Its 573 Meeting Street development pairs affordable housing with shelter space to help people find long-term stability
One80 Place’s 573 Meeting Street offers 70 subsidized, furnished apartments, as well as a common area, micro market, and an expanded women and family shelter. (Above) Resident Nowa Fludd in her new two-bedroom space
Since its first shelter was established in 1984, One80 Place has worked to end and prevent homelessness in Charleston. Today, a powerful new tool to advance that mission has risen at 573 Meeting Street: a 70-unit affordable housing and shelter community that welcomed its first wave of residents in late June. The $44-million, six-story development aims to bridge the gap between crisis intervention and long-term stability, expanding One80 Place’s ability to offer people dignity, security, and a place to call home.
The road to 573 Meeting began in 2017, when One80 Place’s leadership challenged themselves to create more comprehensive housing solutions for individuals and families in the Lowcountry, recognizing that while emergency shelters are vital lifelines, they are only part of the answer. “We’ve always known that if you want to create more lasting change, you have to expand beyond emergency response. You have to move beyond temporary into permanent to create stability,” says One80 Place board member Sonny Goyal, who also serves as chair of the advancement committee that helped bring the project to life.
The building’s design is a direct response to that need. Its three upper floors contain 70 affordable apartments: 50 studios, 16 one-bedrooms, and four two-bedrooms—all subsidized and reserved for individuals and families in the Charleston area who are unhoused and earning 50 percent or less of the median income. At the ground level, a hybrid space contains One80 Place offices; a residential common area; and a micro market offering residents convenient access to fresh produce and other foods, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, a 65-bed women and family shelter doubles the capacity of One80 Place’s existing shelter. The scale-up was born out of necessity, as the previous facility could fill all too quickly. The expanded space will still be open to women and children who need a safe place to land, whether that’s just for the night or longer, and on-site case management teams are available to help with individual situations.
Beyond the brick-and-mortar, 573 Meeting embodies One80 Place’s holistic approach, which includes crucial wraparound services—such as dedicated case management, health care, and legal aid—addressing the core vulnerabilities that can cause housing instability in the first place or disrupt someone newly on their feet. There are also hardships that could impact anyone, Goyal notes. “You’ve got to think about all the different situations. Like, did their health go sideways? Well, we have the ability to give them care,” he says. “Maybe people have legal issues that they need to solve, but they can’t afford it. Those legal bills mount up, and all of a sudden they’re homeless again.”
Making the vision a reality has involved community support at every stage, with a number of public, private, and nonprofit partnerships supporting 573 Meeting’s design, financing, and construction. Local buy-in was particularly evident in the successful “Furnish the Future” campaign, a fundraiser designed to ensure the new tenants wouldn’t move into empty apartments.
Still, the work is far from over, and One80 Place invites everyone to take part in this next chapter, supporting the organization monetarily, volunteering on-site, and helping change perceptions by addressing stigmas around individuals experiencing homelessness. “This is about lifting people up and giving them a chance,” Goyal says. By expanding local awareness and protecting a clear path out of crisis, the nonprofit—and the community supporting it—are ensuring that a home is within reach for everyone.
Learn more about One80 Place, including opportunities to volunteer in the Zucker Family Community Kitchen and Bakker Family Donation Center, at One80place.org.
