Cumberland County approves MOU negotiation to restore Salvation Army shelter, directs inspections and city outreach

Cumberland County commissioners voted 4-2 on May 19 to direct the county manager to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the Salvation Army to restore emergency shelter services after the charity closed its facility on April 15, officials said.

Assistant County Manager Heather Steens told commissioners the Salvation Army’s abrupt closure removed about 60 to 65 beds from the county’s shelter capacity and that the organization estimated it would cost about $1,000,000 to reopen. Steens said the Salvation Army’s written requests to the county described monthly operating costs of $46,888.39 for 50 residents and a daily per-person cost of $31.25 for additional residents. "Cumberland County was notified on 04/15/2025 that the Salvation Army was closing their shelter effective immediately. This was a loss of approximately 60 to 65 beds," Steens said.

The county discussed short-term alternatives—including a partnership with a local "white flag" shelter for up to 50 men at about $100 per person per day and hotel blocks for families and single women—while staff pursue a more durable option. Steens reported that Coordinated Entry (CE) data showed 39 households had requested shelter since April 15 and 61 households since March, and that the county had preliminarily counted 14 single men, nine single women and 16 families among those requests.

Major Goldfarb, representing the Salvation Army, told the board the organization provided financial records and cited several constraints that led to the closure: an outstanding payroll-related liability to a temporary staffing agency, inability to separate shelter costs from other program costs in their accounting system, and limited up-front cash flow. Goldfarb said headquarters required a one-year funding commitment to reopen and that internal audits and sustainability planning remain in progress. "We are making some progress" at rehiring and reopening the organization’s thrift store as part of a sustainability plan, Goldfarb said, adding that a memorandum of understanding would have to be executed before the shelter could reopen.

Commissioners pressed for detail about the shelter’s operations and condition. Goldfarb said the shelter has historically operated 24 hours a day and that, when open, typically had three to four staff on-site during the day and overnight monitoring, a licensed social worker and a shelter manager trained to use HMIS (the Homeless Management Information System). He also said the facility regularly undergoes fire marshal inspections, and that an external remediation contractor had reported no mold and that there was no asbestos in the building.

The motion approved by the board directed the county manager to negotiate an MOU with the Salvation Army for emergency shelter services "not to exceed $563,000 annually," require environmental health to inspect the facility (including asbestos checks), and to explore a funding partnership with the city of Fayetteville. Commissioners Tyson, Vice Chair Veronica Jones, Chairman Devereux and Commissioner Patel voted in favor; Commissioners Faircloth and Adams voted against the motion.

County staff said they could use available funds identified in other plans (staff referenced a separate option that would have cost about $100 per person per day) and that the county manager would bring back the detailed financial request from the Salvation Army for final consideration. The Salvation Army indicated it could be operational roughly two to three weeks after the parties sign an MOU and obtain headquarters approval.

The board also asked that the MOU include performance metrics and reporting through HMIS so the county could track shelter utilization and financial accountability. County legal staff said any agreement would be a contract for services and would include the county’s usual oversight provisions.

The action restores a path for short-term reopening of a shelter serving families and women in Cumberland County while the county continues to evaluate longer-term shelter capacity and other alternatives such as a county-run facility or expanded hotel placements.

The vote followed a multi-week sequence of meetings and exchanges: the county learned of the Salvation Army’s closure on April 15; the Continuum of Care convened an emergency meeting on April 17; staff and Salvation Army representatives met April 24; and the Salvation Army submitted written requests and financial attachments in late April and mid-May.