Renovation Report: Charlotte Rescue Mission men’s dormitory

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CHARLOTTE – The Charlotte Rescue Mission is a nonprofit organization that provides a home and recovery space for homeless men and women looking to beat the beasts of drug and alcohol addiction.

Only the men’s dormitory of the Rescue Mission’s Rebound program hasn’t felt much like a home recently.

Built in the 1930s, the building at 907 W. First St. hasn’t been renovated since the Rescue Mission moved in during the 1960s, and the men’s dormitory was especially dilapidated. “Everything was deteriorated because of leaky roofs,” said the Rev. Tony Marciano, executive director of the organization. He said the renovation project will completely change the layout of the men’s dorm.

“It was very bad, I’m embarrassed to tell you how bad,” Marciano said. “There wasn’t adequate space for the men to hang their clothing. The furniture was broken up. It wasn’t a place that anyone would want to stay, and we’ve had a few men walk out.”

Rodgers Builders, the Charlotte-based general contractor, in November began construction on the project, and Marciano said he hopes to have the men moved back into their dorm by Jan. 15. During the renovations, the 120 men at the Rescue Mission have been sleeping on cots in the gymnasium.

The $375,000 project includes a new ceiling, ripping up the existing linoleum flooring, polishing the concrete flooring underneath, new furniture, and removing the paint from the windows to give the recovering men more natural light. Rodgers is also adding shoulder-height walls across the dorm, so the men can be organized into quads, giving them an extra layer of accountability, Marciano said.

“The men will be in groups of four, so if one of them is thinking of quitting, my hope and prayer is that because of that connection, they’ll be more successful,” he said. “Our experience is that they do better when held accountable by their peers.”

Most of the $375,000 cost of the project has been raised through donations from The Merancas Foundation, Elevation Church, Matthews United Methodist Church, The Blumenthal Foundation and many individual donors. Businesses such as Furniture Row, Sherwin Williams and Rodgers Builders made in-kind donations of labor and materials.

“We don’t rely on the government or the United Way to fund us,” Marciano said. “Seventy percent of our funding comes from individuals. The other 30 percent comes from foundations, businesses, churches and other organizations.”

All of the heavy renovation work is already complete, Marciano said, and all that remains to be done is putting the furniture together and putting it in place, and moving the men into the new space. For the Rescue Mission, Jan. 15 can’t come soon enough. Marciano said these renovations have been needed for 25 years.

“We’ve needed it for so long,” said Sheila Kidwell, communications director at the Rescue Mission. “We’re ready to have this done.”

Project description: The Charlotte Rescue Mission is in the process of renovating its men’s dormitory, which serves 120 homeless men who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Address: 907 W. First St.

Construction cost: $375,000

General contractor: Rodgers Builders

Construction started: November

Expected completion: Jan. 15