SUMMERSIDE Building homes

Iva Reeves is getting some new neighbours. Reeves has been a resident of the provincially owned seniors apartment building at 22 Frank Mellish St. in Summerside for about four years.

SUMMERSIDE – Iva Reeves is getting some new neighbours.

Reeves has been a resident of the provincially-owned seniors apartment building at 22 Frank Mellish St. in Summerside for about four years.

The provincial and federal governments announced Thursday they will be building another 32unit apartment building next to Reeves’s home.

The more the merrier as far as she’s concerned. She enjoys her apartment and would recommend it to other seniors.

“I love it,” she said.

“It’s central. You feel safe. The hospital’s just across the road. I just love living here.”

The new building is part of a slate of affordable housing starts announced recently for Summerside.

This new particular unit will be managed by the P.E.I. Housing Corporation. Rent for a unit follows the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation definition of affordable at 25 per cent of the senior’s income.

The building’s tender has been published but has not closed yet, so the province has not announced the project’s cost yet. The building is expected to be open sometime in 2020.

Of the total 32 units, five on the ground floor will be accessible to people with mobility challenges.

The design of 22 Frank Mellish St. has worked quite well, so the province is taking a ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,’ approach in this case. The new apartments will be a near carbon copy of the current facility, said Human Services Minister Tina Mundy.

“This one is working very well. We speak with tenants on a regular basis and they’re happy with it. It’s close to all amenities … so it really made sense to put it up here,” said Mundy.

Seniors interested in more information, or anyone interested in public housing, can contact the Department of Family and Human Services at 1-866-5943777 to arrange a consultation.