The City of Greensboro will begin relocating its Doorway Project from the former Regency Inn site at 2701 N. O’Henry Boulevard to Pomona Park at 3912 Clifton Road during the last week of October.

The park is just south of Wendover Avenue and Spring Garden Street.

Launched in December 2022, the Doorway Project holds the distinction of being the first temporary shelter community of its kind in North Carolina. The program is comprised of 30 two-person pallet homes and five RV sleeping trailers – providing the  homeless with temporary shelter as well as with services designed to get them into more permanent housing.

Oversight for the project is provided by the city’s Community Safety Department, which handles funding, planning and contracting of onsite services such as case management through the Interactive Resource Center.

Previously conceived as a fall-and-winter only initiative, the project this year has been expanded to include spring and summer months.

City of Greensboro officials say the move to Pomona Park will allow the Doorway Project to operate at full capacity and maintain access to services for participants throughout the year. The relocation is part of the city’s ongoing strategy for addressing homelessness – recognizing it as a year-round challenge rather than purely a winter-season problem.

The pallet homes differ from traditional emergency shelters in that they provide separate small units rather than a large dormitory space. The city’s use of 30 two-person pallet homes and five RV sleeping trailers reflects an effort to offer more dignity, privacy and structure for participants. During the three years since the Doorway Project launched, Greensboro’s use of the model has gotten quite a bit of attention for the way it blends shelter space with case management and referral services.

The decision to relocate the site comes at a time when the demand for transitional housing in and around Greensboro remains very high. The city plans to expand the Doorway Project to roughly 125 beds this year. That’s a notable upscaling of the program compared to its original winter-only configuration.

While the site move and expansion plans have been confirmed, some operational questions remain. The specific length of stay permitted for residents, the eligibility criteria for entry, and the methods for tracking how many participants move into permanent housing haven’t been detailed in the latest release.

The city’s website invites interested parties to visit the Community Safety Department’s homelessness services page for more information.

The relocation of course has implications for surrounding neighborhoods. The former Regency Inn site served during previous cycles of the project, and the shift to Pomona Park reflects the city’s need to secure sites with the infrastructure available to handle modular homes, RVs, restrooms and services.

Greensboro officials have emphasized that the program is managed and not simply open-ended; participants must register and services are provided onsite.

The pallet-home model represented by the Doorway Project comes after decades in which emergency shelters and church-based programs were the primary options for the homeless.

By offering a transitional community with case management, the city is aiming for a middle ground between living on the streets and permanent supportive housing. The expansion of the program, plus the shift in site, are evidence of that shift in strategy.

City leaders say the move to Pomona Park will enable the Doorway Project to continue at full strength into the cooler months while continuing into warmer seasons. After relocation is complete, which is scheduled for the last week of October, users will again have the opportunity to access shelter as well as services under the program’s umbrella.

For more details about the Doorway Project, the City of Greensboro is directing interested residents and organizations to the Community Safety Department’s Homelessness Prevention Services website.

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