A City Council committee voted 7-0 on Monday to recommend $100,000 so Family Services can reopen the Bethesda Center shelter through April. The full council votes next.
Updated Nov. 10: The Committee of the Whole voted 7-0 on Monday to recommend the $100,000. Council member Annette Scippio recused herself, according to the city’s meeting record. The resolution now goes to the full City Council for a final vote. The city has not yet said when the shelter will reopen.
Winston-Salem would give $100,000 to help reopen the day and overnight shelter at the Bethesda Center for the Homeless this winter, under a plan a City Council committee backed Monday.
The center stopped running its day shelter and overnight beds on Oct. 25. Its board has since agreed that Family Services, a Winston-Salem nonprofit, will manage the money and oversee the shelter through at least April 30, 2027. The city money would let it reopen “during the coldest months of the year,” the city staff report says.
The council’s Committee of the Whole considered the request Monday, Nov. 9, at City Hall, 101 N. Main St. It was item 9 on the committee’s Nov. 9 agenda.
Why the shelter stopped
Bethesda notified city and county leaders in a letter before the shutdown. “After careful review of our financial position and ability to sustain the current 24-hour shelter model, the Board of Directors and leadership have determined that Bethesda must temporarily suspend day-shelter and overnight residential operations,” Executive Director Amanda Burton wrote.
The letter, which the city attached to the agenda item as Exhibit A, says:
- about 100 people may be affected
- Bethesda is the only emergency shelter serving single adult women in Forsyth County
- the center’s monthly operating cost was about $76,875 under its 2026-2027 budget
- cuts to staff, hours and services would bring that to about $36,000 a month during the suspension
The center asked the city and the county for at least $150,000 and up to $250,000 to cover existing obligations and keep essential services going while it works out a new model. That money, the letter says, would not be used to restart the old 24-hour shelter.
Bethesda has run day and evening shelter programs in Winston-Salem since 1989, the proposed resolution says.
The plan before the council
The board chair, Pastor Nathan E. Scovens, then asked to meet the city about resuming shelter for the winter in partnership with Family Services, according to the staff report.
The report sets out what the deal would look like:
- Family Services would manage all the money for shelter operations and oversee services through at least April 30, 2027.
- Family Services has a $500,000 fundraising goal and has identified about 60% of it from philanthropic sources. Some of that comes with conditions, including support from government agencies.
- The city would pay $100,000 in four monthly installments of $25,000, starting in December.
- The money would come from the city’s unallocated affordable housing funds.
City staff wrote that a city commitment “should encourage other government and philanthropic organizations to step up.” The $100,000 figure came out of talks with Khari Garvin, president and CEO of Family Services, the report says. The proposed resolution calls the payment a grant.
The staff report does not give a date for the shelter to reopen. It also does not say how many beds would open.
What is still open at the center
Bethesda did not close entirely. Its letter says these continue during the suspension:
- case management by appointment, including referrals
- medical clinic visits at the center, by appointment
- help connecting people with other community resources
- a limited staff presence for mail, building operations and safety
The staff report says Bethesda is also doing deep cleaning and other upkeep while the shelter is closed. Its board plans to spend the next six months on a long-term plan to keep the center going.
What it means for you
- The center is at 930 N. Patterson Ave. Its phone number, from its website, is 336-722-9951. On Saturday the website still listed day and night shelter hours, so call before sending anyone there.
- The committee meeting was public, and the city posts video of council meetings on its meeting video page.
- The city has a separate plan for up to 15 modular shelters at Weston Park, paid for with federal money. Read our story on the Weston Park shelter units.
- To reach your council member about the request, see who to call at City Hall.
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