Robert Collins, who spent eight years without stable housing, now lives in an apartment at Serenade on 40 3rd, a new supportive housing development in City Heights, a county news segment reported. The segment said the project was built by Wakeland Housing and Development and Housing Innovation Partners with a county investment of $6,400,000.

The news segment portrayed Collins’s move as immediate and life-changing. Collins, speaking about his new home, said, “This is really good,” and described feeling “blessed” after getting sober and reconnecting with his family. He also described the practical relief of having a door he can lock: “I don’t have to try to put, like, a little zip tie on my tent. I can jiggle my keys and remind myself. I can open and shut my door anytime I want.”

According to the segment, Serenade on 40 3rd provides 65 affordable homes alongside a courtyard, a community room and murals. The segment attributed the development to Wakeland Housing and Development and Housing Innovation Partners and cited a county investment of $6,400,000; it also credited Robert’s care team and the nonprofit Alpha Project with helping secure his placement.

Collins said the change followed a decision to get sober and rebuild family ties: “If I don’t start living for them, they’re never gonna see me.” The segment noted he made that decision about nine months earlier and that outreach partners connected him with housing at Serenade.

The segment framed the development as part of local efforts to provide supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. The report did not specify which county office provided the $6,400,000 investment nor list other funding sources. The segment closed with the reporter identifying herself: “In the county news center, I’m Anita Lightfoot.”

The county news segment offered a resident-focused account of how a newly completed project and local outreach partners combined to place a formerly homeless resident into permanent housing. The segment did not include details about ongoing services, tenancy terms or whether the project received additional public or private funding beyond the county investment cited.