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Transforming a Neighborhood: The Story of Abbey St. Andrew

In 2004, the Saint Andrew and Saint David Church, in the poverty-stricken South End community of Saint John, New Brunswick, realized that there was an urgent need to tackle one of the area's most pressing issues: affordable housing. Studies had described the neighbourhood as an area of "very high poverty," with over 40% living in low-income households. The community also faced high levels of unemployment, limited access to education, substandard housing, and a significant proportion of households spending over 30% of their income on rent.

Determined to make a difference, the Church created a vision of a housing complex that would reflect the diversity of the area, and act as a beacon of hope. The proposed complex, with over 90 units, would be a mixture of subsidized and market-value apartments, catering to all household types, and offering a balance of income levels, family compositions, age groups, and levels of ability.

With the support of the community, a governance structure was put in place to oversee the development and management of the Abbey St. Andrew complex. Housing Alternatives was introduced to handle the process of property management to ensure that design and build quality matched the high standards that were set from the beginning.

Despite some challenges along the way, Abbey St. Andrew was officially transferred to Abbey St. Andrew Inc. in 2010, and by 2011 its first tenants had moved in. The complex is now a prime example of what can be achieved when a vision is turned into action.

While Abbey St. Andrew faced a few challenges in the beginning, the determination of the board and church allowed them to thrive. Bird Construction was called in to address outstanding construction issues, rental management services were made available, and parking stalls were even made available to non-tenants to generate additional revenue.

Today, Abbey St. Andrew stands as a cornerstone of the community, demonstrating that even the biggest challenges can be overcome when like-minded groups come together towards a shared goal.

Now, more important than ever, the Abbey St. Andrew continues to serve in the South End as a space geared toward housing those who need it.