Charlotte’s Samaritan House temporarily closed. Without funds, it may become permanent.
For nearly two decades Samaritan House has provided a place of respite for those experiencing homelessness and recovering from hospitalization.
But this unique and critically needed service is at risk.
In March, the 12-bed facility on Fortune Street closed its doors amid funding challenges and a bevy of critical house repairs. Leaders with Samaritan House have now launched a campaign to raise $200,000 by July 1 to restaff and reopen the home — and they’re halfway to their goal.
For the past two years, the facility has been buried under an avalanche of needed repairs, said Rodney Tucker, executive director for Samaritan House. When a Christmas Day freeze swept the city it damaged the building’s pipes. Then staff found mold in the air condition unit, Tucker said.
“We ended up with around $60,000 in unbudgeted repairs that we didn’t have enough cash reserve to cover,” he said.
Samaritan House started a GoFundMe campaign. The organization has raised over $100,000 in donations, including over $4,000 through the GoFundMe page, Tucker said. The organization remains hopeful they can hit their goal, he said.
“The risk is that we would close permanently and there would be no other option for folks that need our service,” he added.
The facility is the sole medical respite center for people experiencing homelessness, according to David Tipple, president of the board of directors.
The center provides three meals a day, connects its residents with social workers and volunteers to help get people to and from medical appointments, he said.
“It’s a badly needed service,” Tipple said.
Last year, Samaritan House served over 80 clients providing a quiet, community feel for people as they recover. This year, it planned to serve more than 100 people toward its goal of reducing being readmitted back into hospitals, or needing an emergency room visit or bed, Tucker said.
When the building closed, the few clients there were relocated and staffers were released.
The closure comes amid a dire need for housing services in Mecklenburg County. As of October, there were 3,260 people in Mecklenburg County experiencing homelessness, up from 3,171 people in 2021, according to a February county report.
“There are a lot of people we could be helping if we can get the house back up in working order,” Tucker said.
Residents are connected with Samaritan House through a referral network of hospitals. Once at Samaritan House, a residents work with case workers to find housing or a primary care physician if needed. The typical stay is two weeks to a month.
“We’re making sure they get healthy and better and don’t overuse those services,” he said.
‘Best kept secret’
While for years the facility has helped dozens of people, it often goes unnoticed by the larger community, Tipple said.
“It’s kind of a best kept secret,” he said.
However, the building’s closure and fundraising launch has allowed Samaritan House to reintroduce itself, Tipple said. Some of the funds will go toward rebuilding its reserve, he said. There are five full-time employees and the program has a $360,000 operating budget.
“We’ve always run with a pretty thin budget that didn’t have much room for surprises,” Tipple said.
Samaritan House neither charges nor bills for its services, or receives any county, state or federal funding.
During the down time, Samaritan House hopes to improve the facility, Tucker said. This includes repainting some areas to continue to provide a good experience for its guests.
Tucker said they’re confident the community will continue to support Samaritan House through this difficult time.
One sliver lining since the building’s closure has been new volunteers reaching out to help, he said.
“That’s how we’re looking at it,” Tucker said. “The campaign has put our names back out into the community again.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Charlotte’s Samaritan House temporarily closed. Without funds, it may become permanent.."
