The Opportunity
Mariners Inn had nearly a century of experience helping people recover from substance use disorder and homelessness, but its physical campus limited how many people — and who — it could serve. The opportunity was to build housing and treatment capacity together in a highly connected location next to the District Detroit, with its amenities and employment opportunities.
The Challenge
The project combined supportive housing, recovery housing, treatment and service functions, and retail in a complex capital stack, while keeping Mariners Inn’s operations running and designing an environment centered on dignity rather than institutionalization.
The Approach
Treat housing and recovery services as one integrated platform. The $25.95 million development paired 44 permanent supportive homes with 40 furnished recovery-housing units, counseling, therapy and career-support spaces, health services, community amenities and ground-floor retail.
The Result
The Anchor opened in March 2025, doubling Mariners Inn’s capacity, expanding its services to women for the first time, and creating a new setting for housing, treatment, workforce development and recovery in the heart of Detroit.
Why It Matters
Real estate can be infrastructure for human recovery. Supportive housing is most powerful when the building, the services, the location and the partnerships all reinforce dignity, stability and access to opportunity.