Cherokee County - New State Agency Complex

Media Release provided by Cherokee County and The Palladian Group:

GAFFNEY – Cherokee County will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new State Agency Complex, 113 W. Buford St. in Gaffney, at 11 a.m. Friday, April 26.
The $2.8 million, 24,000-square-foot complex will house the Cherokee County offices of the S.C. Department of Social Services, the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice, and the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.

The building is designed so that the client experience for each agency remains separate. The new complex features more conference room space, two visitation rooms, and shower and laundry facilities for children in between foster homes or in emergency protective custody. Housing DJJ and PPP in the building also frees up much-needed space at the Cherokee County Law Enforcement Center.

Who : Cherokee County elected officials & administrators, DSS, DJJ & PPP representatives
What : Ribbon-cutting unveiling Cherokee County’s new State Agency Complex
When : 11 a.m. Friday, April 26
Where : 113 W. Buford St., Gaffney, South Carolina

Cherokee County acquired the building in January 2021, and Sossamon Construction was hired to work on the project in March 2023. DP3 Architects designed the new facility, which formerly housed a Community Cash and Ace Hardware.

The S.C. Department of Social Services provides protective services for children and vulnerable adults, adoption, and foster care services. It administers federal Child Welfare Services and Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs. DSS also administers economic assistance programs including the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides employment and training for people receiving
cash assistance, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federal benefit to assist low-income citizens in the purchase of food.

The S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice's Division of Community Services is responsible for a wide range of direct services to youth and their families, as well as victims of crime, in communities statewide. These services include a number of programs and initiatives aimed at providing effective supervision of youth who are on probation or parole and to support their families, with the goals of reducing juvenile crime and recidivism, and providing for safer communities.

The S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services is charged with the community supervision of offenders placed on probation by the court and paroled by the State Board of Paroles and Pardons. PPP also supervises offenders through a number of community sanctions, and help ensure that they meet specific conditions of parole.