Love in Action is a Charlotte nonprofit that provides resources for those in need. In addition to offering temporary housing for people in the community, its newest endeavor includes an on-site plant-based eatery that opened Monday.
As you arrive at the Love in Action housing site on Tuckaseegee Road, a bus stop is conveniently located outside the entrance. As you enter through the white gates, a large courtyard of grass is surrounded by rooms that used to be the Southern Comfort Inn. A few steps away is the Love in Action Cafe. A handful of people were inside to celebrate the opening of the plant-based restaurant. As you walk into the cafe, a sense of comfort comes from the music playing in the room. A mix of small and large plants on the tables brings a bit of nature indoors.
El Tehut-9 Abdul Alla was at the counter. He lives in the North Lake area and wanted to try out the cafe after finding it online.
“It’s a healthier option, healthier choice, and a lot of people don’t really know where to go,” Alla said. “So, this is like a spring in the desert. Everybody in the community can come right here and get a taste of something that will give them life.”
Traci Jones is one of the founders of Love in Action Cafe. She said they decided to open a plant-based establishment because it provides specific resources.
“On the Love in Action campus, we focus on holistic health — mind, body, spirit,” Jones said. “But in order to give yourself the nourishment that your body needs, God’s plants, and vegetables are the way to go.”
As well as providing healthy food options that include wild rice mixed with veggies and lettuce wraps, Love in Action has a transitional housing program. Jones said it provides stability and personal growth for people on their path to gaining permanent housing, and most of the residents here are veterans, elderly and disabled.
“However, we do house some families; families are for a short amount of time,” Jones said. “So that's anywhere [from] 30, 60, 90 days, sometimes 72 hours. Elderly, disabled and veterans — it's a little harder to get housing for them. So, we're looking at 180 days plus. So, six months or more.”
There are about 100 housing units on site. Trevor Worsley is a resident who lives and works there as part of the transitional housing program. He said that before being housed, he lived under a bridge.
“Things went to worse, [I] ended up losing my car, ended up having no steady income. I ended up on the street panhandling,” Worsley said. “Even though it’s not the first time I’ve been down and out, it was kind of hard being in a brand new city knowing no one.”
Worsley said he’d received a range of support, including help from counselors.
“Whether it be drug addiction, alcohol addiction, whether it be psychological, emotional,” Worsley said. "It’s kind of like a one-stop shop,”
Joseph Butler is the executive of resource development for Love in Action. He said the nonprofit provides guidance on homeownership for residents because gaining access to permanent housing is a pivotal step in their growth.
“After people are healed, they want to be productive and move on into their own space and place,” Butler said. “So, allowing them to be proactive in getting that information and partnering with some of the local organizations and businesses we are connected with, they can give them real-time help.”
Throughout this month, the site will host a series of Zumba classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. The site will offer a therapeutic art-focused healing class on Thursday at 6 p.m. The Love in Action Cafe is open on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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