Fifty-five new supportive housing units are open in Dartmouth for people experiencing homelessness, and some are already moving in.

The government announced on Thursday that the housing was open to move in 10 people a week until the building hits the capacity of 55 occupants.

The building is managed by Welcome Housing and Support Services, a not-for-profit with six buildings in the Halifax area.

“Welcome Housing is very pleased to be able to increase affordable housing by 55 rooms, which will benefit so many people currently without a safe space to live. Our community-based model includes on-site client support and lots of room for events and programming that bring the community together,” wrote Laura MacKay, executive director for Welcome Housing, in a news release.

Some people who were “precariously housed” or who didn’t have anywhere to live have found some housing success at The Bridge, an integrated services shelter, said Community Services Minister Brendan Maguire. They’re graduating and finding permanent housing, he said.

He hopes the same will happen with the 55 new rooms in Dartmouth.

“They’re going to have everything they need in the facility to be successful, to make sure that they can transition to the next stage of their life and get on the path to permanent housing,” he said.

Maguire said Welcome Housing advised the department to keep the exact location of the housing a secret because some people living there have come from dangerous situations.

“For their own security and for their own privacy, we’re just not getting into who’s there and what’s there and where it’s at, for the individuals’ safety that are living there,” Maguire said.

He added that this wouldn’t necessarily be the norm for other supportive housing buildings. But if people are leaving dangerous situations to live at other future locations, then the government will talk to the organization managing the homes to see if they’ll keep the location under wraps.

There are some single and double units. They each have some amenities, and the building has some community space, Maguire said.

The province also launched a new website today.

It outlines their work to create more housing, including a progress chart for projects under construction.

The government hopes to open more than 200 new housing units by the end of this year.