Lansing residents can question the contractor, engineer and architect behind a planned 50-unit modular housing community for people experiencing homelessness at a public meeting Tuesday, Aug. 18.

The City of Lansing's Human Relations and Community Services Department is hosting a meet-and-greet for the NOVA Lansing Housing Initiative from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Foster Community Center, Room 213, 200 N. Foster Ave. The city announced the event on X, calling it open to everyone.

Representatives from the operating agency, construction contractor, engineer and architect will be on hand to share construction and design updates and answer questions.

What is NOVA?

The NOVA initiative calls for 50 modular units, dubbed "Mod Pods," to provide transitional housing with access to social services for Lansing and Ingham County residents who are unhoused. The city hopes to open the community before winter, according to an Aug. 10 Lansing State Journal report, though no firm opening date has been confirmed.

The need is acute. Ingham County's annual street survey counted approximately 850 people experiencing homelessness in 2026, up from an average of about 660 in 2023, 2024 and 2025, according to Ingham County Treasurer Alan Fox, who chairs the county's Housing Trust Fund Board.

Years of community input

Community engagement for NOVA began in 2023, according to a city planning document from late 2025. Over two years, the city hosted more than 15 public meetings drawing more than 500 attendees, including at least one meeting in each ward. A homelessness study called "Lansing Path Forward," completed in April 2025, identified transitional housing as one of nine key recommendations.

Five community work groups focused on outreach, resident input, community building, communication and partnerships have more than 50 participants, including people with lived experience of homelessness. Those groups remain open to new members.

Funding comes from a mix of city, county, state and federal sources. Ingham County has committed $600,000 to the project.

Randy Barton, executive director of the City Rescue Mission of Lansing, praised the city's broader approach to homelessness in an Aug. 10 Lansing State Journal interview about the mission's new downtown location. "The collaborative effort has increased significantly and that's trending in the right direction," Barton said. That interview did not address the NOVA pod project specifically.

How to attend or get involved

Tuesday's meeting is at Foster Community Center, Room 213, 200 N. Foster Ave., from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Residents who cannot attend can contact HRCS interim director Delvata Moses at (517) 483-4477 or [email protected]. More project details are available at lansingmi.gov/nova-lansing-housing-initiative.