Cherokee County officially unveiled its new State Agency Complex, 113 W. Buford St. in Gaffney, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 26.
The $2.8 million, 24,000-square-foot complex will house the Cherokee County offices of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
The building is designed so that the client experience for each agency remains separate, according to a news release.
The new, ADA-compliant complex features more conference room space, two visitation rooms, and shower and laundry facilities for children in between foster homes or in emergency protective custody. DSS had outgrown its previous space, which was in an old hospital, the release stated.
“I was working at the agency when we moved to the hospital. At the time, it met our needs,” Monita Dawkins, DSS director for Cherokee County, said in the release. “But things have changed. We are growing. The location of this new building, near downtown, is good. It helps us build a relationship with the other agencies, so we can work together. I’m happy with the building. It’s nice, it’s modern it meets our needs. I appreciate Cherokee County realizing that we had a need.”
State law requires counties to furnish facilities for all three state agencies, the release stated. Housing DJJ and PPP in the new complex also frees up needed space at the Cherokee County Law Enforcement Center.
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“I would like to thank Cherokee County for providing us with this beautiful facility,” Lewis C. Brown, agent in charge of S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services in Cherokee County, said in the release. “We look forward to continuing to serve the people of Cherokee County, and this facility will enable us to do that.”
Cherokee County acquired the building in January 2021, and Sossamon Construction was hired to work on the project in March 2023. DP3 Architects designed the new facility.
“This new facility will allow DSS to shine and to provide the best level of service for our county’s most precious resources — our children,” Cherokee County Administrator Marvin L. Bishop said in the release. “As that agency grew, our County Council was able to find a creative solution that will benefit not only Social Services, but also Juvenile Justice and Probation, Pardon and Parole Services.”
The Department of Social Services provides protective services for children and vulnerable adults, adoption and foster care services. It administers federal Child Welfare Services and Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs. DSS also administers economic assistance programs including the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides employment and training for people receiving cash assistance, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal benefit to assist low-income citizens in the purchase of food. The S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice’s Division of Community Services is responsible for a wide range of direct services to youth and their families, as well as victims of crime, in communities statewide.
The S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services is charged with the community supervision of offenders placed on probation by the court and paroled by the state Board of Paroles and Pardons. PPP also supervises offenders through a number of community sanctions, and helps ensure that they meet specific conditions of parole.
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