LAKELAND, Fla. — The walls are finally up for a new 72-unit housing development in Lakeland. Gospel Inc. first received funding from city commissioners to begin construction earlier this year.
Today, the community was invited to bless the homes with scriptures and prayers on the walls.
Anne McGuffin said her faith is her guide as she navigates her path towards sobriety and living a drug free life.
“I never thought I could start over," she said. "I didn’t know if that was OK."
McGuffin has been living in this home since 2018. Unlike most people who live in the Gospel Villages, she was here before Gospel Inc. purchased the property.
Over the years, McGuffin says she’s seen the property change into a Christ-centered community serving the homeless population. With people in similar situations as her, working to transform their lives too.
She says neighbors have become family, something Ray Steadman, the executive director for Gospel Inc., hopes will transfer over to its new development for the homeless community.
“Our solution is for those individuals who kind of get caught in that cul-de-sac of homelessness where there are no more service providers to help. That’s where we step in,” he said.
This is the first phase of the 72-unit development. It will house 48 people with the goal of getting them off the streets and into a home.
McGuffin said she knows the importance of having a roof over your head, and that’s what this development provides.
“You’re never alone," she said. "It gets tough and now you have a community right in front of you to visually see, to bring you out of the darkness."
Gospel Inc. representatives say they have a waitlist for those interested in moving into the development, and expect move-ins to happen in January of next year.
