People who have struggled with homelessness or have other special needs have found a home at The Vineyard on Lancaster in Fort Worth, Texas.
Developed by the Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County, the supportive housing community features 98 affordable and six market-rate homes. More than that, the building includes a new health clinic that cares for the area’s most vulnerable residents.
The Vineyard on Lancaster is located on Union Gospel Mission’s campus, so residents have access to all of the organization’s services, including three hot meals a day.
Seen as a key step in ending homelessness in Fort Worth, the new development is home to a diverse set of residents. “They are what I call the underserved or the working poor, or they may be disabled,” says Don Shisler, president and CEO of the longtime organization that ministers to the homeless. “It’s a variety of people who have needs.”
Over the years, Shisler saw how difficult it was for people living in transitional housing to take the next step. Often, the places they moved into were substandard and uninhabitable. “I just thought we could do better,” he says, adding that he hopes The Vineyard on Lancaster will encourage others to build similar projects.
Thirty-four units benefit from project-based vouchers, and 10 benefit from rental assistance through the federal Section 811 program.
To develop the $19.8 million project, developers utilized a variety of financing, including low-income housing tax credits, the National Housing Trust Fund, and contributions from private foundations.
