Mayor Duggan joins Mariners Inn in breaking ground on new facility in District Detroit, helping save more lives

• $24 million project will help more metro Detroiters battle substance use with residential treatment program.
• In addition to housing, The Anchor will allow for job-training, medical and health clinic, emergency shelter and more.
• New building will rise on existing campus, doubling its capacity while expanding services.

Mayor Mike Duggan joined Mariners Inn, Cinnaire Solutions and the community to break ground on The Anchor at Mariners Inn, a 65,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art residential substance-use treatment facility that will double the number of Detroiters it serves and allow the organization to serve women for the first time in its nearly 100-year history.

The $24 million development will be built at Cass Avenue and Ledyard Street, next to the current Mariners Inn facility. The Anchor will expand Mariners’ residential treatment program with 40 new fully furnished recovery housing apartments, 44 units of fully furnished permanent supportive housing, private counseling and therapy, and career education and job training services, as well as help with small-business ventures. The new residential space also gives Mariners the space to serve female clients for the first time and offer them housing. With the new building, the existing Mariners buildings will be repurposed to add a new kitchen and cafeteria, an emergency shelter and a medical and mental health clinic.

By moving the 40 residential treatment units into the new building, Mariners can repurpose its current building to expand the services it offers. The new facility also will feature a computer lab to help clients’ chances of success, exercise areas, expanded services for women and families, and first-floor retail space serving the District Detroit area.

“This will be a nurturing space that transforms the way people are cared for and treated and builds on the revitalization and growth we are seeing around us,” said David Sampson, chief executive officer of Mariners Inn. “This new facility will help us serve even more people and save even more lives, helping us to make a true difference in our community.”

Mariners Inn is one of Southeast Michigan’s most celebrated substance-use treatment and recovery centers, serving almost 2,000 clients each year. Since 1925, Mariners has provided help and opportunity to adults, families and youth affected by addiction and homelessness through residential substance-use treatment. The organization is a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and a refuge for those in need, with the mission of providing professional and compassionate residential substance-use treatment for homeless men, helping them regain their health, independence and self-esteem.

The Anchor at Mariners Inn will join several significant projects already built in the District Detroit, as well as announced developments such as the Ross Detroit Innovation Center

and the refurbishment of several long-time abandoned buildings being transformed into affordable housing units. The project is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2024, and will not disrupt ongoing services that Mariners offers to existing clients.

“The fact that we are helping Mariners Inn build this incredibly important, life-changing development in the heart of District Detroit shows how we are building a Detroit for everyone,” Mayor Mike Duggan said. “Mariners Inn is an organization that has helped turn around thousands of our fellow Detroiters’ lives, and now thanks to The Anchor at Mariners Inn, it will be able to help even more.”

Mariners Inn’s treatment philosophy is recovery-focused and person-centered. Its services include a residential treatment program and recovery housing, a family therapy program, social enterprise and workforce development, case management, an intensive outpatient treatment program, peer mentoring and more.

“Without a stable place to live and a support system to help them address underlying problems, most homeless people shift from one emergency system to the next - from the streets to shelters, to public hospitals, to psychiatric institutions, substance abuse treatment centers, and detox centers, and ultimately, back to the streets - in an endless cycle,” said Shaun Wilson, president of the Mariners Inn board of trustees. “We are dedicated to breaking that cycle through providing stable housing, which is key. That’s what makes the Anchor so important, as it will allow us to address one of the most significant gaps in the substance-use treatment system.”

Mariners Inn partnered with Cinnaire Solutions to make The Anchor a reality. Ethos Development Partners served as a consultant throughout the development process. Cinnaire Solutions is the nonprofit development branch of Cinnaire which has a 30-year history of supporting affordable housing and supportive service developments in Detroit. Cinnaire has created more than 5,700 affordable homes in 91 housing developments and 13 community facilities in Detroit, while supporting development with more than $68 million in loans and investing more than $500 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credit Equity.

“Our development philosophy is based on our belief that all people struggle on some level,” said Chris Laurent, president of Cinnaire Solutions. “We have no higher purpose than to serve others and support their humanity. We’ve worked for the past five years collaborating with Mariners Inn to create an environment of dignity and opportunity, within walking distance of several employment opportunities, including the downtown and midtown regions Detroit.”

The project secured funding through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), HOME and Community Development Block Grant funding through the City of Detroit Housing & Revitalization Department (HRD), and generous donations from individuals.

“The Housing & Revitalization Department is proud to be able to help Mariners Inn not only continue doing its incredible work in our community, but to help them reach even more families,” said Julie Schneider, director of HRD. “Our mission is to serve all people of Detroit, especially those who need help the most. This important project is testament to that commitment and will change thousands of lives for the better.”

With its location in the District Detroit, The Anchor at Mariners Inn is bringing more than just services, but quality, affordable housing and access to retail, jobs, transportation and more.

The Anchor is being developed by the Mariners Inn and Cinnaire Solutions with support provided partner organizations and financial institutions including: Citizens Bank, Flagstar Bank, MSHDA, MASCO, McGregor FUND, NEF, LBBA Architects, and O’Brien Construction.

“Helping finance The Anchor was an easy decision, because metro Detroiters have shown that when they have access to residential treatment, they are more likely to be successful in recovery,” said MSHDA Executive Director Amy Hovey. “These apartments will transform lives by providing permanent, supportive housing in a safe space where residents can receive the services needed to reach their full potential.”