At Good Shepherd Center, we know that emergency shelter is an important response to homelessness, but it’s not a solution. To be a part of actually ending homelessness for our neighbors in crisis, we have to support affordable housing options that will provide a path back to stability for veterans, seniors, families and others. Most of those experiencing homelessness can be rehoused fairly independently in the community. Approximately 20%, though, are people with significant physical and mental health disabilities who appear to fit the stereotype of “homeless” and have either been unhoused long term or over repeating episodes. In a particularly cruel double whammy, their challenges typically contributed to their initial loss of housing, then serve as barriers to their regaining it and holding onto it for the long term. It comes as no surprise then that ending the housing crises of this special subpopulation requires housing interventions that do more than “rehouse”, instead combining an affordable living opportunity with intensive and reliable on-site supports. 

Soon we will announce the upcoming groundbreaking of SECU The Sparrow, a Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) community that will provide affordable housing combined with wraparound support services to 32 chronically homeless adults with significant disabilities. Without such an intervention, these residents would continue to sleep in the woods, in their cars, and cycle through shelters and ERs and back again—with disproportionate use of public services and no real quality of life to speak of. 

SECU The Sparrow is about more than housing—it’s about breaking the cycle of chronic homelessness and creating lasting health and stability for our most vulnerable neighbors.

Why Permanent Supportive Housing?

Homelessness is first and foremost an economic problem. Research from the National Alliance to End Homelessness confirms what we see every day: the leading cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing and the mismatch between people’s incomes and the incomes they need to secure and hold onto housing. That mismatch has grown ever wider in our area in recent years, even for two-income, salaried households. For people with significant physical and mental health-related disabilities, who must often rely solely on Social Security or disability assistance, that gap can feel impossible to overcome. 

Efforts that follow the Permanent Supportive Housing model offer a solution:

• According to our regional Point in Time count conducted in January, approximately 150 unduplicated persons are chronically homelessness on a given night. Most of these individuals reside within New Hanover County;
• The Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in our community has risen to $1,349 a month, completely out of reach for an SSI recipient with total monthly income of $943;
• With housing affordability calculated as 30% of one’s income, someone with significant disabilities relying on SSI requires a rent of just $283 a month for it to be “affordable”—an impossibility anywhere in North Carolina but especially in our increasingly expensive community; 
• Permanent Supportive Housing is an established, evidence-based model that combines an affordable apartment (30% of income sliding to zero for those with none + on-site supportive services) to chronically homeless individuals with significant, life-limiting disabilities;
• PSH programs boast significant improvements in resident health and mental health, significant reductions in use of ER and other public services, an average housing retention rate of 98% within that critical first year, and greater than 90% longer term, proving that with the right support, people can regain and maintain stability. 

At Good Shepherd Center, we have seen these statistics play out firsthand. Opened in 2018, our SECU Lakeside Reserve community has provided stable housing and an improved quality of life to 40 of our community’s most vulnerable residents, all persons who exited chronic homelessness thanks to PSH. Now SECU The Sparrow will build on this success, offering dignity, stability, and opportunity to 32 more residents—people who today call the woods, streets and shelters their home.

SECU The Sparrow: A Place to Call Home

SECU The Sparrow will:

• Provide stability – Housing retention rates for PSH programs consistently show that once housed, people tend to stay housed. This model works;
• Remove barriers – On-site services, including mental health support, job assistance, and case management, will help residents access needed resources, develop life skills, and experience being a successful tenant, neighbor, and member of a community;
• Strengthen the community – Stable housing improves not only the lives of those directly impacted but also contributes to the overall well-being of our entire region.

Most importantly, SECU The Sparrow will end homelessness for 32 individuals who are currently sleeping on Wilmington’s streets, in the woods, or cycling through shelters, hospitals, and emergency services.

A Project Built on Collaboration

Addressing homelessness requires partnership. The realization of SECU The Sparrow would not be possible without the support of the City of Wilmington, the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, the NC Housing Finance Agency, and committed community friends and advocates:

• The City of Wilmington generously donated the land for this project and allocated American Rescue Plan capital and predevelopment funds, recognizing the essential role of local government in addressing homelessness;
• The State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation provided critical early support in the form of a challenge grant, inspiring and leveraging additional investments;
• Private donors and businesses from throughout the community continue to support the Home for Good campaign, understanding that housing-based solutions create a stronger, healthier community for all.

This is what progress looks like—the public and private sectors coming together to create real, lasting change.

Building a Future Where Everyone Has a Home

The journey to end homelessness is long, but SECU The Sparrow will serve as a milestone bringing us closer to lasting solutions.

At Good Shepherd Center, we are not just building housing—we are building futures. Together, with your support, we can ensure that every person in our community has the stability, dignity, and opportunity they deserve.

How You Can Make a Difference

Ending homelessness requires collective action. By becoming more involved with Good Shepherd this year, you become part of the solution.

Learn:

• Visit endhomelessness.org to explore national data and solutions.
• Read Homelessness Is a Housing Problem or watch Dr. Gregg Colburn’s presentation on how the lack of affordable housing drives homelessness.
• Learn more about our efforts at goodshepherdwilmington.org.

Spread Awareness & Advocate:

• Share accurate information about homelessness and solutions like Permanent Supportive Housing.
• Support policies that expand resources for affordable housing and homelessness prevention.

Volunteer:

• Help serve meals, assist with grocery giveaways, or support behind-the-scenes efforts. Even a few hours make a difference.

Donate:

• Financial contributions support our shelter, meal programs, housing initiatives, and the Home for Good Campaign.
• In-kind donations—food, clothing, hygiene supplies—help us direct more resources to housing placements.

Thank you for standing with us in this important work.

Katrina Knight, MSW
Executive Director, Good Shepherd Center