CenterPointe will manage Lincoln’s first supportive housing project, which is being designed by Sinclair Hille Architects at the corner of Eighth and J streets, city officials announced Thursday.
The $5.2 million, 24-unit apartment building will be located at 802 J St., and CenterPointe will offer wraparound services for a project city officials say is a big step toward functionally ending chronic homelessness — the most vulnerable of the homeless population.
Residents of the new housing project will be able to access pharmacy, counseling and health services at CenterPointe’s newly opened Campus for Health and WellBeing at the former site of Trabert Hall, 2202 S. 11th St., said Topher Hansen, CenterPointe chief executive.
“This is a huge step forward in addressing some of the issues we face,†Hansen said. “Basic needs is where it all starts . . . living without stable housing can drastically worsen health. Homelessness can exacerbate mental illness and make ending problematic substance use very difficult and prevent chronic physical health conditions from being addressed.â€
CenterPointe case managers understand the intersectionality of homelessness, mental health and substance abuse issues well, he said. The nonprofit offers similar supportive housing, but this will be the first city-run project.
While overall homelessness in Lincoln has decreased, the portion of the homeless population considered chronically homeless has increased from 12% to 24% over the past seven years, said Jeff Chambers, with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Children, Families and the Law and a representative of the Lincoln Homeless Coalition.
Such a supportive housing project can reduce emergency room, corrections and other acute care costs by 40% to 60%, Chambers said. Over three years, the project is estimated to save the community $1 million to $1.5 million in such costs.
In addition to the 24 apartments, the two-story, 15,000-square-foot apartment building will have a secure entry lobby, a secured front porch, and a shared kitchen, laundry and gathering spaces, said Dan Grasso, a principal architect with Sinclair Hille.
The building also will feature offices, meeting space and 11 off-street parking stalls for CenterPointe staff, a fenced backyard on the north side of the building that will offer residents green space, a garden and places to park their bikes.Â
Later this month, the City Council will vote on a land swap agreement with Lancaster County that will give the city full ownership of a parking lot at 802 J St., where the project will be built.
The city is using two American Rescue Plan Act grants totaling $5.2 million to build the center, and operating costs will be offset by a $292,000 annual, renewable Housing and Urban Development grant.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said the grant won’t cover all operational costs, and Urban Development officials are working to determine what the city's annual cost will be and how it will be financed. They hope to work with the Lincoln Housing Authority and its housing voucher program to help reduce costs.
Residents will be referred to the program through the city's coordinated entry system, which prioritizes the needs of homeless people identified by various entities including police, outreach workers and shelters.
Construction is slated to begin in October and be done in late 2025.
Lincoln City Councilman Brodey Weber said the project is a tangible solution to chronic homelessness.
"This beauty of this is that it understands that a home is the foundation but that support services are absolutely critical to success," he said.
This rendering shows the proposed city-run supportive housing project that will be built at 802 J St. The $5.2 million project will have 24 apartments and will be managed by CenterPointe.