CONYERS — A paint brush or a shovel is all residents need next Saturday to help organizers move closer to putting Rockdale County’s first transitional housing development into operation.

Phoenix Pass, located in the Light House Village campus at 541 Sigman Road, is on the brink of opening Phase I this spring. The housing complex, which will include 15 two-bedroom units, will service temporarily homeless women and children in Rockdale County. Residential units will be complete with an on-campus security office and a community center to include laundry facilities, residential social area, and children’s play and study areas.

Planners are calling on volunteers to lend a hand between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. March 20 for interior painting and landscaping work at the eight units and community center that make up the nearly complete Phase I.

Volunteers may sign up for one of the three sessions during the upcoming work day — 8 to 11 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Volunteers should arrive 15 minutes early for instructions.

Those who wish to volunteer should call 770-760-1020. Volunteer painters should bring a brush or roller, and landscapers should bring a rake or shovel.

And those who sign up won’t regret the three-hour contribution, according to Phoenix Pass Inc. President Ron Simpson.

“We’ve had a lot of volunteers helping this operation from Day 1 ... This is a very needed and worthwhile program, and we have had a tremendous number of people volunteer their time and their money and their goods,” Simpson said.

Construction has been funded through $300,000 raised by Rockdale Emergency Relief and donations.

Sherwin Williams donated 210 gallons of paint to be used March 20. Amtico International in Conyers donated the rest of the needed flooring for the apartments, and a local company gave organizers a good price on shrubbery for landscaping, Simpson said.

Simpson said the work day will also give those who may not be able to be a financial supporter the opportunity to be part of the making of Phoenix Pass.

More finishing touches will likely be done after the March 20 work day, and Simpson said a dedication ceremony is set for April 14. A June or July opening to occupants is planned, he said.

“We should have the building with landscaping and all done by the end of March or sometime in the middle of April,” Simpson said.

Once complete, Simpson said there will be an estimated $114,000 budget to operate the housing development.

Phoenix Pass residents will be accepted based on referrals through RER and will be required to go through an application process. Occupants will also be offered developmental classes, such as career advancement and financial planning, during their stay.

Phoenix Pass is a partnership between First Baptist Church of Conyers and RER, a nonprofit organization supported by the United Way in Rockdale.