A block of eight affordable studio apartments was unveiled today with the hope that it will be filled with new tenants by the end of the month.

The apartments, at the old Harmony Club Hotel in Paget, were put up for rent after 18 months of refurbishment.

The apartments are part of an affordable housing project between the Government and the Bermuda Housing Corporation to repurpose the old property for elderly and emergency accommodation.

David Burt said: “The opening of these eight housing units is a testament to the progress that we’ve made, and a further example of the Government fulfilling their promises that they’ve made to the people of Bermuda.”

The Premier added: “The Government does understand the challenges being faced by Bermudians looking for affordable housing options, whether they be Bermudians who are residents on island or Bermudians who are looking to return home.

“Addressing the affordable housing challenge will require continued investment of public funds, and with the $15 million that the Government gave the Bermuda Housing Corporation to provide more affordable housing, the people of Bermuda should know that more units will come online soon to provide even more affordable housing options.”

Harmony Hall is one of several sites being developed by the BHC to provide affordable housing and jobs through the renovation projects.

The project expects to provide 52 studio and one-bedroom units in total when completed.

Harmony Hall is made up of five residential blocks as well as the main building and the gatehouse.

Block B has completed renovations and was unveiled today, and Blocks A and C are at present occupied by tenants.

Blocks D and E are under construction, while the gatehouse is being used for emergency housing.

Each new unit comes equipped with a kitchenette and refurbished bathrooms, as well as a pony wall to provide a degree of separation.

Apartments on the top level come with a covered patio and the building itself has been remodelled to fit a traditional Bermudian style.

A laundry room has been installed at the bottom level of the building, and each apartment comes with its own electricity block to keep tenants responsible for their electricity use.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works, said that Block B will be filled with a combination of residents living in the surrounding residential blocks, those upgrading from transitional homes, and new tenants on the project’s waiting list.

He added that the next phase of the project, set to start as early as the end of the year, will bring in 13 additional units as Block E is renovated.

E. Blake Lambert, the project manager of the site, said that rent for each unit starts at $1,100 per month.