17
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
There is a common misperception
of the average
homeless person.
“They’re just regular
people trying to figure out the next
step,” says Logan White, associate
development director of Good
Shepherd. “I think that’s important
for people to realize — most of the
time when they see someone that they
realize for sure is homeless it’s because
they’re unique. They’re a unique case,
whereas the average homeless person
isn’t going to be walking around
shouting to the rooftops that they’re
homeless and they need money.”
Good Shepherd originally operated
as a soup kitchen in the basement of
a church. It now serves the tri-county
area with a day shelter, a night shelter,
social workers, a medical clinic
and mental health counselors.
Executive director Katrina Knight
says while they are proud of the
numbers of meals served and people
sheltered, the ultimate test is the
reduction in homelessness and people
moved to housing.
“The criticism of a shelter is that if
you don’t do it in a very intentional
way, you really could just be a witness
to people suffering and you really
could just be doing nothing more
than keeping them alive overnight,”
Knight says. “We want to figure out
how to really end their homelessness
and not just create a short- or a long-
term home for people.”
During fiscal year 2012-13, 733
people were served in the day shelter,
647 were served in the night shelter
while 162 men, women and children,
including 20 families, were moved
into housing.
The organization is currently
receiving government rapid rehousing
funding. Previously, Good Shepherd
received time-limited federal stimulus
funds that helped pay for housing
and utility payments.
“There’s no greater prevention of
homelessness, including for families,
than having adequate amounts of
affordable housing,” Knight says.