BY DEBBIE PAGE
Iredell Homeless Collaborative members are working to keep housing insecure people warm while completing holiday toy and gift drives.
The Fifth Street Ministries homeless shelter and Veterans House are full, with no beds for females and only three left for males as cold temperatures moved into the area this week. Shelter Manager David Nolan said that the nonprofit is not asking anyone to leave unless they are physically violent in these harsh temperatures.
Nolan and Fifth Street Executive Director Michele Knapp are developing a cold weather policy to prepare for the next cold snap. The goal is to provide emergency shelter without case management services in these periods.
If anyone is in need of help, Nolan said to send them to the shelter to connect to services. The organization has plenty of blankets, jackets, hand-warmers, and other cold weather gear to provide to community members as well.
The shelter had a great Thanksgiving turnout, and Nolan said the staff is currently getting ready for the Christmas dinner and gifts. They have enough turkeys but will post needs for side items and desserts on the website (https://www.fifthstreetministries.com/needs-volunteer/) and Facebook soon.
Coalition Chair Pam Navey has contacted Iredell County Emergency Management to ask them to partner again on creating an emergency shelter plan. In a 2022 severe cold snap and snow storm, the collaborative’s partners joined with Cochran Street Bible Church and Emergency Management Services to open an emergency shelter. The county provided cots, a generator, and other needs for the previous effort.
“We need to be prepared,” said Navey.
Fifth Street Ministries Path House is opening extra hours for the chronically homeless to get warm and obtain winter clothing, food, supplies, and access to showers and laundry needs. Path House’s normal hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8 to 11 a.m., but they are opening the same hours on Tuesday and Thursday on bitter cold days as well.
For more information, contact Teresa Gaither at 704-872-4045, Ext. 280.
Foundation of Hope Ministries representative Karen Kidd said the homeless are freezing in the recent frigid temperatures. FOH has been supplying blankets, socks, hats, propane, heaters, tarps, hot hands, and gloves to keep them warm.
She asked community members to keep these unhoused folks in mind and consider donations of funds or these items to her organization (https://fohminc.org/), which also works with other local agencies to supply their needs.
“I do see our homeless population growing, which is disturbing being its the winter months. In the winter months they usually do more couch surfing, and it’s the summer months that they are on the streets more.”
“We have definitely seen an uptick in our homeless population. A lot are coming out of prison or the county jail who have no home plan or place to be, so we are trying to navigate that. I have met seven new ones in the last week, and we are trying to get them set up with tents and supplies because some have never been homeless before.”
“We are trying to build relationships with them and get resources to them and get them to resources,” said Kidd.
Some lack ID cards, social security cards, or birth certificates, which Goodwill Reentry helps with.
“We are just trying to get people warm and stable,” said Kidd.
Some are progressing and are in recovery, working full-time jobs, and are in stable housing. However, they need transportation. Bikes, which can be refurbished for use, are in demand to help the homeless population get to employment and community services.
If community members are upgrading with new bikes for themselves or their kids this holiday season, please consider donating the used bike donors to Steve Byrd, who has a repair ministry, at sbyrd517@gmail.com if they can help.
Byrd takes the refurbished bikes to vetted folks at the Fifth Street shelter, Foundation of Hope, and the housing insecure at local motels who need transportation to jobs.
HOLIDAY HELP NEEDED!
Navey asked that community members support the Statesville Police Department’s efforts to provide Christmas gifts to 375 kids referred, mostly by Iredell-Statesville Schools.
The Fill the Trailer toy and gift drive is ongoing at the Statesville Walmart from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, and Saturday, December 14. Toys can also be delivered to the Statesville Police Department (330 South Tradd Street) on Monday through Friday (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) through December 16.
For those who wish to order online and have gifts delivered to SPD, donors can use the Amazon wish list at https://amzn.to/4hg58Mk. Be sure to select the SPD delivery address.
All toys and gifts are given only to local children in need.
Wendy Martin said the Goodwill Angel Tree Project, in partnership with Foundation of Hope, has grown to 92 children of the incarcerated and 43 community children, 50 more than were served last year.
Sponsors are needed to help provide these children with their Christmas wishes. Please contact Martin at wmartin@goodwillnwnc.org if you can help.
Latonya Freeman of Fifth Street Ministries asked for donations of women’s gloves, which can be dropped at the shelter at 1421 Fifth Street, Statesville, NC 28677 or ordered for delivery to that address.
UPCOMING EVENT
Yokefellow and G4G Ministry are having a free chicken plate dinner and giving out warm weather clothing and gear on Saturday, December 14, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1380 Shelton Avenue.
Navey and Foundation of Hope will be there with resource intake forms to connect community members with the vast array of community help available and get them on the next step to a better life.
Community members are asked to save the date for the Drug-Alcohol Coalition of Iredell’s 3rd Annual “In The Know” event on February 18 at the Statesville Civic Center. More information and registration info will be coming in January.
SERVICES
Jesse Stroud of Statesville Family Medicine said that the organization has grant funds to help those who are uninsured or underinsured to get addiction treatment. Contact Stroud at jstroud@southernfamilymedicine.org to get information of how to get a referral to the agency.
FREE TRAINING AND INFORMATION
Jerry Campbell of Partners reminded the community of the array of free training available online or in in-person settings.
These trainings are on topics including Mental Health 101, Mental Health First Aid, QPR suicide prevention training, Active Listening/De-escalation, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, Teen Dating Violence, and Grief.
For more information or to schedule an online or in-person training for your organization or business staff, visit https://www.partnerstraining.org/community-training-catalog/.
The videos of the monthly Partners Community Cafe are also available on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@partnershealthmanagement/videos). These one-hour sessions help community members learn about community resources and cover a variety of topics.
Recent sessions were on addiction and mental health recovery, veterans and first responders issues, and suicide prevention. The next Community Cafe Zoom is on January 24 at https://www.partnersbhm.org/events/partners-community-cafe/.
RECENT EVENTS
After complaints to the SPD about trash in the Crossroads and Walmart area, 29 Homeless Coalition members, volunteers, and homeless population members had a three-hour plus trash pick up, working on both sides of Highway 21 from the Highway 55 restaurant to the Masters Inn and picking up 80 industrial size bags of garbage.
Volunteers enjoyed donuts and a pizza lunch in appreciation of their efforts.
City of Statesville Sanitation provided roll-out totes and pick-up services for the event.
Navey said that during the pickup they saw motorists toss garbage from their cars, noting that the refuse problem is not solely caused by the homeless in the area.
Kidd reported that 31 street friends enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal at the Cove Church in Statesville. Volunteers also took plates to homeless camps in South Statesville and to two motels with large housing insecure populations.
NEXT MEETING
Because the New Year’s Day holiday falls on the first Wednesday of the month, Navey said the next coalition meeting will be on January 8 at 10 a.m. Those interested in helping in the coalition’s efforts can be invited on the Zoom meeting by contacting Navey at pnavey@statesvillenc.net.