A typical day in the life of Eveco probably sounds familiar to most of us: Getting up, going to work, coming home, tending to household tasks, and unwinding for a little while. I visited Eveco at her workplace not long ago to see first-hand the work she’s engaged in at Secure in Motion, a local wood packaging company that designs …
Tabby’s life has been peppered with tough decisions: the decision to give her daughter to her mom to raise, the decision to leave abusive romantic relationships, and ultimately, the decision to stop using drugs and alcohol. But when Tabby talks about the tough decisions she has made in her life, she doesn’t consider herself to be a victim or blame …
What is community? What does it mean to be a member of a community? What does it take to bring communities together? As a newcomer to Charlotte, I’ve struggled with these questions as I’ve searched for my place in my new city. I realized quickly upon moving to Charlotte, that it was easy to isolate myself, to become so comfortable …
The Street Outreach Team and volunteers hit the streets of Uptown once a month starting at 9:00 PM to get a pulse on how many people are sleeping in Uptown, and who they are. It’s a chance to talk to people before they’re asleep, but after they’ve settled in for the night. While the neighbors are always surprised to see …
Last August, Prince sat down in my office, defeated and worn-out. After a few moments of silence, he looked up quietly and said, “Miss Heather, what do I have to do to get an apartment of my own?” Prince had been homeless for more than three years, and, like many of our neighbors, lives on a fixed income. With 2 …
Think back to your freshman year of college. You met many new faces and your life suddenly opened up to dozens of activities and services. Maybe you didn’t know your way around campus or what was required of you to succeed. In comes your trusty Resident Assistant! RAs were the ones to help smooth over this transition, by helping new …
We seldom receive phone calls from London here at the Urban Ministry Center, but that’s what happened one day a few weeks ago. She said her name was Sayo Ayodele and she was with Leaders’ Quest, an international leadership development organization based in London, New York and Singapore. She said she had been reading about us and wanted to visit …
For many families, this past weekend marked “moving in” day for their college students. My family spent a steamy Saturday afternoon hauling items up many flights of stairs (and on the elevator when we could get it!) into my daughter’s new dorm room. Throughout the move, I kept saying to myself, “Wow, where is she going to put all of …
For the last several weeks the Urban Ministry Center blog has featured stories about our staff members and the excellent work they do. We hope you enjoy learning about our team members and what they love about UMC. Back in high school in the small town of Fairmont, West Virginia, Dominique loved meeting people who were different. “I was that …
For the last several weeks the Urban Ministry Center blog has featured stories about our staff members and the excellent work they do. We hope you enjoy learning about our team members and what they love about UMC. Originally from Jamaica Queens, New York, Kennith moved with his family to Charlotte when he was 18. He misses the big city, …
For the last several weeks the Urban Ministry Center blog has featured stories about our staff members and the excellent work they do. We hope you enjoy learning about our team members and what they love about UMC. Screensavers on the backgrounds of desktops flashed lazily in the SABER computer area while Bob and I discussed his work. Here in …
For the last two weeks the Urban Ministry Center blog has been featuring stories about our staff members and the excellent work they do. We hope you enjoy learning about our team members and what they love about UMC. In her position as a Neighbor Services in-reach social worker at the Urb, Danielle listens to a lot of stories. This …
Last week the Urban Ministry Center blog began featuring stories about our staff members and the excellent work they do. We hope you enjoy learning about our team members and what they love about UMC. We sat down at Moore Place in the office that Joann Markley shares with three other case managers. I was curious to get to know her …
Over the next several weeks, the Urban Ministry Center blog will feature stories about our staff members and the excellent work they do. We hope you enjoy learning about our team members and what they love about UMC. Four years ago Adam Calderone was a college student studying political science at UConn, thinking about law school. Today he is an …
Urban Ministry Center’s Room in the Inn program is entering its final month of the season. The Room in the Inn (RITI) program began in 1996 with a goal of providing a warm, safe, and dry place for Mecklenburg County’s homeless population during Charlotte’s coldest months – December through March. Over 130 area churches and colleges throughout the Charlotte area …
As a VISTA Volunteer, I work on events for the development team at the Urban Ministry Center, and I am usually tucked away in an office with spreadsheets and press releases. But every morning during check in, I get the chance to be with our neighbors, and to be reminded of the purpose of all the fundraising we do in …
I saw him sitting on the stairs of the Epicenter, uncontrollably shaking and holding a cup out for money. I had never seen him before. As my Point in Time count team approached, he barely glanced up. “Good morning, my name is Allison and I work for Urban Ministry Center’s outreach team. We’re out checking on people who may have …
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of coaching the Street Soccer U.S.A. national team at the Homeless World Cup in Glasgow, Scotland. It is always an amazing experience being at the Homeless World Cup, but this year was a little more special. For the first time, the U.S.A. team was able to implement a curriculum called the B.A.L.L program. …
On Wednesday, June 15, Moore Place opened 35 new apartments to house chronically homeless citizens of Charlotte. These remarks are from that celebration. Thanks to Rachel Fesko for photographing the event. Good morning! My name is Caroline Chambre Hammock, and I serve as the Associate Executive Director for the Urban Ministry Center. In 2012, I had the great pleasure of welcoming you …
In the midst of frantically applying for graduate schools and jobs following my graduation from college, I stumbled upon Urban Ministry Center’s website. I figured since I was new to Charlotte, I could get to know the community by volunteering. However, I never expected to begin my post graduate career here- and I never expected it to change my life. …
As the brand new “Inn Keeper” for Room In The Inn, I have been truly overwhelmed with the generosity and compassion that our community provides to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Room In The Inn is Urban Ministry Center’s emergency shelter program which operates each winter, December – March, since 1996. This past season I was privileged to organize 132 participants …