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By Daniel Evans

Renovations continue on the former Regal Inn Motel building, which the city of Suffolk is turning into a homeless shelter using Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding.

Work started in September on the two-story, 7,152-square-foot building located at 2361 Pruden Boulevard. According to Gerry Jones, director of capital programs and buildings, it is expected to open by spring or summer. The shelter will have 15 double-occupancy rooms, and half of the available rooms will be ADA accessible.

The nearly 40-year-old structure’s renovations include new furniture, lighting, flooring, and showers. Exterior renovations will include new landscaping and lighting, and the addition of an 8-foot-high perimeter security fence. 

The HUD grant being utilized totals $1,451,291, and the total construction fee, site work, and equipment costs are expected to be around $1.7 million. 

“The reason I say approximately $1.7 million is because as you go into a facility like this, and you start uncovering things. There are a lot of things you’re going to be fixing that you hadn’t anticipated, which we are doing as we speak,” Jones said. 

In addition to the HUD grant, Jennifer Moore, communications director for the city of Suffolk, said the city council adopted an ordinance at its Nov. 20 meeting to allocate $500,000 for the hotel renovation through a transfer from the general fund. She said the $500,000 was set aside in the Fiscal Year 25 budget for homeless shelter operations. 

Azeez Felder, the deputy city manager, said the leaders of nearby shelters recommended that Suffolk hire a consultant to oversee the process. Given that advice, the city requested proposals and selected Carson Dean Consulting, a company with 25 years of experience in homeless services.

Carson Dean Consulting led the creation of the two largest shelters in North Carolina, the South Wilmington Street Center in Raleigh and the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte, now called Roof Above.

Carson Dean Consulting will provide input on the shelter design and already visited the site in October. The company will also develop a best practices operations model, explore funding strategies, and ensure regulatory compliance.

Closer to the opening date, the city will hire a vendor to run the shelter.

Until the new homeless shelter is operational, Felder said the city of Suffolk is organizing a winter shelter program that will last until March or April. A notice of intent dated Dec. 5, 2024, awarded the contract to Beacon of Hope in Western Tidewater.

In addition to the winter shelter program, the Coalition Against Poverty in Suffolk (CAPS) has brought back its church-run Night Shelter Program after not being able to hold it last year. According to CAPS Director Mary Sue Rawls, five local churches will serve as hosts for a week, though none are within walking distance of downtown Suffolk.

Rawls said Crosspointe Church is providing transportation to the locations, saving CAPS $3,500 a week in transportation expenses. 

Last year, CAPS operated the “CAPS Community Kitchen” and is continuing that program at the Masonic Lodge downtown. She said the kitchen recently saw 50 guests in one night.

The city provided $35,000 to CAPS this year to help fund the nonprofit. Councilman Timothy Johnson asked if the city could help if CAPS needed emergency funding to shelter people during a cold spell. 

City Manager Albert Moor said any additional funding request would come before the council.