20 years ago this month, Good Shepherd Center opened its Night Shelter with more than 100 beds for homeless men, women, and families with children. It was a response to unmet demand for emergency beds across the Wilmington area and the culmination of a community-wide fundraising effort on the part of congregations, businesses, foundations and individuals. What began as a modest safety net has become a critical bridge for thousands of Cape Fear residents navigating a housing market that too often feels out of reach. From the beginning, we’ve served the diverse array of neighbors who find themselves without housing, whether for a brief episode or an extended length of time. They’re veterans and seniors, persons with disabilities, the working poor, and parents with children, from babies to teenagers.
Just as in 2005, the vast majority of those who seek shelter with us today are in crisis due to economic circumstances, not primarily addiction or mental illness. The mismatch between their income and the income they need to afford and reliably pay for housing leaves them vulnerable to even minor hiccups—a car breakdown, missed days of work due to illness—quickly spiraling into rental delinquency and then eviction. What’s different today is the rising number of households who have never had to seek assistance before but who now find themselves in a desperate situation.
“I just don’t know how we ended up here… I never thought this would happen to us.”…