Next Step close to breaking ground on $6.1 million ‘neighborhood’

The Next Step in Fort Smith, a homeless support services nonprofit focused for more than 20 years on providing temporary housing, is making strides in getting their next step ready to help those in the area without a home.

Though groundbreaking is at least a month away, the city of Fort Smith recently issued a building permit for $5.57 million in new construction at 816 S. Sixth Street, the future sight of the Next Step Neighborhood.

After months of requests, rejected requests, community meetings, study sessions and negotiations, the Fort Smith Board of Directors voted to approve a planned zoning district (PZD) at 815 S. Sixth St. in 2022 that allows a new facility for Next Step Day Room. The ordinance allows Next Step to move its base operations from North Sixth Street to approximately four acres on the northeast corner of South I and South Sixth streets. The zone change to a PZD allows a homeless shelter with non-congregate housing.

Hope Campus at 301 S. E St. has congregate housing, but no non-congregate space.

“There are people, who for one reason or another, just can’t do congregate housing. We want to provide low-barrier housing for people who need it,” said Sharon Chapman, Next Step executive director

Next Step owns nine community transitional support homes and has four apartments provided by a local church that are high-barrier, meaning those staying in them have to agree to be drug and alcohol free, to have employment and to be working toward more permanent housing.

The new facility at 816 S. Sixth St. will be for individuals who do not qualify for those homes but need housing. The “neighborhood” will consist of 30 mini units that will have a bed, bathroom with shower, mini-fridge and place to store clothing. There will be male units, female units and a few couple units. All units will be about 200 to 250-square-feet.

“We aren’t doing any family housing there. We have other places for families in Fort Smith. We need housing for individuals,” Chapman said.

The complex will also include an 8,000-square-foot service building with a kitchen where residents can prepare food, meeting space, volunteer space, laundry facilities for those living in the neighborhood, offices and a multi-purpose area. The kitchen space will also be used for teaching programs.

“There also will be a health room where nursing and medical school students can do exams,” Chapman said. “There will be space for classes and for our clients to meet with the case managers. It’ll be a big building where we can do multiple things. We want this to have a very neighborhood feel, so that those living there exist together and work together as a community.”

The total cost for the neighborhood is expected to be around $6.1 million if construction costs don’t rise, Chapman said, noting that they have already raised around $5.5 million through grants and donations.

A big portion of funding has come from the HOME Investment Partnerships American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) Program, which provides federal funding to state and local governments, aimed at reducing homelessness and increasing housing stability for vulnerable populations. HOME-ARP focuses on creating affordable rental housing, developing non-congregate shelters, providing tenant-based rental assistance, and offering supportive services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Because much of the funding is through federal grants, groundbreaking has to wait on all paperwork being finalized, Chapman said. Next Step has cleared the land and OG&E has moved electricity lines in preparation, she said. Construction should take about 18-months to complete once ground is broken.

“As soon as we are allowed to break ground, we will. We are very excited to get this started. Right now, we are just waiting for the paperwork to be done,” Chapman said.

Next Step also is preparing to launch a fundraising drive for the $500,000-$600,000 still needed to complete the project.

“We’re hoping groups and organizations will go together to sponsor one of the mini-houses or a room in the service building. We want to open this and have no debt,” Chapman said.

Because residents will not be able to pay rent, Next Step will need to fund the operation of the units. Next Step’s facility and emergency day shelter, which is rented from St. John’s Episcopal Church, on North Sixth Street will close when the new facility is open. The Next Step Day Room opened in 2002 at 123 N. Sixth St. to provide daytime shelter for the homeless. Its mission grew over the years to Next Step Services.

Next Step provides transitional housing to about 40 men, women and children a night, and case management and supportive services to more than 400 individuals a month, according to its website.