LYNCHBURG, Va. – One of the only emergency homeless shelters in the Hill City, The Hand Up Lodge, is closing its doors for good.
The Lynchburg Community Action Group, also known as Lyn-CAG, has managed the facility on Fifth Street for more than three decades.
In a letter to Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development dated Feb. 24th, Lyn-CAG’s president and CEO Treney Tweedy cited operation and facility concerns about the building constructed in 1850.
“You need to have certain things operating, and certain repairs haven’t been made over a number of years,” said Tweedy.
We’re told issues include water heaters and the HVAC system.
Our request to go inside was denied, but 10 News asked why repairs weren’t made over the years.
Tweedy says maintenance was kept up with the money available to them.
“We receive a portion of funding for maintaining the program from our local COC and our state Virginia Housing Community Development, and unfortunately it’s just not enough,” said Tweedy.
She says Lyn-CAG will put funds into other programs to help those in need.
The Hand Up Lodge serves up to 28 men, women and children daily.
The Salvation Army of Lynchburg will soon become the only emergency homeless shelter in the Hill City -- and leaders say it will impact their 80-bed facility.
“We’re normally at capacity every night, so we’re having the conversations again, ‘where can we add beds, but where can we add beds safely?’ and our goal has always been that when someone comes and asks for help, we at least point them in the right direction. It may not be the help that they’ve asked, but we can at least point them in the right direction,” said Lt. Mark Craddock II, assistant Salvation Army officer for Lynchburg.
The Hand Up Lodge is scheduled to close March 25th.