Support services, such as the homeless shelter One80 Place in Charleston, are preparing for the long haul. But as Marco Corona, the shelter's chief development officer, said, the next few months aren't the worry. It's maintaining the new threshold of support six months from now and beyond.

“We know that just looking at the numbers, you know that systemic racism plays a role in this, and anything we can do to combat it we want to do,”…

Low-income and homeless resource nonprofits have reported an increase in need across the state amid the coronavirus pandemic and its associated pinch on the economy.

Meanwhile, at One80 Place, the focus remains on finding housing for those without.

"Our best effort, what we feel is the best solution, is getting people rehoused with temporary financial assistance," Corona said.

While many were able to quarantine in their own homes—others were not. According to Marco Corona, the Chief Development Officer for One80 Place, they’ve been working on getting those that were in their shelter during the quarantine their own spaces.

One80 Place is one step closer to developing affordable housing.On Wednesday, the project met its fundraising goal after a major grant was given.The $24 million project, known as 573 Meeting Street, will be a permanent home for more than 70 formerly homeless people.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 20, 2020, was a day of service for the members of Gamma XI Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. In servicing the community, the chapter provided gifts to the residents of One80 Place as an effort to assist with the fight against homelessness.

“We tend to focus affordable housing on people who are working or on the elderly which are all deserving subpopulations in our community that deserve housing," explained Denaux. "But we really need to focus on the lowest to low income, those who are either on the verge of becoming homeless or who are currently homeless and there is a huge gap in addressing that need.”