CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As temperatures get colder and the pandemic continues, Roof Above plans to transform a west Charlotte hotel into an affordable housing community.
The hotel, located at the intersection of Clanton Road and Interstate 77, will be an emergency shelter for women and families this winter.
Roof Above was forced to suspend the Room in the Inn winter shelter program due to the pandemic, Liz Clasen-Kelly, CEO of Roof Above said. And while the organization has added capacity to provide shelter for men, the hotel will only accommodate women and children in a partnership between Roof Above and Salvation Army.
Renovations in summer 2021 will transform it into permanent affordable housing.
When the renovations are complete, the facility will look similar to Moore Place in north Charlotte. Each unit will have a kitchen, and a wing dedicated to helping community members be successful in housing will be added.
“As the pandemic has created financial challenges for hotels and motels nationally, nonprofits like Roof Above are stepping in to buy facilities we can use for important public purposes – creating a win-win for everybody,”Clasen-Kelly said. “The hotel is already equipped to serve as safe shelter to help the community through this winter, and by the end of 2021, we aim to bring these units online as permanent housing for 88 of our most vulnerable neighbors.”
The project is estimated to cost $12 million. Roof Above has raised money through government and philanthropic support including:
∙ $2 million in CARES Act funding from the City of Charlotte
∙ $1 million from the Springsteen Foundation
∙ $500,000 from a previously announced gift from Duke Energy Foundation
∙ A significant financial contribution from John McKibbon and the McKibbon Family Foundation
Roof Above has secured enough funding to complete this $5.45 million purchase and a portion of the renovations, but an additional $4 million is needed to complete the renovation and pay for initial operating costs of the transformed hotel.
“As with all of our projects, we could not have embraced this remarkable and innovative opportunity without the generosity of our community of supporters,” said Clasen-Kelly. “Their commitment to help our neighbors in need is both humbling and critical in moving the needle on homelessness.”
You can find more information here.
Cox Media Group
