GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — For two decades, the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope sat on South Eugene Street in Greensboro with rooms full of people ready to make a change.
For the past year, those rooms and hallways have sat empty.
“We literally are grieving today because of the loss of this building,” said Salvation Army Corps Officer Capt. Chris Raymer.
Instead of grief, on Monday, their hope is restored.
“This building means so many different things to so many people. It might be that someone is unhoused, and they need a hygiene kit or they just need somewhere to come sit down out of the weather,” Raymer said.
In June of 2022, the help at the Center of Hope was halted. Leaders realized there were airborne contaminants and other environmental issues with the 86-bed social services building, housing men, women and children in need.
“At the time, we thought, ‘We’re going to get it remediated. We’re going to get back in so we can get back to doing what we do,'” Raymer said.
After digging, they found structural issues that couldn’t be repaired. They found homes for the people staying with them and moved administrative services and other programs to a building on Freeman Mill Road but knew they needed to rebuild their beacon of hope.
“We have to be here. It’s not a question of maybe we can rebuild. We need to be here, and we know the need is great, so we call on the community,” Raymer said.
Monday starts the first day of demolition, dropping the building to the ground so a new, clean and safe one-story building can take its place.
Salvation Army leaders don’t have a finalized building plan but know the process will cost around $15 million.
“We’re looking at bringing families in off the streets or from partner agencies and be able to bring them in for a 60 to 90-day program and to be able to have their temporary home here and all that time working with them on life skills or maybe it’s learning how to cook or how to budget,” Raymer said.
Leaders believe demolition will be complete by the middle of October. They still need to finalize a few details before they can release pictures and renderings of what they hope the building will look like.
They want to be sure every person in Greensboro has a reason to hope.
“It doesn’t matter where we come from, who you are, we want to help you,” Raymer said.
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