City orders closure of nighttime homeless shelter in Spartanburg. Advocates voice concerns

The city has ordered the nighttime homeless shelter at the Spartanburg Opportunity Center to close by Oct. 31.

City Manager Chris Story told council members Monday many concerns factored in the decision to close the night shelter at 701 Saxon Avenue, including a large increase in shelter-related police and emergency calls.

"There's been a dramatic increase in calls for service to that address, rising from just 19 in the first nine months of 2020 to 539 service calls over the same period in 2022," he said. "Each of those calls for service is an opportunity where an officer cannot be elsewhere."

Susan Ballantyne, president of the nonprofit Opportunity Hub, which oversees the Spartanburg Opportunity Center, said her data shows "51 police interventions and 79 EMS visits" since February this year.

"We've tried to work with the city," she said. "When some folks come through who are inappropriate or disruptive, we ask them to leave, and ask the city to enforce that. The city said we should police it ourselves. At least wait until spring. You're throwing these people to the wolves and they're going to die."

But City Councilwoman Erica Brown, who represents the northside, said Monday the decision to close the overnight shelter by Oct. 31 was long in coming because the shelter was only meant to be "temporary." She said officials at the 101-bed Miracle Hill Rescue Mission at 189 N. Forrest St. have said they can accommodate the additional homeless men and women.

"This decision was not a knee-jerk reaction," Brown said. "A number of factors went into what's in the best interest of the community to close (the night shelter)."

Shelter supporters voice concerns to Spartanburg City Council

Dozens of shelter supporters pleaded with City Council members Monday evening, urging the city to postpone the night shelter closure at least until next spring.

Several homeless women spoke and said they will be forced to find a place outside to sleep by next week.

"No one feels safe sleeping outside, especially women," Katharine Gibb, a board member of Opportunity HUB, told Council.

"Don't close these doors. Don't take our hope away," said Carrie Leibowitz, also an Opportunity HUB board member.

Salary databaseSpartanburg city manager tops list of employees making $50k or more

Opportunity Center Director Hoyt Bynum said, "By this time next week, you're going to see a 40,000-square-foot building empty at 7 o'clock empty.

"We have 85 cots and 110 wool blankets and warm showers that our neighbors have been experiencing on a day-to-day basis," Bynum added. "We are going to ride by the facility and see a vacant building while all those you see today will be out on the street in the cold."

The Opportunity Center serves roughly 100 people - mostly elderly homeless men and women - during the daytime, and 85 at at the night shelter, according to Ballantyne.

Story: Opportunity Center not designed to have overnight accommodations

Story said another factor in his decision is the shelter is located in a residential neighborhood, comprised of mostly single-family homes.

"The impact of that many police calls and that much activity of that nature has created a significant negative impact on the neighborhood," he said. "The city of course has to balance its responsibility to its homeless population with its resident population. They both matter."

Story said the Opportunity Center building that houses a daytime operation was "not designed or originally intended to have overnight accommodations."

The city owns the building, and Opportunity HUB leases it from the city to operate its Opportunity Center homeless program.

"Certainly the Opportunity Center wasn't intended to be a permanent shelter," he said. "We all recognize these are very complex times and we all share the same goal of helping folks transition to stable living environments."

The shelter provides showers, laundry, case management services, housing and job assistance, a medical clinic, free clothes closet, short and long term storage and church services. It serves breakfast, transports to the Soup Kitchen for lunch, and provides dinner and snacks in the evenings.

Miracle Hill Rescue Mission is is a 101-bed emergency shelter that serves men, women and mothers with children who are experiencing homelessness. Housed in separate wings, food and clothing along with counseling, discipleship and free medical services are provided.

COVID created need to fund overnight shelter in Spartanburg

In 2020, City Council agreed to fund an overnight shelter at the Opportunity Center for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing requirements at Miracle Hill cut in half its available overnight shelter space.

"The city has not turned its back on Opportunity HUB," said Brown, who serves on the city's Homeless Task Force. "The city never committed for (the night shelter funding at Opportunity Center) being permanent. It was a temporary arrangement. Miracle Hill has the capacity to meet those needs to fill that gap.

Miracle Hill's director, Matt Summey, could not be reached Monday to say whether his shelter can accommodate all those who were staying overnight at Opportunity Center.

Brown said since COVID restrictions have ended, there is not a current need to continue the night shelter at 701 Saxon Ave. She added the city must also look out for the interests of residents who live near the center.

"Opportunity Center is not in danger of closing," Brown said. "I understand the emotion, but we have to answer to taxpayers. Unfortunately, we continually receive complaints from residents concerned. We recognize this (shutting down the night shelter) is going to cause those who are experiencing homelessness a jolt. At the same time, we have a duty to ensure the safety of the neighborhood."

Facing the issue of homelessness in Spartanburg

Meanwhile, homelessness continues to be a challenge facing the city and the county.

Spartanburg County targets homelessnessSpartanburg County targets homelessness with $2.1M federal HOME-ARPA funds

According to a 2020 Upstate Continuum of Care Point-In-Time, 277 people were identified as homeless in the county, while there was an inventory of only 188 units and beds.

In the city, 201 were counted as homeless – while the true number is likely three to four times higher than that, according to city officials. (this doesn't seem like the right link)

The county received $2.1 million in federal grant money to address homelessness and a lack of shelter space. Once all the paperwork is completed, the county will start accepting applications from local groups for those funds, according to Kathy Rivers, director of Community Development.

Ballantyne said she is hoping to get some of the $16.5 million the city received in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding so that Opportunity Center could open a new, 24/7 shelter either near the current center or at a new location.

Brown said the city has set aside some of those funds to address emergency-related homelessness.

"We are looking at how we might leverage ARPA funds on how we can address these challenges," Brown said.. "I know Opportunity HUB will continue their efforts on the day shelter piece and continue to raise money toward their efforts. The city is open to anything we can do on a collaborative basis."

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Nighttime homeless shelter in Spartanburg told to close by Oct. 31