Wake County staff updated the Board of Commissioners on April 14 about the county’s winter “white flag” shelter activations and the county’s purchase and ongoing conversion of Second Street Place into a permanent low‑barrier emergency shelter with wraparound services.

Lede: County staff said the Continuum of Care (CoC) recorded 61 white‑flag alerts during the most recent cold‑weather season and that the county’s Second Street Place — acquired last year and opened on Jan. 1 — will be transitioned to a permanent, expanded shelter site with a second‑phase renovation scheduled for April–November of next year.

Nut graf: Staff described how white‑flag activations are declared using National Weather Service outlooks (a watch/warning with expected temperatures at or below 35°F triggers the county’s current threshold), summarized nightly surge capacity for unsheltered people, and outlined the county’s plan to issue an RFP for a long‑term Second Street Place operator and to complete capital upgrades estimated at about $5.1 million.

White flag and surge sheltering

- Declaration and criteria: County staff said the CoC’s white‑flag annual response plan uses National Weather Service watches and warnings; the CoC chair (pastor Vance Haywood of St. John’s Metropolitan Community Church was identified as the current chair) makes the official declaration when conditions meet the plan’s criteria.

- Capacity and partners: Staff reported that night‑by‑night shelter capacity was expanded by mobilizing community partner sites during alerts and that capacity flexed between about 110 and 190 additional beds for single adults on surge nights and roughly 20 family beds. Faith partners that provided space during the season included Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, Church of the Good Shepherd, First Baptist Church and Edenton United Methodist Church, staff said.

Second Street Place: acquisition, operation and Phase‑2 plans

- Background and current operation: Morgan Mansa of Wake County’s housing team described the county’s purchase of the building last fall and said Second Street Place opened on New Year’s Day to replace interim shelter capacity previously provided at Cabarrus Street. She said the facility operates as a low‑barrier, night‑by‑night emergency shelter that also helps prioritize regular shelter placements and referrals into Bridge to Home and other housing pathways.

- Steering committee and services: Staff convened a steering committee of nearby nonprofits, faith partners and county teams to shape an RFP for a long‑term operator. The future model will pair the night‑by‑night shelter with on‑site or closely coordinated wraparound services: housing navigation, flexible financial assistance, behavioral health and health care linkages, and food access supports.

- Capital and schedule: Facilities staff presented schematic plans and said the Phase‑2 interior renovation is estimated at about $5.1 million. The proposal adds bathrooms and showers (internal), a security area, program/meeting rooms, staff offices and upgrades to mechanical, electrical and life‑safety systems. Facilities said the project design would be finished in September, bid in October, and, if the county awards construction contracts in November, construction would run approximately April 1–Nov. 1 of the next year. County staff said Second Street Place will continue operating during most of the renovation planning period and that they are exploring community partners and alternate facilities to cover services during the construction window if needed.

Quotations and next steps

- “We opened on New Year’s Day,” Morgan Mansa told the board, noting the compressed, cross‑agency effort required to open the facility quickly. County staff said they would announce the selected long‑term operator in May and expect full long‑term operations to begin July 1; capital renovation and operator transition work will proceed thereafter.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff about laundry, neighborhood impacts and faith‑community partnerships. Staff said they will continue community outreach, refine operational plans with partners, and return with the schematic design for the renovation at a future meeting (staff indicated a May board agenda item on the schematic design was planned).