Salvation Army of Greensboro wants to sell former Center of Hope property

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Two years after shutting down the Salvation Army Center of Hope and demolishing the building that once served as a hub for those in need of shelter and other programs for two decades, the Salvation Army is now looking towards the next step for the property and its operations.

In 2022, the discovery of airborne contaminants and structural issues that couldn’t be repaired led to it being torn down last year.

“We were hit with these environmental issues and structural issues with the building. The building needed to come down, and we really were faced with no choice but to make some difficult decisions,” said Captain Chris Raymer with the Salvation Army of Greensboro.

What was once home to the Salvation Army of Greensboro’s Center of Hope at 1311 S. Eugene St. was reduced to rubble last year.

It held 85 beds, housed men, women and children in need and offered programs and services. Forced to adapt without the shelter, the future of the Salvation Army of Greensboro’s housing services looks different now.

“Moving forward, the Salvation Army here in Greensboro will not have physical bed space. We will not have a physical shelter. However, that does not mean that we are not housing men, women and children. We are just adjusting how we do that,” Raymer said.

They are working closely with landlord partners, shelter partners and hotel partners to find housing for those who need it.

“We are housing more people today than we were when we had the physical bed space,” Raymer said.

Since the Center of Hope closed its doors, administrative services and other programs have been operating from the Salvation Army of Greensboro’s building space on Freeman Mill Road.

“The impact on our building at … Freeman Mill has been pretty large … I had electricians come in and put outlets in places that they weren’t there before because we needed more space,” Raymer said.

They are now seeking to list and sell the now vacant property where the Center of Hope once sat with plans to use the money to get a new office space for their administrative services and programs.

“We can’t operate like that long term. We really need office space as soon as possible so that we can get into and continue doing the best we can for this community,” Raymer said.

The Salvation Army of Greensboro is still waiting for a stamp of approval to officially list the former Center of Hope property from its headquarters in Charlotte.

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