By Kara Fohner
ASHEVILLE – The impact of a possible closure of Salvation Army’s homeless shelter could have on the community has Asheville’s Mayor Esther Manheimer “very concerned.”
“That shelter serves as kind of our closest shelter to what you might call a low-barrier shelter or high-access shelter, so it will be felt, significantly,” Manheimer told the Citizen Times July 6.
The Salvation Army Center of Hope, at 204 Haywood St., is facing a financial crisis. If the donation-funded shelter can’t obtain sustainable funding by the end of September, it will be forced to close for up to eight months while shelter leaders seek funding, Capt. Phillip Stokes, who directs the shelter with his wife, Sherrie Stokes, previously told the Citizen Times.
There is also a risk the shelter could close permanently, Stokes said. Each Salvation Army command operates locally. The Asheville center needs about $90,000 a month to operate. Funding varies “significantly” from city to city, Stokes said.