SHREVEPORT, La. — The Shreveport Metropolitan Planning Commission has given the green light to a major expansion project for Providence House aimed at transitioning homeless families into permanent housing.
The project, which is slated for the Downtown Arts District, includes the construction of a four-story apartment building and four new homes. The initiative is backed by a significant grant from Bloomberg.
Organizers stated the primary goal of the development is to provide more than just temporary shelter.
"We hope that we will be able to move families from homelessness to home ownership, creating generational wealth... owning their own property," said Sharpel Welch, executive director of Providence House. "So, neither the families that we serve nor anybody attached to that family needs to be homeless ever again."
However, the proposal faced pushback from local residents. Neighbors expressed concerns regarding the scale and design of the four-story apartment building. Some critics described the building as a "Motel 6 style" structure, arguing that it does not align with the aesthetic of the historic area.
Despite these objections, the board voted to approve the necessary zoning change to allow the project to move forward.