A lack of housing options forces many adults with intellectual disabilities to live at home with family, while others wait for a spot at a group home to clear. But what’s exceedingly rare and hard to find is independent living.

A new project in downtown Concord aims to provide dormitory-style housing units, with support when needed, for 12 adults. Each of the three floors will be converted to include four dorm-style bedrooms, a common kitchen, bathroom and living room.

Riverbend, a community mental health nonprofit, presented plans to convert its current office space, in the former Concord Monitor building on North State Street, into residential apartments to the city’s zoning board on Wednesday, April 3.

The organization plans to sell the building to a newly formed nonprofit, Next Step Living, to oversee the project and then provide care for residents.

The North State Street project will add to the portfolio of independent living facilities in the area, at a time when staffing shortages plague agencies, putting these services in critical demand.

The new living facility will provide housing to a demographic that has been experiencing a long-term housing crisis, said Mike Dennehy, who owns public affairs firm Dennehy and Bouley in Concord.

Without stable, independent housing, these individuals are at a high risk of living in nursing homes or experiencing homelessness, he said.

“These individuals have very few housing options, except for highly regulated group homes with medical house managers,” he said. “Getting lost is this large segment in the middle of the disability community … our goal is to provide this housing for the middle.” — MICHAELA TOWFIGHI/CONCORD MONITOR