This new 4-story building and campus design is meant to expand and optimize Mariners Inn’s nationally acclaimed programming for alleviating the problems of homelessness and substance abuse. The building offers 44 units of permanent supportive housing, 40 units of recovery housing, and a vast range of community services. 

The design for the ground floor takes advantage of Mariners Inn’s home (since 1955) in the thriving Cass Park neighborhood just north of Detroit’s city center. A number of commercial storefront spaces and a social enterprise cafe line the thoroughfare of Cass Avenue. A glazed open lobby at the corner of Cass and Ledyard connects Mariner Inn’s programming to the larger surrounding community. The program also includes meeting and event spaces, case management, therapy, a peer counseling space, and several resident amenities. The resident amenities include multiple lounges, a computer lab, art/making space, an expansive fitness room, and a private courtyard. The site design includes expanded parking for residents and employees, and provides an income stream for the organization when the local stadiums and arenas are in use. The garden space that ties the new building with the existing structures includes athletic/fitness spaces, a meditative space, dining space, and a play area for visiting families.