Greenville: Soteria searches for new workshop after fire, faces opposition

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

An Upstate organization that helps men and women coming out of prison is working to rebuild but is facing some roadblocks.

A fire destroyed Soteria Community Development Corporation's workshop over the summer, which houses their woodworking business.

"Totally destroyed our woodshop," CEO Jerry Blassingame said. "We were able to raise some funds to buy tools and hopefully replace our woodshop."

Soteria is a full-time re-entry program for men and women. It provides transitional housing, job training, financial literacy, counseling and a number of other life skills and resources.

Men and women in Soteria's program do woodworking out of their workshop and make furniture sold in the community. When the workshop burned down, this limited the work that they've been able to do.

When Blassingame realized they wouldn't be able to rebuild their workshop, he set his sights on the Cotton Warehouse at Brandon Mill.

"Our Soteria work is a job training program, so we would bring a job training program to this neighborhood," he said. "And the building is big enough for us to expand. We could have a storefront where people could buy furniture and help the economic base of this community. It's a win-win."