FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – A shift in federal funding has left a homeless shelter in Florence scrambling for money.
It costs the Pee Dee Community Action Partnership $15,000 to run the transitional shelter each month, but shelter officials say it is too much money to continue offering long-term housing there.
In addition to long-term housing, the shelter offers services like jobs and other programs to people who are homeless.
The transitional shelter on Jarrott Street in Florence has served the community for more than 20 years.
Walter Fleming is the Executive Director of the Pee Dee Community Action Partnership’s transitional shelter. He says since the shelter was created it received grants and federal money to operate but a lot of that money has been cut off this year.
He says though the shelter will not operate each day it will still offer help for people who need a safe place to stay.
“We still plan to operate an emergency shelter, all that means is that families we have in there, we will still provide services, we have a support mechanism right here where we can help those families find jobs and move them into permanent housing,” mentioned Fleming.
Fleming says they are looking to private donors for support over the next month during the needed changes from a transitional shelter to an emergency shelter.
“Those families who can maintain themselves, we will find them a permanent place for them to live and assist them with paying rent, electric bills, those services whatever it takes to get them started,” said Fleming.
Fleming says the shelter will operate as an emergency shelter April 15.
