A Canadian millionaire hopes to help others with community and 96 tiny homes

Canadian tech millionaire Marcel LeBrun had an interesting plan after selling his social media monitoring platform: help alleviate the housing crisis in Canada through his project 12 Neighbors.

Mr. LeBrun (left) built a tiny home community on the outskirts of Fredericton, New Brunswick, hoping to help homeless and home-insecure people recover.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Facebook

"It's difficult to progress without a roof over your head, but you need more," he told the CBC in 2021 when he started building the community. In mid-2024, he placed the last home: number 96.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Instagram

By more, he meant community services. According to the broadcaster, the project also provides assistance and employment opportunities to tenants. It recently opened a café.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Facebook

Mr. LeBrun told Business Insider that he wants to revolutionize how communities approach housing assistance. He hopes to provide a place for people to start improving their lives.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Facebook

According to the newspaper, 12 Neighbors charges a third of the tenants' income for rent. If the person is receiving social assistance checks, it can start at 200 dollars a month.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Facebook

Some tenants work at the community's carpentry, print shop, or café. The newspaper said the salaries exceed New Brunswick's minimum wage of $14.75 an hour.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Facebook

Mr. LeBrun said he carefully mapped the community, which has clusters of six homes separated by paths, as seen in the picture.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Facebook

12 Neighbors takes referrals from the New Brunswick Housing waiting list to select its tenants. According to Business Insider, they don't keep a private waiting list.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Facebook

He also focused on the community's sustainability. Each house has solar panels, a rainwater system, and energy-efficient appliances.

Photo: 12 Neighbours / Facebook

With that, Mr. LeBrun expects to help alleviate a steep housing crisis in his country. Canada faces a long-standing housing crisis, with many residents priced out of the market.

According to The Conversation, Canada's housing market is among the most unaffordable. It has one of the highest housing prices-to-income ratios in the developed world.

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.