SALISBURY — At the Feb. 20 meeting, the Salisbury City Council agreed to enter into a contract agreement with Shelter Ministries of Rowan in conjunction with Rowan Helping Ministries to build 10 permanent supportive housing units at the corner of East Council and North Shaver streets. 

In 2021, Congress established the $5 billion American Rescue Plan “to be administered through the HOME Investment Partnership to address the need for housing and services for those experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness.”

Since Salisbury is a member of the Cabarrus/Iredell/Rowan HOME Consortium, they were awarded $525,940 from this plan. The contract amount totals $487,247 and the remaining $38,693 will go towards administration fees. The project’s entire cost is $2.93 million. Shelter Ministries has also been given $1.63 million from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency and $738,812 from Rowan County. 

“That leaves about a $600,000 gap that can be filled from a bank loan and from their capital campaign,” Planning and Neighborhoods Director Hannah Jacobson said.

The project will consist of “a campus-style residential development comprising five duplexes with 10 units total” as reported from the Dec. 5 city council meeting. It will not be transitional housing, but for individuals seeking steady care with no timeline on when they have to move out. 

Rowan Helping Ministries already operates three permanent supportive housing properties and have had people live there until they passed away.

Rowan Helping Ministries Executive Director Kyna Grubb said that due to them receiving HUD finding for the development, construction will not start until “summer, late summer.”

“It requires a lot more boxes to check before we can begin construction,” Grubb said.