Native American Connections builds affordable housing for homeless seniors

If you've driven past a construction site at the northwest corner of Third Street and Osborn and wondered what's being built — and we know from our emails that some readers have — we've got you.

Driving the news: Native American Connections, a nonprofit that operates affordable housing sites across the Valley, is constructing a four-story building with 48 units for chronically homeless seniors, according to documents submitted to the City of Phoenix.

Why it matters: The Valley is struggling with a massive homelessness problem, much of it fueled by a lack of affordable housing.

Details: NAC owns and operates 850 units of income-based and affordable housing throughout the Phoenix area, according to the group's website.

• Michael Rosenthal, a spokesperson for the organization, told Axios Phoenix the facility will be a hybrid between its affordable housing and permanent supportive housing models.
• Osborn Pointe, as the facility will be called, will also have "wraparound services" on site to connect residents to health care and other resources.
• NAC expects to open the facility sometime in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Between the lines: The city approved NAC's request to reduce the parking space requirement for the site from 36 to eight.

• The organization said the population it serves largely doesn't own cars and instead uses public transportation and bicycles. There will be a bicycle storage area and repair shop on site.
• The nearest light rail stop is less than a half-mile west, at Central Avenue and Osborn.

The big picture: That intersection, and in particular that corner, is already home to other organizations that provide services to people in need.

• The Recovery Empowerment Network operates a substance abuse treatment facility to the west of the NAC site.
• A Southwest Behavioral Health Services facility is directly to the north.