Province pays $1.4M for 4 Beach St. houses to be used as social housing

Lucas McInnis · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 21, 2026 2:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 21

The provincial government has purchased four houses on Beach Street in Charlottetown for a total cost of $1.4 million.

The P.E.I. Housing Corporation last fall bought three homes on the street, which is near the Community Outreach Centre and overnight emergency shelter, and has since purchased another.

In an email to CBC News, the province said it is "not accepting new inquiries related to property acquisitions on Beach Street." In other words, it has no immediate plans to buy more houses there.

The four houses, used for social housing, had an average price of $357,000.

Social housing clients are currently living in three of them "with plans for the remaining property to further support social housing needs," officials said.

The statement said the purchase of the houses followed the Housing Corporation's "established acquisition policy," including appraisals and building condition assessments, prior to purchase.

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The province initiated the process of buying, after some homeowners in the area expressed an interest in selling.

Area residents have in the past spoken out at public meetings about concerns of loitering and drug use in the area around the overnight shelter as well as the Community Outreach Centre, which are located near each other in Charlottetown's east end.

A previous statement from the province said the homes would be provincially owned housing units with rent at about 25 per cent of the tenants' income.

The overnight shelter on nearby Park Street was set up to provide safe housing for those without a place to stay, operating seven days a week from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., providing 50 beds as well as showers and other amenities.