Mayor Mike Duggan and city officials joined Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO) today to officially unveil the Clay Apartments. The event marked the completion of the first of two development phases that will comprise the new Healthy Housing Campus once the construction of Phase II is completed.
The two-story Clay Apartments stands at 3364 Mack Ave., near Gratiot, in Detroit’s McDougall-Hunt neighborhood and was made possible with support from the City of Detroit and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). Residents will begin moving in within the next few weeks, and will be provided permanent housing and additional wraparound services to address the economic, health and social barriers to stability.
The building’s first floor houses NSO’s on-site staff who will support residents with person-centered services to help them improve their quality of life while at the Clay Apartments and beyond. Some supportive services include linkages to primary care and behavioral health care, substance abuse treatment, workforce placement and readiness training, and restorative services. The building’s 42 one-bedroom apartments for single adults have 30 percent reserved for those with complex medical conditions that have required frequent hospitalizations.
“This incredible new facility is an example of our strategy to help more people stay out of homelessness, as opposed to just providing temporary overnight shelter,” Mayor Mike Duggan said. “Thanks to the NSO, residents here will have access to their own private apartment and a range of support services that will help them on their new path in life.”
The building is the first piece of a two-phase, $20 million campus dedicated to promoting health equity and improving outcomes and well-being for those experiencing homelessness, as well as uplifting the community. The Clay Apartments is named in honor of Sheilah Clay, who retired as president and CEO of NSO in 2018 after spending 22 years with the organization. “The Clay Apartments is a critical step toward addressing the healthy housing needs in the Detroit community,” said Linda Little, president and CEO of NSO. “The timing of the opening also comes when more Detroiters are experiencing housing instability due to the eviction moratorium expiration, as the ranks of the working poor increase. COVID-19 has only illuminated the heightened vulnerability of our community members, how housing insecurity can affect everyday people, and the deep inequities in access to health care and housing. This Healthy Housing Campus completely reimagines the approach to address homelessness and provides an opportunity for the community to support this transformative solution for Detroiters. We are only as strong as our weakest link. Addressing health and social inequities for some of Detroit’s most vulnerable populations makes us all stronger.” NSO is the only shelter provider in Detroit with medical and behavioral health services on site, which makes the launch of Healthy Housing Campus all the more important.
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