Over a dozen individuals have started moving into Rethke Terrace Apartments, the first of what the city hopes will be five new permanent supportive affordable housing sites in Madison.

The four-story, 60-unit building at 715 Rethke Ave. developed by Heartland Housing Inc. will provide studio apartments for formerly homeless single adults and supportive services for those individuals, including medical, mental health and substance abuse assistance. Twenty-five of the 60 units are reserved for veterans.

Madison housing initiatives specialist Matt Wachter said Rethke’s model of providing services in an affordable housing complex is a first for the city. Permanent supportive housing is designed to serve individuals who would not be able to stay housed without a range of comprehensive services and who need to be housed to fully participate in them.

“I definitely have high hopes and believe that the model gives results and takes some of our hardest-to-serve people and gives some breathing room to the rest of the system,” Wachter said.

In addition to supportive services, the complex includes amenities such as a community room, fitness center, library, computer lab, commercial grade teaching kitchen, second floor roof garden and edible landscaping.