St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Father John Haughey and Father Gene McCreesh founded St. Peter’s Homes in 1989.  St. Peter’s Episcopal Church became a partner in 1990.  Both churches, located in the urban core of uptown Charlotte, have advocated on behalf of the homeless for many years and recognized the increasing need for affordable housing among people experiencing poverty.  St. Peter’s Homes became a private, non-profit agency committed to assisting marginally homeless families successfully re-enter the mainstream of society by providing low-income housing.  The agency leased and refurbished housing through Housing and Urban Development.  The homes were then rented to homeless families in need of a new start.  Rent collected from the families was placed in an escrow account, which was either returned to the family when it exited the program or ultimately used by the family toward the purchase of the home.  The organization worked closely with the neighborhood and families to ensure a positive, healthy relationship between struggling neighbors and families transitioning out of homelessness.  All of the work performed by St. Peter’s Homes was made possible through volunteers. 

In 1993, the organization decided to work closely with other non-profit agencies in Charlotte that provided case management services.  It was then assessed that the organizations that employed full-time staff were better equipped to handle the challenging issues that many of the families faced.  St. Peter’s Homes discontinued its services with the hopes that some day they would have an opportunity to give back to the community that needs love and care the most.

Soon after, a group of parishioners from St. Peter’s Catholic Church began meeting to brainstorm on the most efficient way to provide housing for the a population of the homeless that often only need a small stepping stone to exit the cycle of homelessness—employed men.  Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing was found to be the most affordable way to build new efficiencies or apartments for working, homeless men.  The group was led by Barney Offerman, Ph.D., which then formed a committee, SRO Options for Charlotte, to explore effective solutions for ending homelessness for working men.  In 1996, the SRO Options for Charlotte Committee partnered with David Furman Architecture, Bank of America and the Homeless Services Network.  The group located a site in the Cherry neighborhood, located between Midtown and Myers Park.  The site proved to be accessible to public transportation, community amenities and employment opportunities.  Bank of America owned the land and was willing to donate it so Charlotte’s first SRO could become a reality.  However, since no SRO’s existed at the time, there was no zoning in place.  The committee then proceeded to meet with the neighborhood leaders and discuss the goals of the neighborhood and the group.  It was found that during the neighborhood meeting, that the leader was the sole supporter of the project.  The neighborhood citizens strongly opposed the development of SRO apartments in their neighborhood.   The SRO Options for Charlotte Committee grew weary and frustrated.  The committee postponed its regular meetings until another site was located.

From 1998 to 2000, David Furman tirelessly searched for a viable site while working with the Planning Commission to ensure that SRO zoning was defined in the zoning ordinance.  The city/county staff and David Furman’s office worked closely to write a zoning ordinance for SRO housing.  Although it was preferred that SRO housing be categorized as residential, it was classified as light industrial and for business use in the zoning ordinance.  At last, a zoning category was assigned to SRO housing in Charlotte.

In 2001, the release of an assessment on homelessness by Mecklenburg County indicated that the hardest population to exit the homeless system was disabled men, employed, participating in community service work or job training classes.  The SRO Options for Charlotte Committee had not met in several years, but still remained cognizant of the increasing needs of disabled homeless men, along with several additional churches.  The SRO effort had spread beyond St. Peter’s Catholic Church.  Now, eight congregations that formed the Jeremiah 29:7 group became increasingly involved with filling the gap in the system with SRO housing.  David Furman did not give up and still searched for a viable, properly zoned affordable site.  The Homeless Services Network (HSN) also became an active partner in advocating for SRO housing and released the announcement that HUD would grant the community of service providers a $500,000 bonus (in addition to the $2 million + it grants Charlotte every year to provide shelter and housing for the homeless).  The bonus would only be granted if the community would apply for new permanent housing.  The HSN, being closely involved with the Jeremiah 29:7 group and SRO Options for Charlotte immediately announced the HUD bonus.  Jeremiah 29:7 hired a grant writer to submit the grant request to HUD.

The Jeremiah 29:7 group was connected to the SRO Options for Charlotte Committee through mutual contacts.  The committee instantly thought of St. Peter’s Homes as the non-profit group whose mission was to provide affordable housing.  The recommendation was made to inquire if St. Peter’s Homes could organize, develop and manage the new initiative.  After several conversations with the original St. Peter’s Homes board members, representatives from Jeremiah 29:7 merged with St. Peter’s Homes to form a new board of directors.   St. Peter’s Homes was delighted to see their efforts from many years past coming to fruition through a new, innovative initiative to provide affordable housing.  Later in 2001, HUD announced that St. Peter’s Homes was awarded $500,000 to build Charlotte’s first SRO for disabled homeless men.

Finally, after years of searching for a viable site, David Furman located a piece of land on North Davidson Street that was zoned properly and was affordable.  The Jeremiah group raised funds to purchase the land for St. Peter’s Homes.  Then, the new board of directors applied for a loan with the City of Charlotte.  The loan would cover capital expenses associated with construction.  The original design of the SRO program required every resident to pay rent, which would then be used for general operating costs.  The new board of St. Peter’s Homes intended to use the original idea for rent payment to decrease debt service and increase the organization’s capacity to be self-supporting.  In addition, David Furman donated his time and talent to design the building.  All of the pieces were finally coming together for so many dedicated people who cared enough to not give up.

However, the loan request process did not move forward without neighborhood opposition.  The neighborhoods directly surrounding the site supported the project.  They understood the impact that the SRO will have in helping disabled men maintain self-sufficient lifestyles while being an asset to the community.  But, the trendy, arts district called NoDa located one mile away adamantly opposed the proposed SRO by St. Peter’s Homes.  During several neighborhood meetings, residents expressed their fears that property values would plummet while crime and drugs would increase in the historically poor, low-income mill town.  Many suggested that the prospective residents of the SRO be held to stricter guidelines for tenancy than most fair market housing options in the neighborhood.

St. Peter’s Homes understood some of the neighborhood concerns and addressed the fears to the community and City Council.  On May 13, 2002, the loan request for $1,025,542 was unanimously approved.  Now, St. Peter’s Homes is moving forward with a groundbreaking ceremony and the beginning stages of construction.  The dream and vision of providing SRO housing for the most vulnerable of the homeless will become a reality with the grand opening of the SRO in the spring 2003, with the tireless dedication and commitment from St. Peter’s Homes, Jeremiah 29:7, David Furman and the Homeless Services Network.