Salvation Army Wall Will Block Rescue Mission Entrance WSOC TV

Publish date: 2024-05-08

GASTONIA, N.C.,None — A local Salvation Army has a new plan for cutting crime in the area.

The organization is putting up a massive fence in Gastonia, but it will block the only entrance to the nearby Bethesda Rescue Mission, located on Main Street.

VIDEO: Salvation Army Wall Will Block Rescue Mission Entrance

Melissa Dehos, who has been homeless for two years, said the mission was a godsend for her and is the only place in the area for homeless people to go in the early evenings.

But Defay Lomick, who owns a barbershop next to the mission, said people bring trouble to the area after hours.

"Walking out of the shop [and] seeing a man drunk behind the tree is not a pretty sight," he said.

Mission Director Ben Smith said it's unfair to blame the mission for things that happen when it's closed.

"We try very hard to keep them inside when we are there," he said.

The wall that's going to be erected by the Salvation Army would close the mission.

Eyewitness News looked at crime statistics for the area and found 103 calls for service at the mission, which doesn't refuse people who are impaired or those with criminal records.

During the same time period, the Salvation Army had 371 calls for similar reported crimes, including stabbings and assaults.

A spokesperson for the Salvation Army was unavailable Wednesday.

The wall, which costs $50,000, will take three weeks to complete. Access to Bethesda Mission could be shut off by the start of next week, though.

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