A new housing development in Lunenburg officially opened today, with healthcare workers moving into the first completed units.
The $4.1-million redevelopment of the former Wheelhouse Motel is part of the province’s Housing for Healthcare program. Phase one includes 13 apartments of varying sizes, with three additional units expected this fall once local electrical upgrades are completed.
“This is about people,” said Lunenburg MLA Susan Corkum-Greek at the opening. “It’s about a nurse who can now walk to work instead of driving an hour, and a paramedic who can now afford to live in the community he serves.”
Corkum-Greek added the project is being watched as a potential model for other areas. “When you get to the point where you prove not just concept, but a working model, that’s already happening,” she said, noting housing trust projects are also underway in Guysborough, Bridgewater, Port Hawkesbury, Canso, Liverpool, and New Glasgow.
The site is within walking distance of schools, shops, and Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital, as well as the future long-term care home now under construction. Corkum-Greek said that location supports work-life balance for healthcare staff living there.
Future plans for the property include townhouse construction once local electrical capacity allows.
The Wheelhouse Motel in Lunenburg, NS before being renovated into housing for healthcare workers. Photo: Evan Taylor.
The province says the project is one of several investments in affordable housing across Nova Scotia, intended to ease recruitment challenges in healthcare and provide stable homes for workers and their families.
