The Covington City Council approved a special use petition for the Rainbow Covenant Ministries homeless shelter, to be located on Turner Lake Circle, at their Monday night council meeting.

The homeless shelter required a special use petition as the property it was seeking to move into is zoned highway commercial and not residential.

Rainbow Covenant Ministries Director Rev. Clara Lett said she expects to move the homeless shelter from its current location at the Rainbow Covenant Church in Porterdale to Turner Lake Circle in August.

Lett said construction on a new building for the Head Start program, currently housed where the shelter will eventually be located, must be completed first so the Head Start program has a place to go. The Head Start program will be moving across the street.

"We don't have a drop off date yet," Lett said.

Plans for the new homeless shelter have the men's shelter and dining hall separated from the women and children's shelter. There is also a separate space for families. Lett said the shelter will include office space and a training area where representatives from various state agencies can hold classes for the residents of the shelter.

Lett said there are plans to have parenting classes and classes on how to search for and hold a job at the shelter.