From Mike Aiken, executive director, Greensboro Urban Ministry:
The Greensboro Urban Ministry Board of Directors approved the start-up of a new program, Beyond Pathways, and the establishment of a new fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, thanks to the receipt of a nearly $1 million bequest from the estate of Nancy Richmond Hudson.
“Nancy Hudson had a passion to share God’s love with the poor and needy. What a wonderful way to make sure that her commitment to help others will continue forever through the establishment of the Nancy Richmond Hudson Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. This Fund will provide start-up funding for Beyond Pathways and will support Urban Ministry programs for years to come,†commented Rev. Mike Aiken, Executive Director, Greensboro Urban Ministry.
Nancy Hudson retired from the U.S. State Department, returned to Greensboro, and was an active volunteer and supporter of Greensboro Urban Ministry until her death on August 18, 2006. At an earlier time she made a gift to Greensboro Urban Ministry in memory of her late mother, Sue Richmond Hudson, and her late father, Dr. C. C. Hudson, a former Director of Public Health in Greensboro.
The homeless family waiting list at Greensboro Urban Ministry’s Pathways Center has been steadily growing. In 2007, 248 families applied for shelter at Pathways – a 10% increase over 2006. Only sixty-six of those families were able to be housed. Their average length of stay was 101 days. The average length of time on the waiting list was around seven weeks. During the summer months, as many as forty families were on the waiting list.
In order to better address these growing numbers of homeless families on our waiting list, Urban Ministry is developing a Housing First for Families program: Beyond Pathways. Beyond Pathways was conceived at Urban Ministry’s Futures Conference, held last fall at First Lutheran Church. Tying into the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, the program will emphasize moving families into housing quickly and providing case management and support in order to prevent homelessness in the future.
The goal will be to case manage up to 20 families at any one time and serve from 40 to 60 additional families in a year.
Some families will be able to move out of Pathways with minimal financial assistance for example, a security deposit and first month’s rent. Others need slightly more assistance- perhaps a short-term subsidy that helps families pay for housing for several months or a shallow subsidy of $100 to $300 that lasts for up to a year. This short-term assistance will be coupled with intensive services designed to help the family increase their income so they will be able to continue to pay for housing after the subsidy ends.
[emphasis mine]
My response? PRAISE THE LORD! This is amazing and wonderful news for GUM and for soon-to-NOT-be homeless families in Greensboro! Nancy Hudson demonstrated God’s heart for the poor with hands-on service during her lifetime and a financial legacy of love that will have an impact an others for years to come. What a blessing! I thank God for Nancy Hudson’s gift, and for GUM’s commitment to care for the “least of these” (Matt 25:31-40) and “to bring the homeless poor into the house” (Isaiah 58:6-7.)
Update: The News & Record’s story, 06/26/08.
