The Path to A nonprofit with an end goal of putting itself out of
business, the Good Shepherd Center has served the
homeless and the hungry in this community since 1983.
The January 30, 2013, North Carolina Point-in-Time Count
by the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness
showed a 15 percent decrease in overall homelessness
for New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties since
February 2012, when 398 people were counted.
Of the 338 homeless people counted, 190 were in
emergency or seasonal shelters, 45 were in transitional
housing and 103 were unsheltered, meaning they were
counted in places not meant for human habitation such
as in cars, parks or abandoned buildings, or on the street
or sidewalk.
The direction of Good Shepherd Center, which is
celebrating 30 years of service, has expanded greatly
since it first opened, and is now focused on offering
services in an intentional way to get people back into
affordable housing.
The No. 1 reason for homelessness is economics. Many
homeless people are either underemployed or unemployed.
The Kellys, pictured here in 2011, are currently in housing, but had been
homeless on and off for years.
14
WBM september 2013