DETROIT – A new facility aimed at helping those who have faced chronic homelessness is set to open soon in Midtown Detroit.
The Anchor and Mariners Inn is a brand-new residential and supportive housing development in the Cass Park neighborhood. It promises a new chapter for those in need of a stable and supportive home.
Background: Detroit shelter expands services helping homeless with substance abuse treatment
For George Hubbell, moving into the new apartment means more than just housing. It’s a chance to rebuild his life after years of addiction. In 2018, he was dealing with drugs and alcohol when his fiance -- with whom he shares two daughters -- developed Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“I was going through all kind of stuff I was hiding from my daughters,” Hubbell said. “I was hiding from everybody because I didn’t want anyone to see me cause I was doing so bad.”
After his fiance died, he spiraled even more out of control. That’s when he found the Mariners Inn.
“I didn’t really want to come here for treatment. I wanted to come somewhere and get a few days under my belt and go back out there in the madness,” Hubbell recalled. “I wasn’t ready to surrender but when I got here, I saw my friend Scott -- he works here now too. He was doing the floors the next night and I said, ‘Wait a minute. I used to get high with him and he’s doing great!' I said maybe I can do this.”
After a few years of assistance from Mariners Inn, he will now get a new place at The Anchor. The new construction development brings 44 permanent supportive housing units and 40 recovery housing units to the neighborhood specifically designed to help individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness or need recovery from addiction.
“We are right in the middle of District Detroit. We’re right across the street from Little Caesars Arena, across the street from Cass Tech High School, Masonic Temple and a mile away from Downtown Detroit,” said Mariners Inn CEO David Sampson. “Typically you wouldn’t necessarily see a development for the homeless that have abused substances before in this area but this is going to help because this is where the need is.”
The opening of The Anchor is the culmination of years of work. Sampson said the facility is a game changer for the city’s efforts to combat chronic homelessness and provide lasting support to those who need it most.
“I might have been in jail or dead, but I thank God that’s what makes this place The Anchor,” Hubbell said. “Because the people that work here everybody I met here, they care about you.”