BY DEBBIE PAGE
The Iredell Homeless Coalition raised the alarm at its February meeting, noting a rapid increase in the area’s homeless population and the need for more affordable housing for housing insecure individuals and families.
Assistant to the City Manager Matthew Pierce appealed to the coalition for input after the Statesville City Council, at its annual retreat, asked the staff to provide a set of options around affordable housing.
“How can the city contribute to the need for more housing in the community? Staff has chosen to frame this primarily as what options council has to move everyone in our community who is interested into stable housing so they can get into or stay in stable housing,” said Pierce.
“That means we move past simply the provision of new homes for folks but all the way down the spectrum to how we move folks from being unhoused or unstably housed towards stable housing.”
Pierce posed four questions to the coalition members and asked them provide input.
What does the organization need from the city? What could the city do to help address homelessness in the community?
What does the organization need from the city or what could the city do to help transition individuals from homelessness toward stable housing?
How many people have transitioned from homelessness to stable housing over the past year?
How many new homeless do we have in the community over the past year? To the extent that this is known, how and why did they become homeless?
Pierce especially emphasized the need for feedback about ways to increase affordable housing opportunities, the most pressing question facing the community. Those with ideas can contact Pierce at mpierce@statesvillenc.net.
Coalition chair and Statesville Police Department Community Resource Coordinator Pam Navey thanked Pierce and the city council for recognizing the needs of the community’s homeless and housing insecure members.
She also noted that the SPD was not focused solely on enforcement issues with the community’s homeless population but rather on helping them to connect to resources and organizations to get them to stability.
Navey noted new Assistant Chief Bryan Johnson, the former commander of District 1 in which many of the area homeless live, started the SPD’s efforts to assist the homeless people in his area and continues to be dedicated to helping them.
“The city is taking this issue seriously. They are open to suggestions, brainstorming what we have available and what we need. I thank the city for doing this,” said Navey.
DACI ‘IN THE KNOW’ COMMUNITY CONVERSATION SET FOR FEBRUARY 7
The Drug-Alcohol Coalition of Iredell is presenting a series of community conversation sessions on substance misuse topics in an effort to inform and educate the community and create advocates for reducing substance misuse in Iredell County to get everyone “In The Know.”
The kickoff will be on February 7 with the “In The Know: A DACI Community Conversation on Substance Misuse” event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Charles Mack Citizen Center in Mooresville. Lunch will be provided.
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-the-know-a-daci-community-conversation-on-substance-misuse-tickets-483383572277. Registration is appreciated to help with event lunch planning but is not required. Registrants will receive priority seating. Learn more HERE.
EMS COMMUNITY RESPONSE SUPPORT TEAM
EMS CRST Peer Support Specialist Terri Blankenship reported that the free Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) bridge program is up and running.
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) uses medications with counseling and behavioral therapies to effectively treat opioid use disorders (OUD) and can help some people to sustain recovery.
Because getting a patient placed into a treatment program can take several days, the CRST can provide MAT to help the person stay off opioids and “bridge” that time gap between seeking help and getting into a treatment program.
The CRST also has resources to help pay for treatment for those without Medicaid or insurance.
The team also distributes backpacks to area homeless people with snacks, hygiene products, community resource information, and Narcan, a medication that can save a person after an opioid overdose.
The team also has tents, camping supplies, blankets, and sleeping bags.
Blankenship said the CRST has added a third Peer Support Specialist to continue to expand services and increasing caseload.
Navey encouraged coalition members who were helping people with substance use disorder or any chronic medical issues to enlist the help of the CRST or the EMS community paramedics.
FIFTH STREET MINISTRIES
Executive Director Michele Knapp said Fifth Street Ministries is at full capacity and fielding multiple calls daily from others seeking assistance. The organization is sheltering an average of 100 people each night.
Because the shelter’s family areas uninhabitable after water damage from frozen pipes over the holidays, the shelter is referring families in need to nearby organizations with family accommodations or splitting families between the men’s and women’s area.
Knapp said they are gathering quotes from construction firms to do the repairs, but she expects the family area to be out of service for at least two more months.
FOUNDATION OF HOPE MINISTRIES
Rob Harris of Foundation of Hope said the organization helped with the Point in Time Count, an annual survey of homeless individuals in the United States conducted by local agencies called Continuums of Care (CoCs) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Harris said the homeless community has grown significantly in recent months, with 60 homeless individuals just in the Statesville area. Harris said the community needs to determine why and how this increase in homelessness is occurring.
FOH’s Karen Kidd thanked Peak Eye Care for providing glasses to a man who was hit by a car because of his vision impairment and inability to judge distances.
She also thanked the Department of Public Safety for reaching out to FOH to get assistance for several recently incarcerated homeless individuals with tents, sleeping bags, and supplies. FOH is also helping them get to a stable environment, transporting them to appointments, and assisting them with employment and housing opportunities.
Kidd said their goal is not to apply band-aids to the situation but to help them get employed, restore their confidence and pride, and help them reconcile with their families.
FOH has assisted 23 people to get back to their families out of state or to detox or sober living situations in the past year.
MOORESVILLE EMERGENCY SHELTER PLANNING
The Mooresville Emergency Shelter Planning Group, which shares partners with the Iredell Homeless Coalition, met on January 31 to discuss developing protocols to help those without housing or in insecure housing in the southern end of the county.
The group is working to gather information and resources to respond quickly in times of emergency, such as extreme cold, snow, or other situations, according to Partners’ Pamela Hinton.
FOH’s Rob Harris said they are developing specific protocols to respond to each type of emergency in order to move resources quickly to those in need of shelter. They are also looking at ways to develop more affordable housing options in Mooresville.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 28, at the Fifth Street Ministries location at 207 North Broad Street in Mooresville. Contact Pamela Hinton at PHinton@partnersbhm.org for more information.
FREE TREATMENT/NARCAN/SUPPORTS AVAILABLE
Integrated Health of Greater Hickory – Statesville office (523 Brookdale Drive in Statesville, (828) 322-5915) has grant money to help those with substance use and in need of housing.
The program helps residents work through their treatment program and provides peer support. They also provide transportation to parole, medical, and other appointments.
ICGH also has free Narcan to distribute to anyone in the community.
Sandy Tabor-Gray of Mooresville Christian Mission announced that the organization can provide financial assistance for medically assisted treatment to treat opioid misuse to all Iredell County residents. The agency also has free Narcan to distribute.
Shelton Moore of I-CARE said the group has education and employment supports for adults 18 and older or educational opportunities for children ages 1-5. Those interested can contact him at 704-872-8141 or shelton.moore@icare-inc.org.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Iredell Homeless Coalition will be on March 1. Contact Navey at pnavey@statesvillenc.net if interested in attending.