'Housing crisis is really starting to show its crunch': CEO of Durham homeless shelter says it has reached full capacity

Shelter staff said inflation and the state of the housing market are what’s driving up demand.

“The current housing crisis is really starting to show its crunch on the Durham Rescue Mission,” said Durham Rescue Mission CEO Rob Tart.

Many women staying at the shelter are working on a full-time basis, but still cannot find anywhere they can afford to live.

According to the Apartment List data, Durham County's median rent in January 2017 for a one-bedroom apartment cost $887 and $1,065 for a two-bedroom apartment. In June 2022, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Durham County is $1,222 and the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,467.

On Thursday, the Durham Rescue Mission helped hundreds of families get ready for "back to school" with free school supplies and food. Tart knows the importance of these kinds of events given the economic conditions. Tart said the homeless shelter at 507 E. Knox St. has 85 women and 42 children as of Thursday.

“We have more women and children here at the Durham Rescue Mission now than we have ever had in our history,” Tart said.

The Durham Rescue Mission is a ministry working with the hungry, homeless, addicted and broken in the Triangle.

Tart estimates about half of the women at the shelter lost their homes because they cannot keep up with rising prices.

“[There are] a lot of jobs out there, but these ladies aren’t able to make it on these jobs that are out there. That’s the problem,” Tart said. “They are working.

“They were working before they come, but they … they just can’t. You’re paying $4 or $5 a gallon of gas, you’re trying to put your kids in school, the rent -- they’re coming to us for help.”

Phinnie and Assad Mohammad have lived at Durham Rescue Mission for about seven months. The husband and wife got evicted from their apartment after their landlord wanted them to pay $1,650 per month for a two-bedroom apartment.

“Before we knew it, we were sleeping in our car,” Phinnie Mohammad said.

The couple said they aren’t sure when they’ll be able to move out of Durham Rescue Mission.

“People are working hard just to pay for medical care, feed their children [and] keep shoes on their feet,” Phinnie Mohammad said.

Durham Rescue Mission also has a men’s division at 1201 E. Main St. Tart said they are planning to add another dorm for men because demand there is increasing too.

While Durham Rescue Mission’s women and children shelter is at capacity, Tart said they are determined never to turn anyone away.

“We’re at the point where it’s getting really tight on us, and we’re really going to have to get innovative on how we’ll handle it,” Tart said.

Tart said Durham needs more housing and more affordable housing. He told WRAL News he thinks that’s the only thing he thinks will help.