{"id":733,"date":"2026-05-15T23:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T23:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=733"},"modified":"2026-05-15T23:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T23:05:07","slug":"lakeland-nonprofit-opens-6-5m-apartment-buildings-for-chronically-homeless-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=733","title":{"rendered":"Lakeland nonprofit opens $6.5M apartment buildings for chronically homeless residents"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAKELAND, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>Gospel Inc. recently opened new permanent apartments in Lakeland for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. It is much more than just a roof over their heads; it is a place to build new skills and find a sense of community.<\/p>

Read more Tampa girls flag football: 4 Bay Area teams compete for state titles<\/a><\/p>

Crystal Franco, 49, lives in the renovated trailer park at Gospel Village. Before being welcomed into the Gospel, Inc. program several years ago, she experienced chronic homelessness, living in and out of her car.<\/p>

“There wasn’t a shelter around where I was, so I was just sleeping on sidewalks and behind buildings,” Franco said.<\/p>

<\/div>

By the numbers:<\/p>

Franco is incredibly excited about the organization’s two new apartment buildings, which cost $6.5 million and were funded through private donors, federal funds and city grants.<\/p>

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“When you get yourself into a rut, it’s hard to pull yourself out when you’re broken inside. You don’t have any hope,” Franco said. “I think this is a really big step. You feel human again.”<\/p>

Gospel Inc. Executive Director Ray Steadman explained that the 48 units provide a safe place to land for those who are chronically homeless.\u00a0Residents pay 30% of their income for rent, which operates on a sliding scale.<\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“Anybody who doesn’t have an income is able to work for us, and we’ll give them a job where they can earn their rent,” Steadman said. “They can contribute monetarily or through effort.”<\/p>

Read more Manatee County father arrested after child finds gun under bed, accidentally shoots 5-year-old sibling: MCSO<\/a><\/p>

The property will also feature a new office building housing an art studio, a sewing room, a garage for wood and metalworking, and a health clinic.<\/p>

“They can start to form a community where they can heal, and they can only do that in a place that starts with the first principle, which is a place of permanence,” Steadman said.<\/p>

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“It’s so amazing that people are like, ‘It’s too good to be true,'” Franco said. “But I’ve been here since 2021 when they started this, and I have nothing but trust for them. I love them. They’re my family.”<\/p>

What’s next:<\/p>

Phase 3<\/h2>

The next phase of the project includes the construction of a third apartment building.<\/p>

Move-in timeline<\/h2>

The organization expects it will take four to six weeks to fully occupy all current units.<\/p>

Future upgrades<\/h2>

Going forward, Gospel, Inc. plans to replace some of the older trailer homes with a tiny-house model.<\/p>

Read more Tampa girls flag football: 4 Bay Area teams compete for state titles<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gospel Inc. recently opened new permanent apartments in Lakeland for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. It is much more than just a roof over their heads; it is a place to build new skills and find a sense of community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,83],"tags":[130,85],"class_list":["post-733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-housing","category-lakeland","tag-housing","tag-lakeland"],"yoast_head":"\nLakeland nonprofit opens $6.5M apartment buildings for chronically homeless residents - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=733\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lakeland nonprofit opens $6.5M apartment buildings for chronically homeless residents - Tampa moving journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gospel Inc. recently opened new permanent apartments in Lakeland for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. 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