RALEIGH, N.C. — Due to the growing number of homeless individuals, the Raleigh Rescue Mission said they’re expanding to meet the demand.

What You Need To Know

  • Raleigh Rescue Mission is building a new Knightdale-based campus

  • The building can serve four times the number of women and children they currently have in their downtown Raleigh space

  • Raleigh Rescue Mission helps men, women and children who are situationally homeless

  • They said the project will cost $25 million 

North Carolina’s 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan shows there are more than 9,300 homeless people in North Carolina. Of that, 76% are in emergency shelters or transitional housing.

The Raleigh Rescue Mission is helping men, women and children dealing with being situationally homeless. They find themselves in their current situation because of recent events, like job loss or medical emergencies, and they are determined to bounce back.

The Mission is offering those transitional housing and resources to get people back on their feet. The organization said approximately 25% of households in the area are spending more money than they can afford for housing.

Reports predict that the number of low-income families who need affordable housing is expected to increase. The Raleigh Mission said single moms who have kids will represent more than half of those needing access to affordable housing.

In response, the Mission said they will be opening another building, serving even more women and children.

Toni Johnson, a client success manager with the Raleigh Rescue Mission, is excited to be a part of this journey, having been there before.

“The work is so special to me because, like I said, I was there one time and when I see a client walk in, I may see myself and I don’t tell people that,” Johnson said. “So, when you are in a space where you feel safe, and you’re being poured into, and supported and encouraged, it makes things a little easier.”

Johnson said right now they are helping around 60 women and children, but the new project in Knightdale plans to change that number.

The Raleigh Rescue Mission’s new space will serve up to 350 women and children. It will include residential rooms, a children’s development center, counseling centers, a garden, a salon and more.

“We want to serve more people. We do know there’s individuals out there we can’t serve because of capacity,” Johnson said.

As the number of students in transition continues to rise each year, this building will play a crucial role for Wake County Public School System as well.

Recent data from the McKinney-Vento Program shows between 2022-2023, in Wake County, there were over 5,000 students identified as homeless. The year before that, there were over 4,000.

The nonprofit said the Knightdale-campus will cost $25 million. Capacity to serve men in the current downtown Raleigh space will increase with the new project being built.