CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — A new housing development in Chattanooga is getting close to completion, with a mission to make affordable living possible for people struggling with severe mental illness.
The project, called Espero Chattanooga, is being built along East Main Street. Developers say the $21 million development will include 60 apartment units, with at least 19 reserved for individuals who are justice-involved or chronically homeless and living with serious mental illnesses.
Those units are set aside for people earning about 30 percent of the area’s median income — roughly $20,000 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
For people like Justina Fuget, who is on the Espero waitlist, the promise of affordable housing offers real hope.
It’s a lot of us that’s going to be paying extra rent starting next year,” Fuget said. “Right now, where I stay, it’s going to go up to $898 for a one-bedroom. With me going to school and working, I feel like I’ll be better off and afford the housing, because I’d be able to pay my rent and still have money left over, instead of just spending the whole paycheck.
The City of Chattanooga donated the land for the project.
Construction on Espero Chattanooga is expected to wrap up by spring of next year.