BY DEBBIE PAGE
Iredell Homeless Collaborative chair Pam Navey said the Brookwood Inn closing is both a sad and good thing as it changes the lives of the folks who lived there. The motel officially shut down on August 31 after serving as a low-cost housing option for years.
Navey applauded the financial support of the community and the hard work of collaborative partners to help the people through this transition.
“I thought I knew this community well, but it has not ceased to amaze me,” she said.
Residents are excited to make new homes in their apartments and rental homes.
“I saw two teenage girls excited as if it was Christmas Day to get into their new home. I saw one young girl who had never seen a dishwasher and never slept in a home with a stove in it,” Navey said. “When you see these children, they’re so happy.”
The Brookwood residents had formed a community, and many are at the same apartment complex.
There is still work to do, Navey said.
“Just because Brookwood’s closed does not mean the crisis is over,” she said.
“One good thing that I have found out is that eyes are being opened in this community. I had someone say to me, ‘I never knew things were so bad in our little community.’ ”
Navey noted that each family’s unique needs have been met through community appeals.
“It’s just amazing how when a request is made for certain things, they appear,” she said. “People are stepping forward to do more about this. We can preach it every day. We can talk about the need every day, but until they can put a life and a real change of substance with something that they can see and something that they can feel or somebody they know, it’s not going to stick.”
There are still people living on the street who need services for mental health and substance-use issues, she said.
Rob Harris, executive director of Restoration Road Ministries, reported the nonprofit serving homeless families has spent $22,044 relocating Brookwood residents and helping three other families at other hotels.
“We still have seven families that are bridged in motels, which is incredibly expensive compared to what Brookwood was charging, and we are working diligently to get them housed,” he said. “The ones that we have gotten in apartments and houses are going to continue to need a lot of support — case management, budgeting, oversight — just as we did when those families were at the Brookwood Inn.”
It costs about $1,400 to $1,600 on average right to get a family placed into housing. The total cost will be $3,000 average per per family with back payments, deposits with first and last month rent, sometimes even three months.
“This is heavy lifting,” said Harris, thanking the many individuals and agencies who have been “unbelievably generous to us.”
Denise Sharrow, director of the Acts of Kindness ministry under RRM, said the “mostly single mothers still in the motels need a lot of our moral support along with financial support. So we’re just trying to sustain them and keep them going until we can find them a place to live.”
Navey said Fifth Street’s Brookwood fundraising campaign has expended $31,000 in direct client relocation costs.
“Between Restoration Read and the Fifth Street collaboration to date, we are looking at $53,000 to $54,000 to meet this huge need,” she said.
Navey said they had provided bus tickets to individuals at Brookwood who had housing available with friends or family out of the area. Two individuals are at the Fifth Street shelter, and they are helping one of them apply for an out-of-town job as well as help with transportation and housing.
Some other singles moved to the apartment complex where other Brookwood residents relocated, while others moved in with a family member or roommate to help share costs.
Harris said 14 were self-supported through their jobs and had other means to find housing.
CONTINUING SUPPORT
Sharrow said Brookwood Inn’s closing means these people must spend more money in other motels that they cannot afford.
“It’s just a crisis. It’s not over. There are many families out there. This is long, hard work that is not going to stop because they’re going to tear Brookwood Inn down.”
Navey said the collaborative is arranging for parenting classes, simple budgeting, job training, and other supports and classes to the relocated residents.
“We’re helping these folks with the goal of following through with them to assure we’re not setting these people up to fail,” said Navey, citing the support of Restoration Road, Iredell EMS Community Response Support Team, Pharos, Yokefellow, Salvation Army, Fifth Street Ministries, Foundation of Hope, Goodwill, and I-CARE, among others.
“People need better paying jobs. It’s not just the ‘unaffordable’ housing issue that we’re dealing with here. It is the level of job pay that these people have to work three jobs just to stay in a minimal apartment with a family. It’s discouraging. It’s a systemic issue.”
“If these folks have just one medical issue, one mental health issue, a car accident, a family death, it can get them off track.
I-CARE Family Support Services Director Shelton Moore offered funding to assist these folks with specialized training in health care, CDLs, and skilled trades.
“Usually this training will lead to higher-wage employment,” he said. “We’re really pushing those specialized training opportunities to open doors to higher wages. In addition to the tuition assistance, we have funding for books, equipment, tools, and things that help them transition with little to no barriers or hardships.”
“The goal is to see them not only gain employment but maintain that employment,” said Moore.
HELPING THE UNHOUSED IN CAMPS
Foundation of Hope Ministries Executive Director Karen Kidd said her organization, which works with those living on the streets and in encampments, got five people off the streets and into detox or back home safely on buses within two days last week.
She also worked with several who were recently released from incarceration who came out “with no shoes, no clothes, no anything. To be able to help with that, we have to work a lot with probation and parole.”
“To see life change taking place in people is absolutely amazing,” she added.
With partner The Cove Church in Statesville, they served 180 plates and gave away 64 food bags on Tuesday night. The group is also planning a “Cozy Up for Fall” clothing giveaway in October at The Cove and another at Alex Cooper Park with the Statesville Police Department to help other community members in November.
