When I met with Michael Stoops of The National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington DC, he asked me to inform him of any successful program I found as I traveled across the United States for this film. I think I may have found it. Roberta Macauley is the Program Coordinator for Support Circles in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Support Circles is made up of city and county government, protest and catholic churches and volunteers. City and county government, foundations, grants, individuals and the church fund it. Hurricane Katrina forced many families from their homes and some of them landed in Raleigh NC. So many that on any given night over 1,000 people was homeless. The city realized that they could not handle this by themselves. They needed the faith-based community. Catholic Charities and Lutheran Family Services joined together and formed a multi-agency, multi-faith homeless coalition. It started with a round table. It was their goal to be seen as a partner not a competitor. Once the homeless coalition reported their findings on a status of the homeless in the local area, the government had to act.

They came up with a plan. It takes about two months for a volunteer to be trained. Then they are sent out as a six to ten person team, always working in pairs. Each team is assigned a homeless family. Every team stays with a family for twelve to eighteen months. During that time they establish and maintain goals, learn and prepare a budget and fix problems that lead them into homelessness.

When asked if volunteers burnout, Macauley stated “No, no they have really stuck with the family.” She operates on a budget of about $200,000 a year and currently is serving thirty families. There is a staff of two with three hundred and thirty volunteers.

This program has been monitored closely and changes are made quickly when needed. “I ask the volunteers what are some of the challenges they see as they walk through this with their families,” she said. One thing that came back was the need for housing close to a bus line. For families that have lost their cars the need for public transportation is great.

Other needs were identified and filled. A dentist stepped up and offered free services to some of the families. As needs became apparent, the sheer volume of volunteers gets the word out quickly to their churches or workplaces and solutions are developed in short order.

A big need is affordable housing. Many single moms with children can’t afford the three or four bedrooms that are needed for their family. Under this program she only has to pay thirty percent. The program through foundations, churches, and rent vouchers pay the balance.

Churches stepped up and agreed to support the program with yearly financial contributions. The city pays about $200,000 in rent vouchers. The county pays $75,000 for rent vouchers and a grant from the county funds Macauley’s payroll with a contract.

Forty-one families and over eighty-six children have been served. Only three families have exited out. One of the three families left because they received a $400,000 settlement and didn’t need the program anymore.

Asked if she would consider this a wrap around program, “I certainly would,” Macauley answered. Is the program a success? The Arnold Andrews Award for Collaborative Excellence and Home for Every American Award proves that it is – and the families that are now tax paying, mortgage holding citizens.

2.23.10
DJ McCoy