Saint John has opened its second designated Green Zone community, adding 27 transitional housing units on Thorne Avenue.
The site complements the 27‑unit Egbert Street location, bringing the total to 54 units across the city.
The Thorne Avenue property includes two courtyards, the first opened on Thursday, and the second is scheduled to open on November 14, as well as accessible units.
Resident Dale Keddy, who moved into Thorne Avenue this week after more than three years of facing homelessness, says the change has been life‑altering.
“Being homeless, I lost all my dignity, my self‑respect, I was suicidal,” Keddy said. “It’s starting to come back … I can’t explain how thankful I am.”
Keddy described living in a tent near the Dome, including one Christmas spent in a snowstorm.
“You forget how important food security is, safety, health care, simple little things,” she said.
“The maintenance guy brought me a little manicure kit and toothpaste. I said this is worth a million dollars right here.”
She said the new housing has given her hope and provided her partner, who requires heart surgery, with a safe place to recover.
“Don’t give up waiting. Never give up,” Keddy said, speaking to others still waiting for housing.
Deputy Mayor John MacKenzie said the project is part of the city’s Housing for All strategy, which aims to provide safe, legally sanctioned housing for people facing homelessness.
“This site is a promise that Saint John will continue to show up, stand together, and build a future where no one is left behind,” MacKenzie said.
He called the Thorne Avenue community “a tangible sign that our city is not only listening, but responding with urgency, empathy, and resolve.”
MacKenzie noted that as of late October, 25 of 27 units at the Egbert Street site were occupied, with outreach teams continuing to engage with people living in encampments.
He said the Green Zones are designed to offer safety, dignity and stability while connecting residents to supports.
The Green Zone program prioritizes placement through the Coordinated Access System and Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS), ensuring those most in need are connected to housing.
Both the Thorne Avenue and Egbert Street sites are Neighbourly Homes communities, developed and operated by 12 Neighbours.
Each courtyard features heated mini‑units, shared kitchens, bathrooms and laundry facilities, on‑site staffing, and access to critical services.
Marcel LeBrun, founder of 12 Neighbours, said the Thorne Avenue site opened a month ahead of schedule. “When you put faces to the rooms, everything changes,” LeBrun said.
He said the initiative has already shown results. “We haven’t had a single emergency services call since we opened August 1,” he said of the Egbert Street site.
He added that residents are beginning to look for work and that the organization has hired people locally for property maintenance.
In Fredericton, he said, residents have joined construction teams and social enterprises such as cafés and artisan businesses, and similar partnerships may be explored in Saint John with groups like Stone Soup and Kaleidoscope.
LeBrun said each 27‑unit courtyard costs about $350,000 to build and operate, roughly equivalent to the price of one affordable home.
He said the project is funded through $3.5 million from the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative, with support from the province and city, and that demand remains high.
He estimated about 400 people are waiting for housing in Saint John, with hundreds more in Moncton and Fredericton.
