Public speakers urge Charleston to plan for homeless services as church property goes up for sale

During public comment, Jennifer Baumann thanked the mayor and council for funding the warm‑weather warming center at Breen during a prolonged winter storm and urged the city to plan for the possible sale of the church property that currently hosts those services.

Baumann described the logistical hurdles people experiencing homelessness face in Charleston — getting food, IDs and bus passes at different locations — and urged the city to consider a navigation center model, citing Huntington Beach’s Mercy House as an example that co‑locates shelter, recovery support, medical and legal assistance. "You literally kept people from freezing to death," she told the council, thanking them for the emergency warming‑center funding.

She urged city leaders to consider using opioid‑ or drug‑settlement funds, federal and state resources and local partners to create a centralized resource where people could obtain extended temporary housing, case management, substance‑use recovery services and other wraparound supports rather than brief overnight sheltering.

Mayor and several council members thanked Baumann for bringing flyers and for her on‑the‑ground perspective; several council members noted the item for follow‑up and highlighted ongoing neighborhood outreach.