Why Build A New Shelter?
A Case For Investment
If you could provide a bed for a survivor knowing that it could save a life, would you do it?
Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for your interest in providing safety, shelter, and support for survivors of domestic violence in Buncombe County. The excitement of building a new, larger, well-designed shelter generates many questions. We have attempted to answer some of them here, and always welcome the opportunity to discuss the project in greater detail with you.
Why is the shelter named Joy's House?
Helpmate’s new emergency shelter is named in honor of former Shelter Director, Joy Henderson. Joy retired in April of 2025 from a 30 year tenure at Helpmate’s shelter. For three decades, Joy was a steadfast advocate for survivors, a stalwart leader, and a source of wisdom, humor, and resilience for our team and for the survivors she has never stopped serving. Joy joined Helpmate in the Spring of 1995, a time when the agency was not much more than a safe house and a handful of staff. She has been the sole constant since that time, and has withstood and celebrated countless changes in the years that followed. Most domestic violence advocates move on from direct service work quickly, as the realities of so much suffering become hard for anyone to bear. Joy is truly an anomaly in that way, and has maintained an unwavering commitment to this work decades beyond her peers. Over her thirty year career, Joy never stopped working hands-on with the women and children living in our shelter program, which is bewildering even to our most seasoned advocates. In clear terms, this means that Joy has personally sat down, spoken with, and supported thousands of survivors and has greeted each of them with the same warmth, experience, and conviction in safer and better times ahead.
Why do we need a larger shelter in Buncombe County?
As the population of this area grows, so do the number of neighbors in our community who are experiencing domestic violence. In recent years we have not had enough emergency shelter beds to keep people safe who are in immediate life-threatening danger. Every day we must reach out to shelters in neighboring counties to find a safe place for Buncombe County residents to stay.
- 9 out of 10 survivors who came to our shelter over the past year were evaluated as being at extreme risk for homicide.
- Helpmate provide 5,000 nights of emergency shelter last year alone—but another 300 families could not be served because we did not have enough space. Now, when our shelter is full, Helpmate works with survivors to find safe shelter, often in a nearby county.
- The new shelter will have more than double the capacity – from 20 to 43 beds.
Why not remodel and add on to the existing shelter instead of building new?
This option was considered in great detail, especially given how difficult it is to find new property that meets our requirements (centrally located, on a bus line, etc.). Ultimately, it became clear that remodeling a fairly old structure and adding on would be cost prohibitive. When property became available at a bargain price that did meet our requirements, building a new structure became the obvious solution.
What makes the Helpmate shelter different than other area shelters? Why do you need your own shelter?
Helpmate is grateful to partner with all the area shelters and if a client’s needs can be met in another setting, we explore those options. Our shelter is different primarily because of the security we provide to keep residents safe. These residents are there because someone is actively trying to harm, maybe even murder, them. 91% of survivors who reside in Helpmate’s current shelter fall into the “extreme risk” category on the Danger Assessment, which measures homicide risk. We take security and confidentiality very seriously and follow established best practices.
Is the new shelter just a larger version of the existing shelter?
While the new shelter will have more beds, it also incorporates many features to make this a truly healing environment. For example, bedrooms will offer more privacy and options for single residents and residents with children. There will be a number of smaller kitchens instead of the one large kitchen we currently have, which can cause stress. An elevator and ADA compliant rooms will make life more comfortable for residents, many of whom come to us with temporary disabilities due to abuse.
How long do shelter residents stay in the Helpmate shelter?
It varies, but we look at 30 days as a goal. During that time, case management and counseling services are available to help plan next steps, be it employment and childcare, protection by the court system, or a whole array of life issues that arise in this transitional time. Stays have increased slightly in recent years as finding affordable housing continues to be a challenge. We are meeting this challenge with trained staff using targeted revenue sources to make the transition to a new home feasible for shelter residents who need that kind of support.
Why sell the old shelter? Couldn’t Helpmate use it for other purposes or lease it to a suitable tenant?
Our current facility is an aging building with high carrying cost. As we have no immediate use to repurpose it, we decided to sell the building and use the proceeds from the sale to complete the construction of the new building.
What is the schedule for construction?
The groundbreaking for this project was conducted on April 16, 2024 Construction is underway and we plan to open the shelter in the early Summer of 2026. To date, $14.9 million in funding commitments have been made towards the estimated project cost of $16 million.
For more information about the new shelter project or how you might participate in the campaign, please contact Lauren Jackson, Development Coordinator, 828.254.2968 ext. 134 or ljackson@helpmateonline.org.