County moves to restore shelter capacity; negotiating service contract with regional Salvation Army office

Chairman and county staff said the county is negotiating a service contract with the Salvation Army's regional office (Atlanta) to reopen emergency shelter capacity lost after recent closures, and to restore short-term bed availability while longer-term construction and shelter planning proceeds.

Officials said three years ago an assessment identified roughly 200 emergency shelter beds as the community need. The county lost more than 50 beds when the local Salvation Army site closed; commissioners and staff described the immediate priority as restoring that short-term capacity by working with the Salvation Army and other nonprofit partners while simultaneously advancing intermediate and long-term construction projects for a permanent unhoused support center.

The chairman said the project to build a longer-term support center was paused in November (by a previous board or during prior work) so staff could review project scope and partner relationships. He said vice chairwoman Jones, who chairs the relevant committee, has requested information from staff to ensure a clear pathway forward before returning to a committee meeting for decision-making.

Chairman said there will be continued coordination with the city and with Continuum of Care partners. He noted there is not currently a turnkey facility in the county that can immediately replace capacity with kitchen and operational readiness and that the Salvation Army — as a national organization with regional operations — was identified by staff as a partner with capacity to help restore beds quickly.

Ending: Staff and commissioners said they will brief the chair and the committee, bring a pathway forward for short-, intermediate- and long-term shelter capacity, and continue negotiations with the Salvation Army while pursuing other nonprofit partnerships and internal planning.