BY DEBBIE PAGE

The Iredell Homeless Collaborative detailed the community’s escalating needs as the spring temperatures rise and more unhoused persons set up in tent encampments.

Fifth Street Ministries Executive Director Michele Knapp said this was the shelter’s busiest season, with the facility nearly at capacity, with all six family rooms occupied and the women’s dorm full, which is an unusual occurrence. The shelter has a few men’s beds available.

Fifth Street has been forced to start a waiting list for accommodations and has referred some in need of shelter to other shelters.

PATH House staff, who serve those on the streets and encampments, have been out in the encampments checking on folks and providing needed supplies and community resources.

A new program serving Iredell and four other counties is helping move the unsheltered into housing. The program has been more successful in Surry County because of a larger available housing inventory there.

Many have been approved for the program in Iredell, according to Knapp, but the lack of affordable housing and reluctance of landlords to rent to formerly homeless people make placing clients difficult.

Though food donations are lower in spring, the shelter has also distributed over 2,000 food boxes in a partnership with United Way and Door Dash to people with nutrition needs. The partners had estimated 2,000 boxes would meet community food needs for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, but Knapp said they have already well exceeded that number with three months left to go.

Yokefellow also reported increasing requests for food assistance.

Salvation Army Major Joann Mure said their agency’s food assistance requests have doubled, with many newcomers seeking help. “The food resources are moving in and out quickly,” she said.

Foundation of Hope’s Karen Kidd reported her agency serves about 140 meals weekly as well as distributing 40 food bags tailored to the situation, whether the recipient is in an encampment or motel with some cooking capacity.

EMCAMPMENTS

Homeless neighbors in several encampments on private property have been asked to leave by law enforcement. Part-time Statesville Police Department Community Resource employee Pam Navey said the collaborative needs to develop ways help them find another place to go and have the appropriate resource partners do a deeper dive into their mental health and substance use disorder situations.

The agencies also need to build the trust and relationships with the encampment dwellers so that when connections to resources are offered, they will more likely accept the assistance and take that first step toward their goals and productive lives.

“Some we cannot help because homelessness is their choice, but for others we need to do what we can to help them out of dysfunction to stronger, better things,” said Navey, who noted SPD is working with the homeless population every day, connecting them to available resources.

Peer Support Specialist Terri Blankenship, who is on the EMS Community Response Support Team, noted that few people choose to be homeless, with the majority having mental health or substance misuse issues that contribute to their situations.

Getting and maintaining treatment is already hard for anyone without adding homelessness to the mix, added Blankenship.

Kidd said her organization is in frequent contact with people with substance misuse and mental health issues to keep them on track for appointments and working toward a housing solution.

Navey said the Iredell Re-entry Council is getting grants to help past offenders with chronic homelessness get access to case management, services, and shelter.

“Each individual has a different situation. I might be able to solve a problem in 20 minutes and a phone call, but it might take six months of building a relationship to get them to open up to share the problem,” she said.

“Success is hard to measure. It might be a return to family and a bus ticket and ride to a bus station to get them back on track. We just have to walk step by step with them.”

AGENCY NEEDS

Kidd said that her organization is in need of sturdy tents, tarps, sleeping bags, backpacks, camping supplies, bug spray, sunscreen, and trash bags. New or second-hand bikes, which help clients with transportation to jobs and appointments, are also needed.

A coalition member has a bike repair ministry, so bikes in need of TLC are also accepted.

This items can be ordered from Amazon and shipped directly to Foundation of Hope or the EMS Community Response Support Team. Contact Kidd ( (hope@fohminc.org) or Blankenship (terri.blankenship@iredellcountync.gov) for shipping information.

COLLABORATIVE EVENTS/RESOURCES

HIVE

United Way of Iredell’s Senior Director of Community Investment Sara Helmick urged agencies to use the new Helping Iredell Volunteers Engage ( HIVE) online volunteer center, which is focused on offering community members opportunities to volunteer.

Navey was excited about this new resource to connect agencies, who have significant volunteer needs, and those willing to serve.

Local helping agencies and organizations can promote awareness of their needs and other events through HIVE, allowing residents to find and respond to opportunities at volunteer.uwiredell.org.

Poverty Simulation

The Christian Mission and I-CARE is hosting an interactive Poverty Simulation on Tuesday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Selma Burke Recreation Center (781 Agape Drive in Mooresville).

The three-hour immersive Poverty Simulation helps participants to understand the barriers millions of low-income individuals face daily, to think about the harsh realities of poverty, and to discuss how communities can address the problem collectively to make a positive difference for their neighbors.

Participants take on the role of someone living in poverty and do their best to survive over a simulated one-month period full of real-life scenarios and challenges. The exercise is followed by lunch and a group debrief, during which participants reflect, discuss insights, and consider next steps.

Goodwill Job Fair

The Goodwill Spring Forward Resource Fair and Hiring Event is on May 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Workforce Development Center at 124 Fourth Crescent Place in Statesville. Multiple employers from a range of industries plus community nonprofits sharing resources and job opportunities will be present.

Goodwill invites area businesses to participate in this event to find much-needed employees to help grow their businesses and better serve their customers. Goodwill will provide tables and chair, wifi, snacks, coffee, and water.

If you are interested in being a partner or employer at this event, please contact Career Connections Coordinator, Michel Johnston, at mjohnston@goodwillnwnc.org.

Prospective employees attending the event should bring resumes and proof of any completed certifications. They should also dress for success and be ready to ask questions about job opportunities.

Those needing help in preparing resumes can contact Johnson at mjohnston@goodwillnwnc.org.

Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery is offered every Thursday night at Christ Church in Statesville (2172 N. Wilkesboro Road in Statesville). A meal is served at 6:30 p.m., followed by a large group session at 7 p.m. and small groups at 8 p.m.

The church provides transportation for folks at Fifth Street Ministries each week, said Recovery Pastor Brian King.

King also heads up Foundry House, an eight month, three-phase Christian-based program focused on inner healing, social restoration, and vocational rehabilitation to help those coming out of incarceration or a 28-day rehabilitation program.

The vision is that at the end of the program, participants will keep their job (acquired in phase two) and leave with strong recovery and financial skills to live independently with their spiritual selves and minds in a positive place.

Participants save money earned from employment partners in phases two and three to get them started and to cover their rent and living expenses after graduation. They will also have a mentor who continues to check in on their progress.

Each graduate will be encouraged to stay connected with Foundry House and even serve as role models and mentors to new program entrants.

If a client is being sent to treatment, King urged agencies to connect the Foundry House with the client so the program can partner with them after treatment for support, stability, and a process to help them to successful, independent living.

King also thanked Leadership Statesville for recently building a patio and outdoor kitchen for residents.

Essential Training for Unsheltered

Partners Health Management and the SPD are offering CPR, QPR (suicide prevention), and NARCAN training for the homeless population on May 23. Contact Navey for more information at pamelanavey@gmail.com.

This is the first of several training sessions to be offered at the Fifth Street Ministries, motels, and other locations this year to persons who are homeless to support this at-risk population and enable them to help others in their stresses or struggles.

Learning what to say and do in crisis situations will help people feel empowered to help others. Many in the encampments and motels want to be of service to each other and are worried about those around them.

The providers are posting information about these trainings in camps, low-cost motels, and the shelters to help get the word out about these learning opportunities.