TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Kelly Strickland, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Christopher Cauley, MPA, Economic and Community Development Director
Albert A. Baker, Economic and Community Development Assistant Director
Jacqueline Abbott, MAC, Community Relations Manager
DATE: November 10, 2025
RE:Title
Receive an Administrative Report on the Day Resource Center for the First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2026Title
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
District 2
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal II: The City of Fayetteville will have a Responsive City Government supporting a diverse and viable economy.
• Objective 2.2: To invest in community places to ensure revitalization and increase quality of life
Goal IV: Desirable Place to Live, Work and Recreate
• Objective 4.6: To reduce poverty and homelessness.
Executive Summary:
Staff requests that City Council receive and accept this administrative report on the Fayetteville Cares Day Resource Center (DRC) for the First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2026. The DRC serves as a multi-disciplinary day center for individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness, located at 128 South King Street. Council previously authorized the Manna Dream Center to operate the facility in May 2024, and this update provides program outcomes and highlights.
Background:
The DRC is part of the City’s transformational and critical initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and homelessness. The center is a $6.99 million project entirely grant-funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) via the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR), American Rescue Plan Act and State Capital Infrastructure Grants. The purpose is to provide a public facility that allows for resiliency within our City by increasing disaster response capacity in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, centralizing service providers, and removing barriers during non-emergency times as a day resource center. Manna as the operator has rebranded the city facility to Fayetteville Cares Day Resource Center, launched a website, and expanded services, while maintaining a clean and safe environment for individuals and families to receive critical services.
Issues/Analysis:
The Fayetteville Day Resource Center reports continued success. The following presentation shares some of those successes and challenges with a few highlights below:
• The center reports the following:
o Showers 1,881
o Laundry 881
o Lunches 11,987
• Issued a total of 92 bus passes consisting of 62 five-day passes, and thirty 30-day passes;
• Fulfilled 1,164 clothing requests;
• Reports 1,954 referrals for services such as peer support, case management, counseling, behavior health, medical, veteran’s services, and coordinated entry to include shelter referrals;
• Four new community partners were reported as onboarded during the quarter, with these new partners providing critical services such as peer support, employment assistance, and basic critical needs.
Budget Impact:
The operation of the Fayetteville Day Resource Center costs approximately $300,000 per year and was initially funded from the American Rescue Plan Act. This funding is expected to be exhausted by the end of Fiscal Year 2027 and a new source of funds will be required to continue operations.
Options:
• Receive the Fiscal Year 2026 First Quarter Report on the Fayetteville Cares Day Resource Center.
• Do not receive the Fiscal Year 2026 First Quarter Report on the Fayetteville Cares Day Resource Center.
• Provide further direction to staff.
Recommended Action::Recommended Action
For information only, no action required unless Council moves to add to an upcoming Work Session.
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Attachments:
Fayetteville Cares FY26 First Quarter Report