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 …
As summer officially comes to a close this week, we wanted to recognize a few scouts who made 2016 the summer of campus improvements at 945 N College Street! Troop 16 at First Presbyterian Church has become very familiar with Urban Ministry Center as three scouts, Michael Quartapella, Nick Quartapella, and Rich Pope each completed their Eagle Scout Projects with …
What do people need most when they settle into housing after experiencing long periods of homelessness? For someone utilizing services at the Urban Ministry Center main campus, those needs can often be easier to identify. They need a hot lunch, an ID, a shower. For an individual moving off the streets and into permanent housing, those needs can be harder …
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 …
Some time ago, Moore Place tenant Kenneth Dill began volunteering at Second Harvest Food Bank. What began as a notion to volunteer a couple of days each week developed into so much more. From the start, Kenny recognized the significant impact Second Harvest was having within Charlotte and beyond. “There’s over 900 agencies in North and South Carolina that we …
Carmel Presbyterian Church is one of many houses of faith that provides shelter and fellowship for our neighbors during Room In The Inn. This article is from “The Carmel Letter,” and reprinted with Ed’s permission. The recent Room In The Inn session on January 18 was a real blessing for me. Boy Scout Troop #79 prepared and served a very …
Last month, our community completed the annual Point in Time Count Survey. Over 150 volunteers spread out across the community to conduct a survey with people who spent the night outside. Tricia Sistrunk was one of those volunteers. This was her second year volunteering. She also serves as a regular volunteer with the outreach team. On the morning of the survey, I …
The foundation of our organization, the Soup Kitchen, embodies our mission like no other. It truly brings the community together to serve our homeless neighbors and it provides an environment of trust and relationship building to end homelessness. No Barriers A primary tenet of Urban Ministry Center is to offer programs with very low or no barriers to service. Literally …
Many nonprofits have holiday honor cards like Urban Ministry Center, but we think we may have one of the oldest traditions of production. We began offering them as a beautiful way to acknowledge honor gifts in 1999, when artist Ingrid Amol’s sketched our beloved Train Depot. As a volunteer, Ingrid helped create the ArtWorks 945 program, and in 2002 we …
We met Morgan Ferone in June when she began her two month internship as a Covenant Presbyterian People in Mission Scholar. She jumped in right away, learning every volunteer job possible and training to be a facilitator for our Walk in My Shoes education program. Morgan was always on the move and when she wasn’t needed in the showers, laundry, …
Through her selfless acts of kindness, 5 ½ year old Carly Crysler, teaches us all that you’re never too young to make a difference. Carly, who just started kindergarten, tells me that she has always made art and was even voted Most Creative by her preschool. “It’s just her thing” mom Heather Crysler says to me as I look through …
On a humid day in July, six Cadettes from Girl Scout Troop 1513 braved the heat and walked over two miles around Charlotte in the character of Kimberly, a homeless runaway, and Angela, a homeless mother. They were doing Walk in My Shoes, Urban Ministry Center’s educational program that helps participants understand the day to day life of someone who …
It was a rainy day in March 2012 when Andrew Harvey, Chris Saade and several participants from their International Academy of Sacred Leadership (IASL) gathered at the Urban Ministry Center to host a lunchtime music event. During the open mic, held in the small computer room adjacent to the dining room, several UMC neighbors stepped up and shared their talent.
“I remember this because her words touched my heart.” As nine-year-old Joanne finished, I turned to look at Tabby—the inspiration for the poem—sitting at my side. Tears were in her eyes. We were at Urban Ministry Center and Trinity Episcopal School’s end of the year party. It was a chance for three Moore Place tenants and three neighbors to …
Karen stood over the rocking chair I had motioned her to see. “This is nice,” she said, tapping it slightly with her hand to see how it moved. She paused and looked at the chair intensely, crossing her brow. “Okay, yeah. I’ll take that, I guess.” Nonchalance is Karen’s signature: the time I brought her some donated housewares, among which …
This season continued a trend we’ve seen over the past few seasons: we had virtually the same number of hosts, neighbors, and beds as we had last year the evening teams welcomed new folks and handled their tasks – including the “dueling computers” at each check-in station – with efficiency and a remarkable spirit the hosts graciously welcomed …
As a member of the HousingWorks team, I’ve had many opportunities to witness transformations that are nothing short of miraculous. We have seen tenants experience dramatic improvements in health, mental wellbeing, and familial relationships. Often, these changes develop rapidly when individuals gain the safety and stability of housing. The contrast between a life of survival and a life of stability …
Last month (January 29-31), the Urban Ministry Center had the privilege of helping lead our community’s largest effort to identify chronically homeless and unsheltered individuals. With the help of more than 250 volunteers assigned to 29 teams spread throughout the county, we combined the annual “Point in Time,” during which our community literally counts the number of people sleeping outside, …