KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Volunteer Ministry Center will soon open new supportive housing homes. Caswell Manor will have 48 units and is set to welcome the first people on Monday. It will house people who chronically experience homelessness or who have a disability.
These homes will meet three big needs in East Tennessee. They are affordable, and accessible and provide long-term housing solutions. For many in the community, it will be home for months or years.
Bruce Spangler, Chief Executive Officer, said having a home is a basic part of life for every individual.
"Everybody aches for home," he said. "They're one of us. I resist the language of 'we' and 'them,' because it's one of us."
He said people at Caswell Manor are neighbors with the ministry. Each room in the building is designed to help people with their traumatic pasts and meet their daily needs. Rooms have large big windows and open concept designs.
"It has its own living area as well, a full-size kitchen with all the appliances that has a full-size bath and a full-size bedroom and we provide the basic furnish," he said.
After years of work, Spangler says it's his team's purpose and calling that keeps them going. For him, it's about closing one of the biggest gaps he sees at home.
"You're not helping someone experiencing homelessness until housing is part of the equation," he said.
Caswell Manor will provide services like interpersonal counseling, skills training, workforce re-entry training, financial literacy, education and more. According to the project's website, property attendants will also be on-site around the clock.
According to the website, it will also be managed by Emerald Housing Management, which they said has experience operating supportive housing.