This Myrtle Beach men’s homeless shelter will nearly double capacity after renovation
New Directions homeless shelter is set to nearly double the capacity of its men’s shelter after completing an expansion project in the coming months.
The men’s shelter at New Directions is currently the largest of the three buildings with 90 beds. The expansion of the facility’s upstairs will allow the organization to add up to 74 beds to the men’s shelter, potentially bringing its total to 164 beds, though Executive Director Kathy Jenkins said the organization may choose to start with a lower number of beds and work its way up to full capacity.
Horry County has the largest unsheltered homeless population in the state. In the statewide 2020 South Carolina State of Homelessness Report, 589 of Horry County’s 807 people who were homeless didn’t have shelter. Other counties in the state experience the opposite trend, with most of the homeless population sheltered in Richland, Greenville and Charleston counties.
The expansion of the men’s shelter has been in talks for years, and plans were in motion beginning in 2019, when New Directions employees noticed there were consistently 40-50 men on the waiting list.
Various delays, including New Directions shifting their focus to accommodate the immediate need for shelter during the coronavirus pandemic, pushed off construction. Now, construction is set to start Monday, though Jenkins said further delays could happen due to a water main issue that’s currently being resolved.
“We had a lot to overcome after a COVID year, and we are feeling really blessed right now,” Jenkins said.
Construction is expected to take six to eight weeks, but Jenkins affirmed the upstairs portion of the building will be ready for use by October. That allows for three more weeks of delays that could take place during or before construction.
“As soon as it’s ready, we’re ready to put people upstairs,” Jenkins said.
To accommodate more people in the shelter, New Directions is looking to expand its staff, including adding a live-in night staffer and another case manager, Jenkins said.
The expansion cost around $225,000 and was funded through grants, donations and fundraisers from places like Beach Church and Bank of America, Jenkins said.
After the expansion of the men’s shelter is complete, New Directions will prioritize expanding its women’s shelter, Jenkins said. The organization has already selected and purchased a site, but funding hasn’t been secured yet. It will require a capital campaign, and Jenkins said “the time just doesn’t seem right” for that yet.
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 4:23 PM.
