The official Dancing Deer Baking Company Blog

I had the immense pleasure of working with Reverend Laura Benson at PLM Familes Together in Raleigh, NC. Rev. Benson coordinated a landing event for Trish in Raleigh that combined many leaders of the Raleigh community dedicated to end homelessness. She took the time to send me a wonderful blog post with her reflections on the event.

Thank you so much, Rev. Benson for your time and hospitality!

It was really exciting to see Trish ride up the hill to visit us here in Raleigh/Wake County, North Carolina on Monday, April 27. Applause broke out from a group of shelter leaders and case managers, county housing team members, Triangle United Way representatives, corporate executives who share leadership in the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, and employees of The Redwoods Group (another Winning Workplace award recipient and philanthropic leader like Dancing Deer). Trish immediately went to meet Betty, an Oak Hollow resident, whose 4 year old granddaughter proudly says, “This is my playground,” pointing to the brightly painted equipment in the yard. Oak Hollow is a great example of how three agencies have combined forces to provide housing and supportive services to homeless families who have a family member with a disabling condition. CASA developed and manages the property, while PLM Families together and the Women’s Center of Wake County provide intensive support services to the families. For the ten families at Oak Hollow, their homelessness has ended. Betty’s sister, who also joined us at the reception, said, “Betty has come so far. She would never have made it without the help she has here, and her granddaughter would be in foster care. You have saved them both from the system.”

Trish was willing to take time to really talk to us about our 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness and asked us to write up a short blog post about what has worked. She wanted us to focus on the successful “partnerships” that give us confidence that we can and will end homelessness in our region. (Even this blog was written collaboratively, by Stan and Laura). It is always good to have someone from “outside” the community hear various stories and then come up with an overarching theme. She acknowledged that what she heard was the commitment to partnerships as a key element in the success of Raleigh/Wake County’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness.

The overall partnership between the City of Raleigh, Wake County, Triangle United Way and the Wake County Continuum of Care was instrumental in creating and implementing the plan. Since then, a number of partnerships have been emerging that are leading to success. The many agencies that are a part of this local plan recognize that homelessness is not solely about an individual’s or family’s capacity. Instead, there is an acknowledgement that the system is set up in a way that does not necessarily end homelessness. Partnering across different types of agencies, be it public or private, or among several nonprofit organizations, addresses the very systemic problems that have led to individuals or families falling into – and staying in – homelessness.

In addition to acknowledging the systemic problems creating homelessness, the partners have shown a courageous willingness to experiment.

• The implementation of the Support Circles, a group of trained congregational volunteers from the faith community who provide support to individuals and families as they transition from homelessness to permanent housing is a model that emerged from Wake County’s response to evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. The rental subsidies that assist families that are matched with a Support Circle are funded with church, governmental, and corporate money. This addresses the economics of ending homelessness.

• The willingness of Time Warner Cable to provide seed money through Triangle United Way to fund an employment initiative for chronically homeless men is another example of something that is creative, innovative and is proving successful.

• Project CATCH (Community Action Targeting Children who are Homeless) is the result of a pioneering collaboration between family shelters and child development experts to a establish a system of care for homeless children as they move among shelters and then into permanent housing in the community, with the ultimate goal of improving family health and wellness, and strengthening the parent-child bond that is so critical to the growth of resilient, healthy, adults.

Thanks to The Redwoods Group for underwriting the healthy food at the reception, and to Mac Kendall and Kathryn Herzog – members of The Redwoods Group cycling team – who rode out with Trish. The last view of them was the black lettering on the back of their white cycling shirts that proclaims The Redwoods Group corporate motto: Serve Others

Ultimately, the same pioneering solutions to end family homelessness will become the keys to prevention that strengthen our community and unlock independence for families who will not return to homelessness now, or in the next generation. We are proud to be included in Trish’s 15-day journey, and to share this ongoing journey of a lifetime to end family homelessness.