The goal is to provide stability for older people in the region who can't afford housing in the region's escalating rental market.
The project, called Mission View Village, will have 20 500-square-foot homes, in duplex and triplex style, on a 0.9-acre lot on the south side of the city.
Gospel Rescue Mission Executive Director Brian Bouteller said the homes will be for seniors who can live independently and are sober.
"Even the neighborhood here on Harbeck shouldn't have too much of a problem," he said. "We're not bringing in folks that are otherwise problematic due to drugs and alcohol, crime and that kind of stuff. These are folks that are largely just, really their biggest fault is not planning well and not planning well for their future."
He said the project is needed because seniors over 50 are the fastest growing group of homeless people, and rental prices in the area are often out of reach.
The Mission also runs a men’s shelter, women and children's shelter and two thrift stores.
While there's a list of rules residents must abide by to stay at the Mission's other shelters, Bouteller said this site will be less stringent.
"At the Gospel Rescue Mission, somebody coming in off the streets, they're getting up at 5:30 in the morning. Their day is fairly regimented," he said. "But a 70-year-old might not need that same kind of rigor."
Residents will have to be 55 or older, pay a fee of 30% of their income and follow the Mission’s program, which includes community service and church attendance.
They can live at Mission View Village long-term and will receive case management, financial coaching so they can increase their savings and other assistance.
The site is not meant for people who are medically fragile or can't take care of themselves.
Bouteller said they want to give seniors a space to live independently, build community and thrive.
"It's really important that we're actually helping people become the opposite of homeless. And so whatever that is, we can call it homeful. We can call it independent," he said. "We want them to be good citizens. We want them to be good neighbors."
Mission View Village will not have an open application. Rather, Bouteller said residents will be people the Mission is already working with.
The Mission already owns the land, which will also have parking and a community center with laundry.
The project will cost $2.1 million to build, which the Mission will pay for mostly through private donations and a grant. With funding acquired, site work can now begin.
The first half of the homes is expected to open next summer.
