In 2021, the Beaufort County United Way received frequent calls from unsheltered households seeking help. We saw a need for an accessible central place to provide this important information. We collaborated with Open Door Community Center (now Open Door Women’s Shelter) and Zion Men's Shelter and created Safe Harbor Helpline. Since that time , the call center has taken thousands of calls and temporarily sheltered 138 families, including 145 children.
Over time, Safe Harbor grew to include an emergency motel program, connecting families and individuals with a safe place to stay while longer-term housing is arranged.
Today, Safe Harbor answers calls from across Beaufort County and works alongside the coordinated entry system, local shelters, churches, and agencies to connect people with the help they need.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Anyone in Beaufourt County who is unhoused or at risk of losing their housing. You don’t need to be in a full-blown crisis to call—if you’re worried about where you’ll sleep, that’s enough of a reason to reach out.
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Ask someone nearby to call on your behalf — a friend, a neighbor, a church. Any of the agencies we work with can also make a referral directly. You don’t have to find us on your own.
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The most direct way is to sponsor a night of emergency shelter. Every contribution goes directly to keeping someone in Beaufort County safe while we help them find what comes next. You can give once or set up a monthly contribution.
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First, we'll ask if you're safe right now. If it's an emergency, we'll point you to emergency services immediately. If not, we'll do an assessment — listening to what's happening and what you need. From there, we'll work to connect you with local shelter availability, our emergency motel program if you qualify, or a referral into Beaufort County's coordinated housing services.
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We answer calls Monday through Saturday, 11am to 8pm. If you call outside those hours and it's an emergency, please call 911. If you're in mental health crisis, call or text 988.
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We don't own or operate housing. What we do is connect people to the organizations that do — local shelters, Beaufort County's coordinated entry system, and programs like rapid rehousing that can help people move from a crisis into something stable. Think of us as the first call that opens the right doors.
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Yes. We only share information with the agencies or shelters we refer you to, and only to help connect you with services. We don't share your details with anyone else.