A Charlotte nonprofit that gives food, shelter and medical assistance to people leaving a hospital with nowhere to go reopens Monday, after a three-month closure for critical repairs and renovations.
Samaritan House, located at 611 Fortune Road, closed in April. Staff discovered its heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system system had been venting into the building's attic, causing a buildup of mold.
The nonprofit's executive director, Rodney Tucker, said the building was deemed unsafe, so staff made the difficult decision to shut down and launch a fundraising campaign to pay for the repairs and other needed renovations.
The group hoped to raise $200,000 and reopen within 90 days, Tucker said. A strong response from the community, as well as some additional grants, helped the group surpass that goal and raise about $451,000. Tucker called the support "overwhelming."
"Renovations are completely done and on budget," Tucker said. "We're ready."
On a recent tour of the renovated facility, Tucker pointed out newly donated furniture and freshly painted walls.
Not only did staff replace and upgrade the HVAC system, they also made several changes to make the facility more handicap accessible. They widened doors for wheelchairs, swapped tubs for step-in showers, changed doorknobs for door levels, and added carpeting to some wheelchair ramps to give people in wheelchairs more traction.
The group also installed an automatic handicap-accessible back door leading into the dormitories.
Samaritan House was established in 2005 by two women affectionately known as Ms. Ruth and Ms. Frida who worked for Crisis Assistance Ministries, Tucker said.
"They noticed a lot of folks were being discharged from the hospital and just dropped off at the day center," he said. "It just broke their heart. They said no one should be released from the hospital and not have a bed and someone to take care of (them) and a good meal so that you can recuperate."
The nonprofit originally partnered with the YWCA to house people in a facility on Park Road, before moving to Fortune Street in 2008. The current facility was originally built as a group home before Samaritan House purchased it.
There are only two other "medical respites" for people without homes in North Carolina that Tucker knew of — one in Wilmington and the other in Asheville.
Tucker said most guests stay at Samaritan House for about 30 days, though some can stay longer depending on their needs. Staff provide guests with three meals a day, plus clothing, laundry, medicine, transportation, and help creating a housing plan.
The first guest scheduled to arrive Monday morning is a cancer patient beginning chemotherapy, Tucker said. Another guest scheduled to arrive this week is recovering from hip surgery and had been staying with friends.
Staff were busy creating menus and organizing volunteers ahead of the first guests' arrival. Tucker said the nonprofit still needed more volunteers — especially those who can cook and help prepare meals.
He said those interested in volunteering could fill out a volunteer application on the group's website.
As for the extra money that was fundraised, Tucker said he planned to deposit it into the nonprofit's cash reserves — so the group will never have to temporarily close again.
