With the ongoing cold nights, the Cumberland County commissioners plan to add $80,000 to the Operation White Flag winter weather shelter program for homeless people. This doubles its funding.
In a related matter, the board is considering expanding the White Flag program, as now there are only three shelters: Two in Fayetteville and one in Spring Lake. New shelters could be added in Spring Lake, West Fayetteville and east of the Cape Fear River.
$80,000 added to White Flag budget
The county staff asked to add $80,000 to the White Flag budget because there have been a significant number of more cold nights this winter season, compared to recent years, county Chief of Staff Tye Vaught told the commissioners during their meeting on Jan. 9.
In Operation White Flag, several nonprofit organizations take in people overnight when the temperatures drop to freezing levels. These are True Vine Ministries in Fayetteville, Cornerstone Christian Empowerment Center in Spring Lake and The Salvation Army of the Sandhills Region in Fayetteville.
“The requested funds will help ensure the program can operate continuously throughout the duration of the winter season with adequate capacity, safeguarding individuals experiencing homelessness and housing in security,” Vaught said.
The White Flag program won’t necessarily use all of the additional money, Vaught said, but with more cold days this winter, it would like it to be available in case it’s needed. The program’s budget in 2023 was $80,000, but it used only $15,000 that year, he said.
The commissioners voted unanimously to give preliminary approval to the request to add $80,000 to the program’s budget. Final approval is scheduled for the commissioners’ board meeting on Tuesday.
More shelters for cold nights
The county should provide more shelters to the White Flag program, County Commissioner Veronica Jones said. She called for the county staff to look into the cost of doing this.
“My concern is to make sure that we have services that can cover the entire county, based on the unhoused clusters,” she said. “We don’t have any services put into place across the river and also out towards West Fayetteville, so this is why this request is being made.”
The county government should also seek proposals from organizations that would offer the shelter service, Jones said.
County Commissioner Glenn Adams said a church in Spring Lake has been offering shelter services on its own. “We don’t engage with them, but they’re doing it. So if we could at least look at that area also, out that way,” he said.
The commissioners voted unanimously to have the county staff prepare a plan to expand the White Flag program in Spring Lake, West Fayetteville and east of the Cape Fear River.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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