Roof Above’s Charlotte day center suffered severe storm damage early Tuesday morning, forcing the homeless services center to close.
Stepping into Roof Above’s Day Center feels almost apocalyptic. Overturned tables and chairs sit in muddy floodwater as sunlight pours through a chasm in the ceiling.
Jeremy Hall is Roof Above’s Chief Philanthropy Officer. He said the roof collapsed around 3 a.m. Tuesday, as severe storms pounded the area.
“Well, this is a huge impact to our business and our business model,” Hall said.
“We’ve tried to navigate some of our programs to an adjacent building, which is an old train station. But there are a couple things that we are going to have to look to external partners and we’re looking for community support to help fund a lot of those projects.”
The day center provided services such as laundry, bathrooms, showers, an ID clinic and a medical clinic.
Hall said the building’s future is unclear and even if repair is possible, it could take months.
“The hope is that we can find a way of restoring it and restoring our services,” he said.
The closure comes amid Charlotte’s ongoing heat wave. Many unsheltered people were lying in the shade outside the blocked-off day center, which usually provides respite from the heat.
Hall said people can visit the Roof Above website if they wish to volunteer or donate.
“We’re certainly gonna need the help.”
