A historic Knoxville hospital could become a space for people experiencing homelessness to seek shelter during the day and connect with transitional services.
ReLAUNCH, the local nonprofit that runs the day space beneath the Interstate 40 bridge over Broadway, has submitted a proposal to purchase the city-owned Serene Manor property at 970 Wray St.
The city is reviewing the proposal and hopes to have an agreement ready to send to the Knoxville City Council by the end of fall, city spokesperson Eric Vreeland told Knox News. The proposal is not final, but rather ReLAUNCH's ideal vision for how the buildings would be redeveloped.
Serene Manor, down the street from Schulz Bräu Brewing Company, would include more than 50 transitional housing beds, outreach
services and an emergency shelter for up to 100 people. The city, which provided the proposal to Knox News, can request changes during the negotiation period.
How homelessness services would be spread across three floors
ReLAUNCH began running the outdoor day space in December 2025 and filed the proposal for Serene Manor on June 9. The nonprofit was the only organization that filed a proposal for the property, Vreeland said.
The first floor, according to the proposal, would house services including behavioral health referrals, healthcare coordination, employment planning and respite care. The second and third floors would be reserved for transitional beds.
Their plan includes three phases that could get first-floor services up and running by this December if approved. ReLAUNCH plans to collect community input and work with neighbors while planning and developing the facility.
Who will fund the Serene Manor project?
ReLAUNCH would purchase the building from the city for $1 and ask for between $500,000 and $1.1 million to support first-floor outreach services. The project could cost anywhere from $2.5 million to $7.2 million.
ReLAUNCH hopes the city funds will help get the project off the ground and encourage other donors. The nonprofit hopes to launch a capital campaign.
What does Knoxville's homeless day space look like now?
Before last December, the day space − across from Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries and other outreach services − was without formal management. Under ReLAUNCH, the space is now monitored from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. before shelters open for the night.
The nonprofit has a trailer on the property with water, clothing, snacks and hygiene items for people to request as needed. ReLAUNCH offers three meals a day and has porta-potties and showers on site.
The organization targets individuals who are at the "highest risk of chronic homelessness." This includes those who've been recently incarcerated or in treatment facilities.
ReLAUNCH offers low barrier access to services and helps point people to other outreach organizations.
History of Serene Manor as segregation-era hospital wing
Serene Manor was once a segregation-era Black wing of Knoxville General Hospital. In ReLAUNCH's proposal, the new facility would be named after Samuel Milton Clark, one of the first Black doctors to operate on a patient at the hospital in 1942.
Serene Manor was called the Rosenwald Wing until the General Hospital closed in 1956. It was renamed the Serene Manor Medical Center in 1968 and became a privately-run residential care facility.
The city acquired the property in 2024, hoping to use it as supportive housing.
Samuel Milton Clark Commons would join other historic Knoxville properties redeveloped through adaptive reuse projects, including theKnox High Apartments and Kern's Food Hall. The proposal says ReLAUNCH plans to work with the city to honor the historic aspects of the building.
Sophia Tiedge is the growth and transformation reporter for Knox News. Email: sophia.tiedge@knoxnews.com
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Homeless day center could move to Serene Manor under new Knoxville proposal
