Plans to convert a former church rectory into a residential treatment centre have been submitted to the Department of Planning.

The project, launched by Habitat for Humanity of Bermuda along with the Anglican Church of Bermuda and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, would make interior renovations to turn the old St James Church rectory into a facility to provide around-the-clock care for patients with long-term mental health conditions.

The plans propose interior changes to create an additional three bedrooms in the historic five-bedroom building, convert a store to a study and replace wooden stairs.

The application also proposes a series of repairs to the building including restorative work on the building’s front door and replacing termite-damaged rafters.

A cover letter included with the application said: “The BHB/MWI are on a mission to deinstitutionalise the care of their patients.

“What that means, in short, is that they are moving patients out of the MWI facility into family homes of their own throughout the community. Those leaving MWI are placed in a family home scenario and live and function just as we all do in our own homes.

“This model has already proved successful. With the Rectory, the opportunity to house eight people, fully mobile and independent, was offered by the Wardens of the Rectory.

“With the help of Habitat, the mandate for deinstitutionalising — and destigmatising —mental health patients is being met.”

Sheelagh Cooper, Habitat Bermuda spokeswoman, said: “The Rectory will be their new home and will be staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week with MWI staff, who will assist the residents with all their needs.”

The proposal was announced last year with Preston Swan, the acting chief operating officer of the BHB, saying that the project represented a shift in the way mental health treatment was provided — moving away from institutionalised care to community care.

He added: “People with mental health needs have better outcomes when housed and supported in their local community, surrounded by their loved ones.

“Providing a stable rehabilitation model in the community helps to improve their quality of life and reduces the frequency of relapse and/or readmission to acute inpatient services.”

A fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the works was launched this year.

The former St James Church rectory, in Sandys, is the second large-scale community-driven project by Habitat for Humanity.

In a partnership project with the Women’s Resource Centre, it restored a former rest home in Pembroke to become the Transformational Living Centre for Families, which opened last year