Day center pilot program to provide new tool in addressing homelessness

Earlier this month, the City and its parters in the United Way of the Piedmont, Spartanburg Interfaith Hospitality Network, and Catholic Charities of South Carolina announced the a pilot program for a new homeless day shelter, the Spartanburg Opportunity Center, to be housed in the Northwest Recreation Center. Beginning in July, homeless people in Spartanburg will be shower, wash clothes, store personal items, charge their phones, and receive mail in the facility, filling a crucial gap in service for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. The center will also offer a central location for service providers to connect and provide help for those in need. Opening this July, the pilot program will utilize a portion of the Northwest Center two afternoons per week, with an eye towards a potential expansion into the entire facility when the City decommissions the facility after the competition of the Dr. T.K. Gregg Community Center in spring of 2020. Today on the podcast, we're talking with Karl Rogozenski, Regional Coordinator with Catholic Charities of South Carolina and Beth Rutherford, Executive Director of Spartanburg Interfaith Hospitality Network about the new pilot program and the potential future of the Spartanburg Opportunity Center.