‘Anything to try to help’: Gastonia woman’s experience with homelessness inspires charity service

GASTONIA, N.C. — A woman who experienced homelessness with her son a decade ago is now stepping up and providing services to those in need across Gaston County.

Every Wednesday, Danielle Webb opens the door for unhoused neighbors in the Gastonia area. She says she serves them with respect, making sure they have all of their basic needs.

“We always tell people it isn’t just to get you to a door, it’s to get you to the right door, the door that is meant for you,” Webb said.

Webb is the founder of Displaced Roses, and she partnered with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church to start “walk-in days” back in September. Each room in their office space provides a service, including hair cuts, cell phones, medical attention, and help with identification cards.

“After all of your things have been lost, it’s like you’re just a missing identity person, and a lot of times, the general public doesn’t realize the difficulty that part takes,” Webb told Channel 9′s Almiya White.

Kemish Floyd says he’s been unhoused for about a year and a half, but since January, the walk-in days for shower and laundry services have given him a sense of hope.

“I come to take a shower, you know, get coffee, get my clothes washed, and check my email, see about jobs and see about doctor’s appointments,” Floyd said. “I was on the verge of, you know, giving up. Miss Danielle has really, you know, stepped up and really helped mold me into where I am today.”

Webb says she understands Floyd’s story because that was once hers.

“My son and I experienced homelessness 10 and a half years ago in this county,” Webb said. “People love, especially in the South, to talk about pulling yourself up by the bootstraps, which is true, but first, people have to have boots. So what we do is provide boots.”

Webb says that monthly, they serve more than 100 unhoused neighbors in the county.

“I’ve never seen her turn anybody down,” Floyd told White.

“I think understanding that if you replace the face of the unhoused person that you see with your most-loved person, your child, your spouse, your mother, it will make a world of difference,” Webb said. “You would do anything to try to help them to better themselves.”

You can get information on Displaced Roses and how to help by clicking this link.

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