• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Millionaire builds 99 homes to reduce homelessness in his town

Home> News> World News

Published 20:52 3 Nov 2023 GMT

Millionaire builds 99 homes to reduce homelessness in his town

The homes are quite small but the problem they're aiming to tackle is big

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

A Canadian millionaire has built 99 'tiny homes' in his town in an attempt to tackle local homelessness.

Marcel LeBrun sold his company for an eight figure sum, and decided to put some of the money towards tackling a serious problem.

In the town of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, at least 1,800 people found themselves homeless for at least a day last year according to the CBC.

Aiming to tackle at least a chunk of this problem, he invested $4 million in developing what he calls the '12 Neighbours' gated community, which will ultimately consist of 99 small homes for people to live in.

Advert

Each 'tiny house' is constructed in a warehouse before being loaded onto concrete blocks.
CBC

While the homes may not be the roomiest in the world, they come with space for a kitchen, bed and bathroom, along with a bit of decking to sit on out front and some solar panels on the roof.

About three-quarters of the way to hitting his target of 99 homes to help tackle homelessness, the 12 Neighbours community has also secured $12 million in government grants to build the place up.

Speaking to CBC, LeBrun explained why he was doing this, with the homes put together at a warehouse before being loaded onto concrete blocks that consist of the building's foundations.

He said: "I see myself as a community builder, and really what we’re doing here is not just building a little community, but we’re building a community in a city, like how do we help our city be better?"

Advert

LeBrun believes that having a property will give people a sense of responsibility, and that a community of the formerly homeless will know best what those who are struggling are going through.

The project is not without critics, as some have suggested that it would be better for the homeless if they were re-integrated into society instead of being housed in a gated community together.

Marcel LeBrun is close to hitting his goal of building 99 houses for the homeless.
CBC

In addition to the 99 houses, there are plans for a community centre which will be run by the residents as a business, including a coffee shop.

There will also be a 'teaching kitchen' and a silk printing business where people can work in.

Advert

The ultimate idea is to build a place that people from the rest of the town would go to for a cup of coffee or to make use of the printing business.

That's the idea and if it gets people a roof over their heads then surely it can't be a bad thing?

Featured Image Credit: CBS

Topics: World News, Money, Charity, Good News, News, Home

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Millionaire made himself homeless to see if he could make $1,000,000 in one year
  • Millionaire leaves incredible fortune to entire hometown after passing away but under one condition
  • Liam Payne gave away £10,000 in one night shortly before his death in heartwarming move
  • Man horrified to discover his new home is actually someone else's Airbnb

Choose your content:

7 mins ago
10 mins ago
11 mins ago
  • 7 mins ago

    Study suggests weight loss jabs like Mounjaro could stop you getting dementia and other serious health problems

    Mounjaro was recently rolled out on the NHS

    News
  • 7 mins ago

    Paranormal investigator dies suddenly whilst on tour with haunted 'Annabelle' doll

    Dan Rivera's devastated family have shared a statement after his death

    News
  • 10 mins ago

    Donald Trump spotted pocketing Club World Cup winners medal on stage during final

    It seems the US President decided to keep hold of one of the medals for himself

    News
  • 11 mins ago

    All the unanswered questions about the Trump administration’s Epstein files chaos

    Attention is on the Epstein files once more, after pressure is being piled onto the Trump administration to release more information

    News