NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At the corner of South 5th Street and Shelby Avenue, Samaritan Recovery Community is building a new rehab center, and that's not all.
The project, called Shelby House, will also include hundreds of apartments for program graduates and whoever else needs an affordable place to live.
"That's the heart of Samaritan — the under-served population, the indigent population," said Mark Lasko, executive director at Samaritan Recovery Community.
Since 1964, Samaritan Recovery Community has been headquartered on South 4th Street in East Nashville. The new construction will more than double their capacity.
"We're not going to have a difficult time filling up 130 beds, but the great news is that's 130 beds that will be available to meet those needs," Lasko said.
The other, blatant need in Nashville is affordable housing. To help meet that need, the center and two developers are building an additional 484 affordable apartments for people in the city.
"70% of our patients need affordable housing. So, we see it every single day," Lasko said.
To qualify for an apartment in Phase 1, a family must make between 20% and 80% of the area median income (AMI). According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, AMI in Davidson County for FY 2022 is $96,700 dollars. Therefore, incomes between $19,340 and $77,360 will be considered. Phase 1 is expected to be completed by Fall 2023.
Samaritan Recovery Community is reserving 48 apartments for graduates of their programs.
"We wanted to remain here. We didn't want to just sell the property to a developer and have a surplus. We wanted to make sure we were invested in this community," Lasko said.
During the construction, Samaritan Recovery Community's existing campus will be able to stay operational next door.
