Salvation Army Shelter Over Capacity, Needs Communities Help

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Cold temperatures are moving in, and emergency shelters are opening across the Upstate to help house the homeless community. However, one local ministry is already over capacity.

Nearly 3,300 people are experiencing homelessness in Greenville County, that’s according to the Greenville Homeless Alliance. The Salvation Army tells FOX Carolina, its goal is to minimize that growing number, but they can’t do it alone.

Lauren Stephens is the Director of Social Services here in Greenville. She said the reality is, on their campus, they only have room for 35 women and children and 53 men. She said they do allow guests to stay overnight, offering them services that help them get back on their feet.

“When they come into us we work on establishing what does tomorrow mean for you, how do we start this conversation, and then how do we help you navigate the really choppy waters of starting over. So people stay with us for any length of time. They could stay with us one night and then they leave and go somewhere else or they could stay 6 months to over a year.” Said Stephens.

She adds, unfortunately, there are some people who can’t handle the stress of staying in a shelter and sometimes choose to sleep outside.

“We see folks on the front porch of our church almost every single day,” said Stephens. “Direct things that could be of help to us right now are twin-sized blankets, twin-size sheets, bottled water, and pop-top meals or things that don’t require any heating necessarily.”

If you would like to donate to the Salvation Army of Greenville, click here.

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