Shelter for the homeless

With winter on the way, it's reassuring that plans are in place for homeless shelters.

The city of Rock Hill might consider an innovative 10-year plan to house the homeless in available apartments in the city. But with winter coming, it is reassuring that local organizers have a plan in place to ensure the homeless will have shelter.

After two years at the Salvation Army branch on Charlotte Avenue, the men's shelter could move to the Bethel Methodist Church in the Aragon Mill neighborhood. The 150-member church hopes to increase its involvement in serving the homeless.

This move would allow the Salvation Army to use its space to house women and children. That would replace the waiting area at Pilgrims' Inn that was opened to families last year.

But wherever the sites end up, organizers hope to keep the shelters open every night from November through February rather than just nights when temperatures drop below 38 degrees. The 38-degree rule has caused confusion because of the unpredictability of the weather and homeless people's lack of access to weather forecasts.

Using temperature to determine whether shelters were open or closed created a planning nightmare. Keeping it simple and opening shelters every night during the worst months of winter makes more sense.

We are optimistic about the 10-year plan, which would provide a single “point of entry” for all homeless people and would closely monitor the homeless and provide them with counseling. But for now, we're relieved that homeless people will have a roof over their heads in the cold days ahead.