With the increased need for affordable housing, two organizations are coming together with a new project.
TRAVERSE CITY -- The need for affordable housing is a growing challenge- but it's being met with a unique housing project.
"Keystone Village which we've been working on with Homestretch is really a supportive housing, 24 units for families," says Ruth Blick with the Goodwill Inn.
Blick says the homeless shelter along with HomeStretch Non-Profit Housing Corporation is working on the project together. The goal is to provide housing and support to homeless families and individuals.
"Some people just need that little extra somebody following along to make sure they don't fall through the cracks again....So the supportive housing services really give the people an opportunity to have a little bit of support in their lives," says Blick.
"There was a need in the community an identified need for quite awhile for supportive housing units and we decided that MSHDA is making more funds available to this type of housing," says HomeStretch executive director, Bill Merry.
Keystone Village will be built in this wooded area next door to the Goodwill Inn and Blick says the need for this housing is critical.
"There are people that it's hard for them to come to homeless shelters, they may have some mental challenges or other issues....moving people into their own place can really give them that sense of security," says Blick.
It's this critical need that Merry says will continue even after Keystone is built.
"Because of the economy, more people homeless, more people requiring supportive services. So we're hoping it's a good learning experience and go ahead and do another one after this one," says Merry.
Construction of Keystone Village is expected to start at the end of August. The total cost of the project is $3.8 million.
