Sale could close newly opened women’s shelter in Georgia

VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) - A women’s shelter that just opened in south Georgia could be forced to close now that the property is being offered for sale.

The Valdosta Daily Times reports Lisa Straughter welcomed her first residents in March to the Meeting Place II Women’s Transitional Center at a house she’s renting in Valdosta. Straughter says within days of opening the shelter, she was told to place a “For Sale” sign in the yard.

Straughter says her one-year lease could be terminated if the house gets sold. The asking price is $70,000 and she doesn’t have the money to buy it.

At least three women have moved into the shelter in its first month. Straughter says she’ll let them live in her own home if necessary to keep them from becoming homeless.

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Information from: The Valdosta Daily Times, http://valdostadailytimes.com/