ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – It’s a story where all of the pieces fell right into place allowing more safe shelter for women in need here in Rock Hill.
Less than one year after its opening in December 2020, the Life House Women’s Shelter is renovating a new space that will be able to house more women and it’s right across the street from the shelter on Wilson Street.
Susan Atkinson, a former Life House resident, says she became homeless the day her mother passed away and unfortunately she isn’t alone. So many women are one situation away from homelessness.
“So I lost my mother, my home and my pets had to go to foster care — so I went to a shelter and then my car and then another shelter,” says Atkinson.
Life House Women’s Shelter in Rock Hill says they get 4 to 8 calls a day of women in need. It can be a struggle just to survive.
Atkinson saying, “Yeah just working mainly and finding places to shower, go to the bathroom, I’m just trying to survive.”
Life House Women’s Shelter Board Chair, Courtney Denton, says, “They’ve fallen on a hard situation, a circumstance has befallen them. They may have lost a job, they may have lost a marriage, they may have lost a family member or a relative that they were caring for and what you see is the ripple effect of one loss plus another loss, eventually leading to the loss of the home.”
As of the spring of this year the Life House Women’s Shelter has been able to house nearly 40 women. And more than just a place to rest their head, they complete a 30-60-90 day process that helps long after their stay and leaders say there’s more help to come through the new shelter set up right across the street.
“So, I got in contact with the owners who are selling and they did share that the house has been gutted literally to the frame and that it was an opportunity for someone to come along, buy it, and renovated for the purpose of what they would desire,” says Denton.
Life House leaders learned that there are many shelter stipulations, including being at least 3,000 feet away from the nearest shelter and having a big enough plot of land. They went before city council and the zoning board of appeals and are now able to move forward with the project.
Life House board member Linda Godbold saying, “All I can say is it’s a God thing, I mean so many people have stepped up so there’s so many people in the community that care about people and obviously, because otherwise this would’ve never of happened.”
Now, able to double in size, leaders hope to house 24 women at a time. Denton says homelessness doesn’t look like what everyone expects. She says working with these women has given her a new perspective.
“These are courageous women, these are determined women, these are devoted women to see an opportunity and wanting to take advantage of it,” says Denton.
In the video above, CN2’s Rachel Richardson with a look at the transformative work being done.
