think," she said.

"I think I'll probably be the first one out because I've had apartments before on my own. So I'm excited to get there ."

Reporter

Nipun Tiwari is a reporter assigned to community engagement and based in Saint John, New Brunswick. He can be reached at nipun.tiwari@cbc.ca.

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