The Salvation Army has completed several land transactions paving the way to build a new homeless shelter that will be larger than the current Center for Hope on Greene Street.
The new shelter will be built on the 300 block of Hale Street.
According to The Salvation Army’s Director of Development Derek Dugan, plans are to raze the old Murray Biscuit Co. building and build the new shelter from the ground up.
In September of last year, The Salvation Army sold its partial ownership of land it owned on Gordon Highway to the Community Foundation of the CSRA. The building, located behind the old Regency Mall property at 2417 Jennings Road, will be turned over for use for the Georgia School For Innovation and The Classics, which hopes to open in the fall.
The Salvation Army purchased the Hale Street property from Sherman and Hemstreet Real Estate Company.
Dugan says that The Salvation Army will not need to have the area rezoned to allow for the new shelter and that the new shelter location is in a much more appropriate area than the current shelter.
“There is Gordon Highway on one side, a cemetery on the other and it is right around the corner from the Sheriff’s Administration Building,” Dugan said.
Not only is the new shelter property on the bus line, but it is also located near The Masters Table, Augusta Rescue Mission, Garden City Rescue Mission and Christ Community Healthcare, all organizations that aid the homeless.
Dugan says ground will be broken on the new shelter once the funding is in place, but could not speculate on a timeline. However, in the meantime, The Salvation Army will be meeting with the surrounding community to get input from anyone who feels they may be affected by the new facility.
“We want to meet with members of the community to assess their needs as well as the needs of our clients,” Dugan said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