Foundation of Hope also offers showers by appointment at The Cove Church, and individuals can also get food and clothing while they are there.
“We’ve been blessed by many organizations giving us Blessing Bags to hand out, whether we’re taking them to the South Side, whether we’re doing it out of The Cove or from our vehicles or at Goodwill for when our people come in there.”
“We’ve also been working to get birth certificates, social security cards, and IDs. The same day one got a Social Security card, that individual was able to get a job.”
People are being loved and supported and having their critical needs met on the street, added Kidd.
Restoration Road’s Harris also noted that his organization got a wheelchair-bound homeless veteran in Mooresville, who they had been working with for 18 months, into housing recently.
CHRISTMAS AND WINTER PLANNING UNDERWAY
The Salvation Army, Statesville Police Department, and other organizations are already planning for holiday help for families.
The Salvation Army is planning to put its assistance application online this year, with one week of onsite applications at the Salvation Army facility the week of October 6, according to Lt. April McCormick.
“Our main goal is to help those in need, to bring a special Christmas morning for so many kids in the Statesville area,” she said.
♦ The Statesville Police Department’s annual Fill the Trailer Toy Drive is a community initiative dedicated to bringing holiday joy to children and families in need. Each year, many families in our community face financial hardships, making it difficult to provide the gifts that make the season special.
Suggested items to donate include: board games, puzzles, travel games, books; sports items (footballs, basketballs, soccer balls); electronic handheld/portable games; manicure sets, hair & nail accessories, fragrance sets; hat and glove sets, scarves; art and craft supply sets, educational toys; and remote control vehicles, toy cars, action figures, and dolls.
Note: The SPD Toy Drive cannot accept gift cards, monetary donations, clothing, stuffed animals, or food items.
Donors can drop off gifts at the Statesville Police Department (330 S. Tradd Street) through December 13 in the designated drop-off area.
To contribute online, donors can have items shipped to the same address. View the 2025 SPD Toy Drive Wishlist on Amazon.
The SPD Toy Drive kickoff will be at the Statesville Pumpkin Festival (Broad/Tradd Street entrance) in Downtown Statesville on Saturday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
SPD Officers and staff will be also collecting donations at the Walmart Supercenter (1116 Crossroads Drive) from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on five Saturdays (November 8, 15, 22, and December 6 and 13).
♦ The Statesville Salvation Army location also opened Sally’s Closet on Tuesday.
“We had 17 families come in for clothes, so that tells me it is needed. I’m so glad that it’s open and we’re able to add that to services for this area,” said McCormick.
The closet will be open every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Families can get a voucher from the Salvation Army office and then shop at Sally’s Closet.
McCormick said the organization is also planning a fall blanket and coat drive to collect winter wear for those in need.
The organization also plans to set up a warming station at the Salvation Army facility this winter.
UPCOMING EVENTS
♦ On September 9, the Salvation Army (1361 Caldwell St, Statesville) will have its monthly community lunch with G4G cooking chicken dinners from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
♦ On Wednesday, September 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Iredell County Health Department is having a Recovery Roadmap Summit at the Statesville Recreation and Parks Department (1875 Simonton Road). The event will feature hands-on information about navigating recovery as well as finding housing, and employment. The event will feature NARCAN training, resume building, recovery speakers, helping agency vendors, and lunch.
♦ The Christian Mission and Goodwill are hosting a Poverty Simulation at Williamson’s Chapel United Methodist Church (575 Brawley School Road) in Mooresville on Saturday, September 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will see firsthand how families can struggle and walk in their shoes to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges of living in poverty. The event is limited to 80 participants. To be a participant, sign up at this Poverty Simulation link. The event still needs vendors. Contact Valerie Murdock at The Christian Mission at 704-664-2357 by September 10 to join the event.
♦ The 8th Annual Iredell County Walk for Recovery will be on Saturday, September 27, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the South Iredell High School Performing Arts Center (299 Old Mountain Road). This free, family-friendly event will celebrate the hope and healing that comes with recovery from substance use and mental illness with words from three inspiring speakers as well as community leaders. Family activities, including music, magician, balloon artist, face painting, martial arts, dance, and other performances, photo booth, art exhibit, games, and crafts, will also add to the fun. A free dinner of hotdogs, water, and side items will also be served. Other treats will be distributed by individual vendors.
The event spreads the word about recovery, prevention, treatment, and education related to substance use and mental illness issues during National Recovery Month. Many vendors associated with mental health, substance misuse, recovery, and other helping agencies will be on hand, and adults can take a “walk” around the event area, visiting the vendors with their stamp card. Turning in the completed stamp card will make adult attendees eligible for prize drawings! (Must be present to win!)
Contact Kristin Blumenstein at kristin.daci@gmail.com if interested in being a vendor or volunteer (no product sales allowed). For more information on the Iredell Walk for Recovery, visit the website at Iredell Walk for Recovery or at Iredell Walk for Recovery Facebook.
♦ The Statesville Night Out will be Thursday, October 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. In Downtown Statesville at W. Broad Street and Mulberry Street. Members of the Statesville Police Department and community partners will stand together against crime and violence in Statesville’s neighborhoods. The event will have free food, public safety displays, inflatables, entertainment, information and resources from community partners, and many other activities for everyone in the community.