HARTFORD, Mich. (AP) — The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is building a new tribal village in southwestern Michigan.

Pokagon officials say Wednesday that crews have broken ground for the community in Hartford, southwest of Grand Rapids.

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed next spring. It will include eight homes. Two additional phases also are planned.

Pokagon Band Chair John Warren says in a release that the project is part of their mission to “assist elders, youth and families with housing, community and self-sufficiency for a better quality of life.”

He says 39 families are on the waiting list for homes in Hartford. The Pokagon Band says it serves four counties in southwestern Michigan and six in northern Indiana.

The band runs three casinos in Michigan.