Lansing residents can meet the full project team behind the city's NOVA housing initiative on Tuesday, Aug. 18, when the Human Relations and Community Services Department hosts a community meet-and-greet at the Foster Community Center.
The meeting, scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 213 at 200 N. Foster Ave., will feature construction and design updates from the operating agency, contractor, engineer and architect working on the project, the city announced on X on Monday, Aug. 10.
The gathering is the first to feature the full project team before the public, and its agenda of construction and design updates indicates the initiative has advanced beyond its earlier planning phase.
What is NOVA?
The NOVA Lansing Housing Initiative, also called the ModPod community, is a city-led effort to build a structured outdoor community of temporary housing pods aimed at addressing homelessness. The city budgeted $645,000 to purchase 50 pods — 36 single units and 14 double-bed units — targeting working-age individuals ready for housing stability, according to Fox 47 News reporting from August 2025.
Plans also call for a resource center to serve as a housing navigation hub with case management and workforce development services.
HRCS interim director Delvata Moses told Fox 47 in August 2025: "We are envisioning creating a mod pod community which is a safe outdoor community, designed to address homelessness."
Previous NOVA meetings
The Aug. 18 gathering will be at least the fourth public meeting on NOVA since November 2025. The city held a location-input session that month, followed by a joint advisory board meeting on Jan. 27 at the Schmidt Community Center to recommend a site, and a Ward 2 neighborhood meeting on March 26 at the Lansing Elections Office on West Jolly Road.
As of the January meeting, the advisory boards' site recommendation still required final approval from Mayor Andy Schor and the Lansing City Council, WILX News 10 reported. The city has not publicly confirmed the final approved location through available sources.
How to attend
The meeting is open to everyone. Residents with questions can contact Moses at (517) 483-4477 or [email protected]. Additional information about the initiative is available at lansingmi.gov/nova.
