ARPA at Work: Salvation Army and Mecklenburg County Break Ground on Shelter Expansion

The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte broke ground on Nov. 19 on an expansion project at its Center of Hope shelter on Spratt Street—a facility that provides critical services for women, children and veterans experiencing homelessness.

Mecklenburg County joined The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte on Nov. 19 to celebrate the groundbreaking of an expansion project at its Center of Hope shelter on Spratt Street—a facility that provides critical services for women, children and veterans experiencing homelessness.  

Mecklenburg County allocated more than $3 million in COVID-19 relief funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for the expansion. Also, through dedicated Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, the City of Charlotte is providing more than $900,000 for the project. The rest of the project is funded by private donors.  

On any given night, The Salvation Army Center of Hope serves an average of 275 people – women, children, and families. The expansion project includes a large multipurpose space for programming and inclement weather, several private rooms and an enlarged dining room. The new multipurpose space will provide critical infrastructure for serving unhoused neighbors during extreme weather events, such as freezing conditions in the winter and extreme heat in the summer. The project is scheduled to be complete in August of 2026.  

George Dunlap, representing District 3 on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, shared his support on behalf of the County.  

“As a lifelong resident of Mecklenburg County, I have seen first-hand the way The Salvation Army continues to serve our most vulnerable, during times of need,” said Commissioner Dunlap. “This groundbreaking not only expands services and programming—it also showcases the organization’s long-term dedication to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.”  

View photos from the groundbreaking.

The project is the first construction project of The Salvation Army’s “Better the Future” Campaign, a key pillar of which is addressing needs and improving services for unhoused neighbors in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The campaign launched in 2022, and to-date, has raised more than $25 million of its $32 million goal.  

“Catherine Booth, cofounder of The Salvation Army once said ‘if we are to better the future, we must disturb the present,’” said Major Andrew Wiley, Area Commander for The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte at a gathering of community leaders, volunteers, staff, donors and supporters. “Today, we know this disturbance of this ground will make for a brighter future for the thousands of people who will be impacted in the years ahead.”  

For more information about the campaign or to get involved, visit SalvationArmyCharlotte.org.