Homeful Housing: The Security and Dignity of Home In the fall of 2020, Roof Above purchased Hillrock Estates, a 341-unit apartment complex in east Charlotte, with the vision of preserving affordable housing at different income levels. Part of this vision is our Homeful Housing program, providing affordable housing and permanent supportive services for people who have experienced long-term homelessness. Meet …
In May 2020, John Lyles met the man who would help save his life. Facing serious health issues and no longer able to work, Mr. Lyles turned to Tryon Shelter for a safe place to stay. There he met case manager Kileem Slayton and they began to work together on food assistance and housing. During the pandemic, as shelter guests …
“Housing is the answer but not the end of the work.” ~Amy Warner “Nurse Amy” is part of our Roof Above team specializing in the Scattered Site model of permanent supportive housing (PSH) where formerly homeless individuals live in existing apartments in the Charlotte community. Supportive services for these tenants include case management, obtaining benefits, and help with medical needs. …
The numbers are staggering. 500: the number of bag lunches provided EVERY DAY by volunteers for Roof Above shelter programs. 3,500: the number of bag lunches provided EACH WEEK for our friends in dorms, motels, and winter shelter. That’s more lunches than a child carries to school from kindergarten through high school graduation! Wait, there’s more! A typical lunch includes …
At Roof Above we celebrate every time someone moves into housing. This month we also celebrate the 9th anniversary of Moore Place, which first opened its doors nine years ago to provide permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Since January 2012, nearly 300 of Charlotte’s most vulnerable neighbors have been welcomed home to Moore Place. While many have …
At Roof Above, we’ve helped over 1,200 people a day, 365 days a year, for over 30 years. We don’t often get to know what happens after someone moves on, so it is especially wonderful to hear a story like Chris Locklear’s which is, quite frankly, miraculous. Chris grew up in Pembroke, as part of the Lumbee tribe, in what …
Nate Johnson describes himself as an adventurer, an explorer. As a young man he traveled in Europe, visiting Rome, Luxembourg, and points in between. He worked in the plumbing trade for 20 years in New York and Pennsylvania and likes to be independent and take care of his own business. But a failed marriage and the loss of his father, …
“Did you know that…” O’Donald Gaither enjoys a visitor’s company and is good at keeping the conversation going, a skill of his generation before the arrival of social media. He estimates his age at 85 years and he has lived them all in Charlotte. Mr. Gaither grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood, a vibrant African-American community that was razed for …
Our mission promises to bring the community together to end homelessness, so we thought it might be fun to share some of the top ways YOU make a difference each year! 11,382 Showers Something as simple as a shower can be a gift of renewal or restored dignity for someone experiencing homelessness. Our shower desk is staffed by a volunteer …
For over a decade, the community garden at our College Street campus has provided nourishment for the spirit and the body, for both neighbors and volunteers alike; but last year it began to offer a new purpose and importance for UMC programs. As the recreational therapist for our SABER (Substance Abuse Education & Recovery) program, Laura McCarthy helps men in …
Everyone’s experienced something ‘going around’ at work or school before—suddenly it feels like half your staff is out sick. That happens here at the Urban Ministry Center College Street campus sometimes, but what almost always happens simultaneously is that we see sick neighbors too. And while we usually have over-the-counter medications to help them–pain relievers, cold and flu medicine, cough …
“I just want to sit on my own couch,” Tom said, wondering why it was so hard to get to that place. He is tired. When Tom was younger than his 50+ years he thought it was cool to have adventures, to travel the country. His favorite place had been Idaho where he worked on a potato farm and nearby …
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 …
A familiar voice rings out, “Don’t worry about a thing” – the Bob Marley melody carries from the soup kitchen dining room through the upstairs hallway – “Everything little thing is gonna be alright.” It means only one thing – Leon is here. For a decade, Leon would announce his presence (and intoxication) at Urban Ministry Center through singing – loud, …
CommunityWorks 945 is excited to be back to our usual programming in our newly renovated space. It is now equipped with a conference room, ample office space, a washer/dryer for Running Works, and Street Soccer equipment. I, for one, especially appreciate the new washer/dryer since the smell of runners’ and soccer players’ equipment affects the freshness of my workspace. But …
The 18th season of Room In The Inn (RITI) ended on March 31, the first nice, warm day in a while – a fitting ending to a season notable in part for harsh weather. The season was also notable for its consistency – we had virtually the same number of hosts, neighbors, and beds as we had last year (more …
When doing the right thing saves millions of dollars, that’s a local story powerful enough to capture the attention of the national media. On March 24, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte released a study of the one-year impact of supportive housing on the lives of chronically homeless people. Focusing on the 85 residents of Urban Ministry’s Moore Place, …
Spaghetti with fried zucchini, tortilla soup, and pumpkin lasagna are among the favorite dishes made in the monthly Moore Place cooking class, but today it’s a little holiday spirit that’s bringing out the creativity in each participant. I sat in on the December 14 class dedicated to that iconic holiday tradition of decorating cookies, and found an adventurous group dedicated …
Room In The Inn (RITI) has just resumed for the 2013-14 season. Founded in 1996, Urban Ministry Center coordinates RITI during the coldest months of each year, providing emergency shelter for those experiencing homelessness. The program relies on the time, talent and resources of nearly 5,000 volunteers from 130 houses of faith, YMCA’s, colleges, and other organizations. It’s one of …
As an agency dedicated to eradicating homelessness, the Urban Ministry Center of Charlotte has been working to provide basic services to those in need for nearly 20 years. We understand, however, that our duty is not just to those experiencing homelessness, but also to the entire community. While volunteerism is the most prominent way we engage the community, education also …
Every Thursday afternoon, a group of people meets in the common room of Moore Place; they all have different stories and paths that brought them to the group but they all share the same passion to fight homelessness. These people form the advocacy group, Helping Homeless to Housing (HHH). HHH is a community meeting facilitated by volunteers Angie Forde and …
