Overview:

• Manna Dream Center says it can operate the 100-bed Unhoused Support Center for $2.89 million a year

• The county will pay the Salvation Army up to $1 million for year-round sheltering and short-term sheltering during cold weather

Cumberland County took two steps on Monday to address ongoing troubles with services for homeless people.

The county Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to hire the Manna Dream Center to operate a planned $17 million Unhoused Support Center.

And in a separate but related matter, the commissioners voted unanimously to pursue contract negotiations to re-hire the previously rejected Salvation Army to provide winter sheltering, temporary emergency sheltering and white flag (cold weather) sheltering. The contract is not to exceed $1 million.

Manna to Run Unhoused Support Center

While some private agencies, including the Manna Dream Center, offer overnight sheltering, Cumberland County lacks a government-operated shelter to help people in need get off the streets, stabilize their personal and financial circumstances, and move into permanent residences.

That’s why county commissioners plan to build a 100-bed shelter to provide temporary housing and other services. They held a ceremonial groundbreaking in February 2024 on Hawley Lane in the B Street neighborhood downtown, but decided this year to look for and consider other potential locations.

Four organizations submitted proposals to operate the shelter. On Monday, the commissioners accepted the Manna Dream Center’s plan, which calls for a budget of $439,320 to cover two years of preparations before the shelter opens. Then the Unhoused Support Center annual operating budget would be $2.89 million.

The Manna Dream Center is operated by Fayetteville-based Manna Church, a Christian organization with churches and activities in 13 states. 

The Dream Center has a men’s homeless shelter on Person Street. And the city contracts with the Dream Center to operate the Fayetteville Cares Day Resource Center, which offers assistance and services to homeless people.

Salvation Army to Provide Emergency Shelter 

The commissioners voted Monday to direct the county manager to negotiate with the Salvation Army for homeless shelter services, with payments not to exceed $1 million.

A sign posted on the door of the Salvation Army shelter in Fayetteville in April when the shelter closed. Credit: Evey Weisblat / CityView

This comes after the organization abruptly shuttered its Pathway of Hope shelter at 245 Alexander St. in April and put 50 to 60 people on the street.

Contract negotiations in May and June to reopen the shelter terminated after the county commissioners learned that a health inspection found problems with the building, and that the agency owed $100,000 to a staffing service.

Since then, the local Salvation Army has come under new management, commissioners said.

According to a news release, plans are for the Salvation Army to provide 67 year-round emergency shelter beds. It would also provide 50 additional beds during “white flag” events—periods of extreme cold or other hazardous conditions.

The Salvation Army is a Christian organization based in the United Kingdom that provides assistance to people in poverty worldwide.

Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.

Did you find this story useful or interesting? It was made possible by donations from readers like you to the News Foundation of Greater Fayetteville, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation so CityView can bring you more news and information like this.

Paul Woolverton is CityView's senior reporter, covering courts, local politics, and Cumberland County affairs. He joined CityView from The Fayetteville Observer, where he worked for more than 30 years.