AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Hale Street, across from the fairgrounds, is where the Salvation Army is proposing its new Center of Hope shelter, but some nearby residents don’t see it as a good fit.“I feel like it needs to be something more to be done other than putting a new homeless shelter down here. We need stores. We don’t have any grocery stores down here. There’s nothing,” said Miyoko Rhodes.The Salvation Army’s existing shelter dates back to the 70’s, so a new one is in order.Commissioner Jordan Johnson is the commission’s leading advocate for the homeless and represents the district where the new one is being proposed.“There’s room for day centers. There’s room for overnight shelters, but the question will always remain: is this the best location for it? Not only do we have May Park in the neighborhood, but you also have the fairgrounds,” said Commissioner Johnson.May Park is a block away from the shelter site, and that is raising concerns for neighbors.A group of citizens in the Olde Town neighborhood are writing commissioners saying while they support compassionate services for the unhoused, this specific location raises serious concerns for safety, access, and community impact.
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“They should put it more up in the city where they can have more resources. They keep saying by May Park. There’s nothing by May Park. Speaking of May Park, May Park needs to be better,” said Rhodes.“That is an area folks have spent a lot time investing their life savings into, and they have valid concerns about what a shelter in their backyards could mean from them,” said Johnson.
Commissioners are scheduled to hear from Olde Town residents at their meeting on Tuesday.
The residents support the idea of a new shelter but believe the Hale Street site is not a good home for it…