The council heard a presentation about a two-year, $400,000 Bloomberg Philanthropies grant the city will accept to advance construction of modular housing intended for homeless families.

A city representative described the plan: Providence House will demolish a 10,000-square-foot warehouse on its property, construct modular housing units on that site and double the number of people it can serve (from roughly 80 to about 160). The representative said the modular approach could be a model that can be replicated in other communities.

Project funding and timeline
City staff said the modular-housing project is estimated at roughly $3 million in total cost; Providence House will enter a cooperative endeavor agreement with the city and will be responsible for raising additional funds beyond the Bloomberg grant. The project is intended to allow Providence House to maintain and expand services that the existing historic building (built in 1944) can no longer reliably provide.

Public and council reaction
Council members discussed possible pilot sites and private fundraising models used in other cities. Councilman Butcher suggested exploring land adjacent to the VA hospital as a potential site for similar projects. No formal council action to appropriate additional funds was taken at the meeting.

Next steps
City staff said Providence House will proceed with planning and fundraising. The council listed the item as a resolution for introduction; further details on fundraising, timeline and council or bond support will be discussed in later meetings.