McAdam, NB Wants to Build an Affordable Small-Home Community for Seniors

The Village of McAdam is known for groundbreaking initiatives when it comes to tackling housing and building community. In just recent history, the municipality famously offered a limited number of $1 lots, successfully attracting multiple new residents to build homes in the community. Now, the village is hoping to innovate when it comes to offering much-needed subsidized housing for seniors. The board of the McAdam Seniors Housing Complex recently unveiled plans to construct 12 to 30 small homes situated behind its existing senior living facility on Second Avenue on land donated by the village. These proposed homes aren't just about downsizing in retirement and they're not traditional tiny homes either: they're about creating a new way of living for seniors that fosters independence while also bolstering community spirit. 

Project manager Guy Gravelle is spearheading this visionary project and says each home will be either one or two bedrooms, and will also have a kitchen and living area, a full bathroom, and its own front porch and yard. Maintenance to the property will be provided by the staff of the seniors complex, so residents be able to enjoy living in their own home without the hassle of upkeep or the high costs of operating a larger residence.

"I moved here about seven years ago, and I noticed that a lot of people who are seniors have no place to go," said Gravelle. "By creating this project, we're going to bring these mini homes, and then that's going to empty a lot of big homes where we're going to be able to bring some families in."

To give you an idea of the demand for affordable seniors housing in McAdam, Councillor Mitchell Little, who is also on the board of the McAdam Seniors Housing Complex, says the waitlist for the current seniors living facility far exceeds availability. 

"Right now, we have one empty apartment, and I've got about 14 names to fill that one apartment," said Little. "And then across the province, we're getting emails every day, and there's people calling us every day saying, 'When are these tiny homes coming? Because we're interested.'"

Little is optimistic about the project's potential to transform the town's housing landscape and enhance the quality of life for seniors, and he isn't surprised that McAdam is once again top of mind as a relocation destination for people looking for a lifestyle change.

"I guide in the spring," said Little. "Americans come to McAdam, and I guide them. And I said, 'This is the centre of the Earth, and everything else goes out from there.' That's what I think of McAdam. That's what this board thinks of McAdam, and that's what people are starting to think about McAdam."

When it comes to funding for the project, it will cost approximately $125,000 to $140,000 to build each home and discussions for financial support with government agencies are underway. 

There is an information session on March 20th at the McAdam Lions Club to learn more about this transformative project. If funding is in place, Gravelle hopes to start the project at the end of April. 

-Vicki Hogarth, CHCO-TV NewsBreak26, McAdam, New Brunswick