LEXINGTON — A new transitional shelter for people who are homeless could soon come to Lexington County after a proposal to renovate a Quality Inn gained initial council support.
If approved, the county would spend roughly $3 million of federal grant money to help Homeless No More, a Columbia-based nonprofit, acquire and renovate the hotel off Interstate 20 and Bush River Road in Lexington County, said county Community Development Director Robbie Derrick.
The rooms in the hotel are planned to be converted into about 30 efficiency apartments with two bedrooms, a living area and a kitchenette, said Lila Anna Sauls, CEO of Homeless No More. The space, which is 15 minutes from downtown Columbia, would also have a group kitchen as well as an on-site day care and market.
"I like the market, but I love the child care," said Lexington County Councilwoman Debbie Summers. "That's a game-changer for some people."
Residents of the facility would also have access to on-site programing like life-skill trainings and job coaching, Sauls said.
"We've always said we are programs first, not housing first," Sauls said. Housing-first refers to homelessness programs where participants typically must agree to certain stipulations to earn a spot in a program, like counseling or work programs.
The difference between this type of transitional housing and traditional shelters is the sense of independence that residents have, Sauls said. Instead of living in a small room with a shared bathroom and receiving meals, residents have their own apartment and are supporting themselves.
Residents of the transitional housing facility would need to be employed and would pay a programming fee, which is typically set at 30 percent of their income, Sauls said.
"They have skin in the game," Sauls said. "And that helps us with the operations."
Through previous programming, Homeless No More found that many families who were homeless in Lexington County rejected offers to stay in shelters in downtown Columbia because their kids were in school in Lexington or because their families and support systems were in the Midlands county.
So the nonprofit, which specializes in helping families who are homeless, approached county staff with the idea of a hybrid family shelter and education facility in Lexington.
Council signaled initial support for the move during a January meeting and is waiting for county staff to finalize the contractual agreement before formally voting to allocate the money.
If approved, Lexington County would spend $2.2 million to acquire property with money from HOME Investment Partnerships, federal grant money aimed at reducing homelessness, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Program. The county would allocate an additional $800,000 of federal grant money toward renovating the property.
