Cumberland County has received approval from the City of Fayetteville to rezone four properties to allow for construction of a Homeless Support Center. The Homeless Support Center will be located off Grove Street between B Street and Hawley Lane. It will provide shelter beds for County residents experiencing homelessness, as well as access to programs and resources that will help them achieve sustainable housing and improve their lives.

During their Jan. 8, 2024 meeting, the Fayetteville City Council voted unanimously to approve a request from the County to rezone four adjoining properties on Hawley and Plummers Lanes from Mixed Residential 5 (MR-5) to Downtown 2 Conditional (DT-2/CZ) and to approve a Special Use Permit to allow the Homeless Support Center to be constructed on the site.

The selected site is adjacent to the former Pauline Jones Elementary School, which is currently used by Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) as an Education Center. The County plans to partner with FTCC to provide educational opportunities for residents who utilize the Homeless Support Center. Cape Fear Valley Health System will also be a partner in this project and the County will work with other community partners to bring resources to those using the facility to assist them as they work to transition to permanent and stable housing. The County’s intent is for the facility to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and to provide residents with access to resources well beyond that of a traditional homeless shelter.

“We appreciate the City Council’s unanimous approval of this request that will allow us to continue moving forward with this much-needed facility,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Glenn Adams in a press release. Adams attended the City Council meeting and spoke in support of the project. “The County is working diligently to address this need and we are excited about the potential this Homeless Support Center has to truly make a difference in our community, by providing much-needed shelter beds and connecting our homeless population more efficiently to programs and resources that will allow them to improve their lives.”

“I am excited that we have reached this milestone and look forward to continuing to collaborate with the City, as well as other organizations and stakeholders in the county as we turn this dream into a reality,” said Commissioners Vice Chairwoman Dr. Toni Stewart in a press release. “Our community desperately needs beds for our unsheltered citizens and while this Homeless Support Center won’t completely rectify this issue, it will help significantly. This has been a long time coming, but the time has finally come.”

The Board of Commissioners previously selected architectural firm LS3P to finalize the building program and design the Homeless Support Center. As part of that process, the project team will engage various stakeholders, including members of the homeless community to provide input on what the facility will need to truly make a positive impact on the community and improve outcomes for those experiencing homelessness. An advisory committee made up of targeted stakeholders in the community will be created for the project.