A Charlotte car dealership is letting homeless people sleep inside their parking lot so they have a safe place to stay overnight while they’re displaced.
Kiplin Automotive Group manager James Charles says over a dozen people have taken up the invite to park their vehicles in the well-lit zone on Berkshire Boulevard and he is also assisting them in finding permanent housing.
The offer is used by individuals who have a motor and usually have a job but have not yet found affordable accommodation in the North Carolina city where a deposit and first month’s rent for an apartment is about $2,500 on average.
Charles came up with the idea six years ago when the dealership went to repossess a car from a woman who was not keeping up with payments.
Car dealership manager James Charles (pictured) lets people park their vehicles in his lot overnight so they can sleep safely while they find a place to live in Charlotte
Kiplin Automotive Group’s initiative helps those in need avoid trespassing at another business
Charles was inspired by a mother who was pregnant, had three children and nowhere to go. Charles explained: ‘So I said to my wife, “How am I going to leave the dealership knowing that there’s three babies sleeping in a car?”‘
Charles explained to WBTV: ‘The gentleman who was repossessing the car said, ‘We can’t take the car, there’s somebody living in the car”.
‘That was really the sign we took at that time and we realized, “You know what? This is something we need to be more involved in”.’
‘We put her in a hotel until she could find a place but all and I mean all the shelters were full,’ Kiplin posted on Facebook. ‘That’s when we asked God why are we here. 6 years later we have one piece of the puzzle.’
So far those who have snapped up the offer include several young people, a veteran, and a mother with three children.
‘A family, meaning mother – she was pregnant, and she had three children,’ he told WCNC. ‘So I said to my wife, ‘How am I going to leave the dealership knowing that there’s three babies sleeping in a car?”
It provides them a place under security camera surveillance that’s ‘free from disturbance, trespassing, harassment or worse’ according to a Facebook post asking locals to spread awareness.
Parking cars at businesses after-hours is considered trespassing.
So far those who have snapped up the offer include several young people and a veteran. A GoFundMe pages states a man named ‘Mr. Yates, was one on the first homeless individuals that we encountered that was living in his car. He stayed on the property for over one year until he passed away’
Locals are beginning to donate food and clothes to the dealership after hearing about the initiative which Charles has since named HALO Now – an acronym for Helping And Leading Others Now
A GoFundMe pages states a man named ‘Mr. Yates, was one on the first homeless individuals that we encountered that was living in his car. He stayed on the property for over one year until he passed away.’
Charles expects the number to increase due to the nearby Urban Ministry Center’s Room At the Inn program closing for its December to March season. Through collaboration with a local church, the program provides shelter and food for those in need.
Now locals are beginning to donate food and clothes to the dealership after hearing about the initiative which Charles has since named HALO Now – an acronym for Helping And Leading Others Now.
They’ve also received a Sani-Can toilet and if numbers increase Charles plans on reaching out to Project Outpour which allows people to shower in a trailer.
‘We’re specifically focusing on the people who have a job, are living in their cars because they aren’t making enough money to cover that rent, and they’re just stuck in the middle,’ he told WCNC. ‘We want to be able to provide them a bathroom, a shower.’
A GoFundMe page set up February 12 had raised $4,930 of a $250,000 goal by Wednesday morning. With the average move-in costs $2,500, they aim to help 100 people.
In Mecklenburg County – which serves Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville – 2,000 people were homeless in 2019, according to an Annual Report on Housing and Homelessness.
Charles can relate to the people struggling in his city. When his family first moved to Charlotte a rental agreement fell through and they were homeless for 90 days.
‘Our family has gone through some very specific changes recently as we were made aware of an ongoing problem in the Queen City and surrounding area,’ Kiplin said. In Mecklenburg County, 2,000 people were homeless in 2019
Kiplin Automotive declared their official mission in a social media post and shared information about how to help
‘The person who owned the house decided to sell it, and didn’t let us know,’ Charles told WBTV. ‘There we were. Six kids and a dog, and no place to live.’
He added: ‘I know what we can do right now, we have tons of space,’ he says. ‘And we know people are doing it. We know for a fact that people are living in their cars temporarily.
‘You can come here,’ he says. ‘We will allow you to stay on our property, and of course, we’re going to help you find a place if we can.’
The dealership has pledged to raise $10,000 by donating $200 every time it sells a car.
Last week Kiplin declared their official mission in a social media post.
‘Our family has gone through some very specific changes recently as we were made aware of an ongoing problem in the Queen City and surrounding area,’ Kiplin posted.
‘Homelessness has impacted our family temporarily and continues to impact the lives of those in the community around us.
‘We make a living selling cars, and are committed to ending the crisis of homeless families living in theirs!’
A GoFundMe page set up February 12 had raised $4,930 of a $250,000 goal by Wednesday morning. The dealership has pledged to raise $10,000 by donating $200 every time it sells a car