photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Members of Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church, staff of Family Promise of Lawrence and other community members participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony for Promise Heights on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

A new housing development will help transition families into long-term housing, and it will be welcoming its first families in mid-September.

Dozens of people attended Tuesday afternoon’s ribbon cutting ceremony for the new transitional housing development known as Promise Heights. The apartments are near the corner of Tennessee and Ninth streets and will serve six families who had recently been homeless.

Brenda Wahl, executive director of Family Promise of Lawrence, told the crowd that projects like this happen when the community invests in organizations to create housing.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Brenda Wahl, executive director of Family Promise of Lawrence, speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Promise Heights on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

“It’s because families looking for housing who are low income and income limited, who have an eviction on their record, who don’t have a salary that’s three times the rent, who don’t have a co-signer, who can’t afford move-in costs, these families will be homeless,” Wahl said. “If our community does not come together to provide sufficient, affordable and supportive housing … they do not have the means to get into safe, sustainable housing.”

Wahl added that Family Promise receives calls daily – an average of eight calls a day – five days a week from families who cannot get into housing or who are at risk of losing their housing.

“We have come together to bring this dream to life because we all believe that housing is the solution to family homelessness, and it takes all of us supporting this work,” Wahl said.

Promise Heights was developed in partnership between Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church and Family Promise of Lawrence, a nonprofit that helps families experiencing homelessness achieve long-term stability. The project also received $300,000 from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund in 2024, as the Journal-World reported.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Promise Heights, a transitional housing development at 909 Tennessee St., is pictured on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

The families occupying Promise Heights will receive individualized case management, financial education as well as other services that will help them transition into long-term, affordable housing.

Mayor Brad Finkeldai – who was on the board of Family Promise of Lawrence for nine years, and president of the board for four years – said this is one of many efforts the city is making to increase housing availability of all types.

Finkeldai also said that this development is making progress in the city and county’s joint plan to end chronic homelessness, ‘A Place for Everyone.’

“This facility is a big part of that, a big step forward,” he said.

Douglas County Commissioner Karen Willey said both partners in this project delivered in fantastic ways. She added that the county helped contribute capital funding for the project.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Willey said.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Mayor Brad Finkeldei is pictured on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

Takisha Derritt, the program manager for the project, said Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church has had a desire to create affordable housing and create dignified homes for the community for some time.

“Promise Heights reflects what is possible when a community comes together around a shared purpose,” Derritt said. “We envisioned a place that would offer more than housing: it would offer hope, dignity and an opportunity for families working toward a brighter future.”

For Derritt, the project represents more than the completion of a new housing development.

“We hope that this sixplex will be the beginning of a continued community investment,” Derritt said. “This is more than a sixplex. It is a testament to the great things that can happen when faith becomes action, when a church sees a need in its community, and when people come together to create a place where others can build a better future.”

People can submit donations to the development at https://lawrencefamilypromise.org/donate-now/.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Family Promise of Lawrence was accepting donations at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Promise Heights on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County Commissioner Karen Willey speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Promise Heights on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Takisha Derritt, the program manager for Promise Heights, is pictured on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Community members attend the ribbon cutting for Promise Heights on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Community members attend the ribbon cutting for Promise Heights on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Community members attend the ribbon cutting for Promise Heights on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A bathroom inside a Promise Heights apartment is pictured on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A bedroom inside a Promise Heights apartment is pictured on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A bedroom inside a Promise Heights apartment is pictured on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

A kitchen inside a Promise Heights apartment is pictured on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.