When severe thunderstorms overnight on July 7 damaged and closed the Hub building at our Day Services Center, we were determined to continue providing essential services to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Our team swiftly began relocating staff and services to the Depot Building, also at 945 N. College Street. The Hub was constructed to be our primary services building, including a full-service kitchen, dining room, showers and laundry – but before it was built, the Depot was where we served our neighbors daily. For the time being, it is filling that need again. Click here to view the first week of our storm response in pictures.
Day 1
By 10:30am, our mailroom had been relocated and was open for business in the Depot. Our nurses were seeing patients. And the rest of our staff was gathering essential supplies from the Hub as we hustled to find new paths to services such as showers, laundry and restrooms. Volunteers showed up to ask how they could help, and Chef Sandra had a crew on hand to adapt her lunch plan so they could serve from tents in the driveway.
We Continue to Adapt
It’s been just over a week, and we continue to adapt. We are so grateful to the volunteers, donors and partner organizations that are supporting Roof Above and the neighbors we serve as we reimagine our services in a much smaller space. We are still seeking answers on the cost and timeline to rebuild, and we look forward to sharing more information as it becomes available. If you’d like to help, daily lunch is one of our biggest needs – here’s how you can help us keep serving lunch without a kitchen!
Our Other Nine Campuses Continue to Provide Shelter & Housing
The Day Services Center is the primary place where Roof Above serves people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, but it is just one of our 10 campuses. We also offer three shelters, seven housing locations, a Street Outreach team that meets people experiencing homelessness where they are, and a Scattered Site housing program that partners with landlords to offer affordable housing across Mecklenburg County. As we respond to the storm damage at the Day Services Center, all of these teams continue their great work in support of our mission – to unite the community to end homelessness, one life at a time.