COLUMBIA, S.C. — Rapid Shelter Columbia , a campus of 50 pallet shelters designed to help chronically homeless adults stabilize and work toward permanent housing, is now in its third year of operation.

The site opened in 2022 as the city’s first non-congregate shelter. Project Coordinator Johnasten Cooper said the setup is intentional, giving residents space to focus on their health and the steps needed to reach stable housing.

“Giving a person a shelter so that they can focus on substance, mental health, or physical disability recovery,” Cooper said. “We directly impact chronically unsheltered individuals, people who have disabling conditions and have been unsheltered for at least one year.”

The program follows a housing-first model. Participants work with case managers for up to 90

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