Breaking Ground, Changing Lives
Old wood timbers that once provided a perimeter around a well-worn playground recently found new life at The Salvation Army Center of Hope. Sporting a fresh coat of “Salvation Army-red” paint, they provided a ceremonial box for a special groundbreaking ceremony at the shelter. More than that, they offered a beautiful, real-life picture of what Catherine Booth, cofounder of The Salvation Army, meant when she said, “if we are to better the future, we must disturb the present.”
Local leaders, staff, volunteers and supporters gathered on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to celebrate a pivotal moment in a lengthy process – the launching of a critical construction project to expand the Center of Hope, adding dining room and multipurpose space for inclement weather shelter and other programs.
“This is indeed a hopeful day for the community and for Charlotte,” said Monica Chavis, Advisory Board Chair for The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte. We are not just turning over dirt today, we are continuing to change lives. We are breaking ground on a brighter future for our neighbors in need.
This expansion is desperately needed at the Center of Hope, a facility that serves an average of 275 individuals every day, while being built in the 1990s to serve far fewer. The project includes a large multipurpose space for programming and inclement weather, several private rooms and an enlarged dining room. The new multipurpose space will provide critical infrastructure for serving unhoused neighbors during extreme weather events, such as freezing conditions in the winter and extreme heat in the summer. The nine-month project is scheduled to be complete in August of 2026.
The Center of Hope expansion is made possible in large part to partnerships with Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte. Mecklenburg County allocated nearly $3 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the expansion. Also, through dedicated Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, the City is providing more than $900,000 for the project. The rest of the project is funded by private donors.
Commissioner George Dunlap, representing District 3 on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners shared his support on behalf of Mecklenburg County.
“As a lifelong resident of Mecklenburg County, I have seen first-hand the way The Salvation Army continues to serve our most vulnerable, during times of need. This groundbreaking not only expands services and programming - it also showcases the organization’s long-term dedication to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.”
This day marks an important milestone in The Salvation Army’s “Better the Future” Campaign, a key pillar of which is addressing needs and improving services for unhoused neighbors in Charlotte. The campaign launched in 2022, and to-date, has raised more than $25 million of its $32 million goal. For more information about the campaign or to get involved, visit SalvationArmyCharlotte.org.
“Today, we know this disturbance of this ground will make for a brighter future for the thousands of people who will be impacted in the years ahead,” said Major Andrew Wiley, Area Commander for The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte.