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CHARLOTTE – The Salvation Army is scrambling to find more emergency shelters for homeless women. Currently, the agency's Spratt Street facility is overcrowded.

At the end of March, the Room In the Inn program, which provides beds to up to 60 clients, will end. To make matters worse, the Men's Winter Emergency Shelter, which usually opens its doors to women during the summer, is no longer an option.

"That has been our Band-Aid solution for three or four years," Salvation Army Director of Social Services Deronda Metz said. "But now we don't even have a Band-Aid solution in place."

Todd Burns has relied on the Salvation Army for shelter on and off for the past 10 years. She says without it, she would be on the streets.

"I don't want to be around the drugs anymore, chances of me being killed, raped, robbed," she said.

More women like Burns are coming into the shelter and staying a lot longer due to limited availability of affordable housing. That, coupled with the bleak economy, is causing large overflow populations seeking help.

The Salvation Army does not want to turn anyone away; that's why they are asking the faith community to fill the void. In the past, the faith community has provided shelter to homeless women for short stints over three months. Now, the Salvation Army needs them to extend that commitment over eight months.

The Christ Episcopal Church received the request. For years, the church has welcomed a dozen homeless women for two weeks during the summer. They say their involvement is an expression of their faith.

"I think the faith community embraces helping them any time they have overflow," said Aimee Norman, with Christ Church. "We are committed to finding a permanent solution in the housing crisis."

The Salvation Army is trying to improve access to affordable housing to provide a permanent solution to the growing problem.