Safe Shelter

We are a Safe Shelter that provides community and supports people to secure permanent housing. We create a welcoming space where all families and all people can feel at home.

Safe Shelter is a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status recognized by the IRS.

Winter Safe Shelters now open ::

Safe Shelter (Families)

Home Hub, 27 Balm Grove Ave

By Referral Only.

Referrals can be made online or stop by in person to get on the waitlist from 12-2pm Monday through Friday

Serving families with minor children.

Men’s Winter Safe Shelter

91 New Leicester Highway

Walk-in, first-come, first-serve. 40 beds.

Entrance nightly from 6-8pm,

November 1 until March 31, 2026.

Questions? Call Coordinator at 785-4855.

Women’s Winter Safe Shelter

Home Hub, 27 Balm Grove Ave

Walk-in, first come, first serve. 10 beds.

Entrance nightly from 4-6pm, November 1 until March 31, 2026.

Questions? Call Coordinator at 785-4855.

Safe Shelter News!

Donate Supplies

Most needed supplies:

contractor trash bags
disposable cups, plates & bowls
paper towels and toilet paper
coffee, creamer & sugar
cleaning wipes, cleaning products
laundry detergent

Due to lack of space, we CANNOT accept clothing or toy donations.

Drop off donations between 12pm-8pm
Mon-Fri, or 8am-12pm Sat & Sun at:
Safe Shelter
Home: West Asheville Community Hub 27 Balm Grove Ave, Asheville

Volunteer with us!

Join us for Community Dinner every Weds at 6:30pm!

Join our weekly Community Clean Up every Tuesday at 1pm. Meet at 27 Balm Grove Ave. All supplies provided.

Make a donation

Donate

Meet the Team

Christian Chambers

SAFE SHELTER DIRECTOR

Read Bio
Traci Ettison

CHW SUPERVISOR

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Shana Baynard

ASST TO THE DIRECTOR

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Front Line Staff

PEER SUPPORTS & CHWs

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Quick Facts

Fully-staffed by an trauma-informed & experienced team.
Prioritizing families w/minor children and welcoming BIPOC and LGBTQ+.
Walk-in Resource & Referral help available from 12-2pm Monday - Friday.
We serve minor children, so cannot accept registered sex offenders.
Community Health Workers, Peer Support Specialists and a Clinician support guests with permanent housing, employment, childcare, health and other needs.

FAQs

Safe Shelter is a small emergency shelter designed to fill the gaps in WNC shelters. We specialize in keeping families facing homelessness together and providing a safe space for People of Color and LGBTQ+.
Most shelters operate as men’s and women’s dormitories, so a husband and wife and children must split up in order to receive shelter. This is also typically the case for a single mother and her teenage son(s). There are also few options for single fathers.
Safe Shelter allows families to shelter together and give space to those who have had challenges in larger shelters. Safe Shelter has grown from Trinity United Methodists Church’s (TUMC) 2021 Emergency Shelter and Winter Safe Shelter the next winter.
Safe Shelter is located at Home: West Asheville Community Hub, 27 Balm Grove Ave, Asheville, NC 28806.
We share a campus with Trinity United Methodist Church and Deep Time.
We share our building, Home: West Asheville Community Hub, with Mutual Aid Wellness Collective, Home Base Barbershop, Good Vibes Consignment, Hawk Hill Learning Community, Little Field School and more.
Folks can enter the shelter by referral or come to our drop-in hours Monday through Friday from noon - 2pm.
We use a Community Health Worker and Peer Support model to connect with our guests. Our primary goal is to connect our guests with permanent housing. Additionally, we help them achieve their goals in areas including employment, education, childcare, transportation and mental health.
We welcome volunteers and meal donations.
We are grateful for the wealth of experience in our community from those who have been serving our unhoused neighbors for years. We partner and work closely with 12 Baskets; ABCCM; BeLoved; Elida Homes; Equal Plates; Homeward Bound; Haywood Street Respite, Helpmate; the Rescue Mission, Salvation Army; Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective; the Veteran’s Administration, and other community providers.
Our trained Peer Support staff, Community Health Workers or Core Team members are on-site at all times the shelter is open.
We work with Community Paramedics to address health needs.
We welcome volunteers from all walks.
Counterflow LLC is supporting this initiative with participatory program design, leadership meeting facilitation, operations management and policy development, volunteer coordination and appreciation support, recruiting, training, and hiring staff, and empowerment evaluation/reporting.