Meet Micah, an intake specialist at our North Tryon Men’s Shelter! 
From checking on neighbors when they need it, to pioneering our ‘wheel’ lottery system which allows us to fairly distribute beds to our guests who enter into the daily bed lottery, Micah’s dedication never ceases. “If you don’t feel like anyone cares about you, I care about you”, says Micah, “I make it a point to make it known that our neighbors are cared for, loved and important.”
A normal day for Micah begins with greeting neighbors at the door and preparing to meet with roughly 10 individuals who won the bed lottery. Once they come in, Micah performs an ‘intake assessment’ which is the necessary paperwork to get them placed into a shelter bed and started on the process to housing. “I believe that homelessness is not a personality trait, it is an experience. My goal is to make that experience as accommodating as possible.”
In her time at the shelter, Micah has encountered several people, but one individual sticks out to her as she describes his transition to housing, ‘a beautiful thing to witness’.
“There is a guest at the shelter who has been there for a long time”, says Micah. “Every day, he would visit me in my office and we would talk about all the wonderful things he had in store for his future apartment. During the holiday season, I found out that he was able to find housing at McCreesh Place (one of the housing programs we work with), and I was overjoyed… That is why I do what I do.”
Micah’s journey as an intake specialist for our North Tryon Shelter began with her desire to “go above and beyond”. Her enthusiastic smile and readiness to make a difference has afforded her the opportunity to connect with our clients. “I’m the first face you see, and I’m always available to help, support, or even just talk.” Every morning, Micah has a one-hour commute to the shelter while still coming in early to ensure things are ready and prepared for the day.
“I love what I do because I know that homelessness is not the end, it is a temporary experience that can be fixed. If I can be part of the solution, I know that I’ve done my job… The goal as we go into the new year is to get those we serve stable housing, and that is why I won’t quit.”
Our staff’s dedication and heart for the work is the reason we can do what we do!
THANK YOU Micah for your dedication to #endhomelessness
