A vacant lot on the northeast corner of Chestnut Expressway at Glenstone Avenue will soon be a construction site for a new shelter for homeless people. The groundbreaking for The Kitchen Inc.'s shelter comes the same week as multiple agencies are trying to help people being forced out of the city's largest homeless camp.

"It's really going to be exciting," Roz Palmer said.

Palmer with The Kitchen Inc. says the new shelter will have 14 apartments complete with outdoor space and on-site services.

"The folks that are homeless often do battle with mental illness; that's huge among the population. So, just getting them connected to services and getting help, it makes a world of difference," Palmer said.

It's not only The Kitchen that is making big steps in helping get homeless people back on their feet. The groundbreaking comes the same week as people are being evicted from a wooded area northeast of the intersection of Glenstone at Kearney Street, where homeless people have found homes for about 30 years.

"The community is focused on homelessness and how can we help the people living on the streets versus pushing them aside and trying to ignore the problem," Palmer said.

Palmer says, with The Kitchen's new housing-first model, people not only get a place to eat and sleep but also a place to call home. She says that better prepares them for life on their own.

"It's a start of helping them develop the skills necessary that when they get in their own housing they'll be able to know how to keep it up and take care of it," said The Kitchen's board president, Jim Newman.

Newman says the plans for the new shelter are plans for a brighter future.

"This just enhances us in able to do better things for our population that we service," Newman said.

The Kitchen will break ground on the shelter on Thursday and on the new administration building later this summer. They hope to have the entire facility done by the end of the summer next year.