Charleston mayor rolls out plan to combat homelessness

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – City of Charleston Mayor William Cogswell presented a rapid-fire housing initiative to elected officials in the Lowcountry on Tuesday to reduce homelessness.

This plan includes 118 rapid housing units with beds, desks, air conditioning and heating systems, electrical outlets and more. The site will also include a permanent building with office space, a kitchen, laundry room, community and green space.

The plan also includes relocating the Hope Center, which provides resources and assistance to the homeless population, to a permanent building.

Temporary housing will be located on 2 acres of the 16-acre land owned by the municipality on Herbert Street at the top of the peninsula.

Cogswell encouraged Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties and surrounding municipalities such as James Island, Folly Beach and Summerville to join in.

He said they estimate it would cost about $5.5 million to launch this initiative with the proposed plan. Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties will share about 35 percent of the approximately $1.9 million cost, Cogswell said.

The remaining balance, around 3.5 million dollars, will be shared among the surrounding municipalities. Both districts and municipalities will distribute the amount proportionally according to their population.

Logan McVey, the mayor’s policy officer, said the city invested in permanent structure and land, resulting in a huge loss of money for everyone. As each year progresses, there will be annual operating costs of approximately $1.5 million that will be shared among everyone.

McVey said the residence will offer comprehensive services and programs to those who use it. He said the goal is that a person will only need the housing for 90 to 180 days, depending on their situation, and that those who use the units will be able to find permanent housing after that period.

“Whether that’s mental health treatment, physical therapy, addiction treatment,” McVey said. “Also, the other part of this is giving people access to documentation, so the social security administration, the DMV, gets them birth certificates, driver’s licenses, social security cards. Things you need to get into housing.”

McVey stated that this will be a men-only facility and said that the greatest need in the region is in this population.

“If we do this, we will open up resources to other facilities that will care for women, children and families,” she said.

McVey said anyone can still access Center of Hope services without an appointment, but for rapid shelter units, men must be referred by an approved partner in the Tri-County area.

He said some of those partners could be the sheriff’s office, the police department, the Department of Mental Health or another group that combats homelessness, like One80Place, if there’s no room for more people.

Hope Center Executive Director LaTosha Fludd said this will be a major initiative that brings the city and surrounding counties and municipalities together to find solutions to this problem.

“I’m really excited about what this will mean for our Charleston community. I believe this is very unique for Charleston,” Fludd said. “Honestly, we have never embarked on a history that has created this much change, and once we finish finalizing the details of this plan, I think the community will understand how much it is needed.”

For this to happen, municipalities and counties must pass a resolution supporting the initiative by December 1.

If all goes well, the temporary housing is expected to open in July 2025 and the permanent facility in 2026.