Recognizing the health and safety challenges for those experiencing homelessness in Salisbury, City Council approved 2021 Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Program (CDBG-CV) funding for an outreach coordinator position to help support the local Homeless Task Force. Formed as a partnership among local service organizations, the Homeless Task Force is a community-wide effort to address the urgent needs of the homeless population in Rowan County. The task force and the outreach coordinator position are facilitated within Rowan Helping Ministries, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to “moving people out of crisis, poverty, hunger, and homelessness.”
“The Homeless Task Force is a tremendous opportunity for our 30-plus agencies to come together using all of our resources to help the underrepresented, sheltered, and unsheltered residents in Rowan County,” said Salisbury Police Homeless Liaison Dennis Rivers. “Through this group, we are able to collaborate, provide direct access to various service agencies, and help people navigate challenging paperwork processes.”
According to Kyna Grubb, Rowan Helping Ministries Executive Director, her organization coordinates the Point in Time homeless count each year. “In 2020, the last time a traditional count was conducted, 180 homeless individuals were counted in Rowan County.” Traditional counts were not conducted in 2021 or 2022 due to the pandemic, but a count was done in 2023.
“We returned to our traditional counting with improved information about street homelessness thanks to our street outreach program with Dennis,” Grubb added. “We counted 238 homeless, which included those living in shelters and transitional housing We surmise the increase was due to rent/utility moratoriums, the restart of evictions, increased rental rates, and inflation and combined with increases in poor mental health and substance use.”
“From the police department and city’s perspective, our primary goal is ensuring all residents are sheltered and safe,” said Rivers, “We are fortunate to have a strong relationship with Rowan Helping Ministries and the other agencies as we come together to find solutions for those experiencing homelessness.”
For more information, visit salisburync.gov/Homeless.