Up & Coming Weekly

July 10, 2018

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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22 UCW JULY 11-17, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM CUMBERLAND e 2018 Point-in-Time Annual Homeless Count Report estimates 372 people were experiencing homelessness in Cumberland County during a 24-hour period Jan. 24- 25, 2018. e estimated number is 70 fewer than in the 2017 report. Of the 372 people, about 31 percent were under the age of 18. Cumberland County Community Development, the City of Fayetteville Economic and Community Development and the Continuum of Care conducted the count. e City and County, through an interlocal agreement, are providing $200,000 for a Homeless Initiative Program with Endeavors Inc. to provide housing stabilization assistance to individuals and families. Endeavors may use the funding for a variety of activities to assist people, including covering rental application fees; back rent up to six months; rent for up to six months; security and utility deposits; utility payments; moving costs; furniture; bus passes; employment assistance; job training or mental health services. Demographics Males made up 58 percent of the homeless population, females made up 41 percent and transgendered were 1 percent of the count. Sixty percent of the homeless population was over 25 years of age, while 31 percent of the population was under 18 years of age. Approximately 67 percent was African-American, while 25 percent was white. ere were 38 homeless veterans counted and 37 unaccompanied homeless youth. Additionally, there were 48 victims of domestic violence, 38 adults with substance abuse, 46 adults with serious mental illness and two people with HIV/AIDS. Twenty- four people included in the count were released from medical care, behavioral health care or jail/prison the night before the survey. Key Findings Approximately one in five, or 18 percent, of homeless individuals are considered chronically homeless. ere are 175 homeless shelter beds for the homeless population of 372. ere continues to be a median gap of 47 percent between the number of homeless persons and the number of beds. e full Point-in-Time report is available online at http://bit.ly/CCPointInTime. For more information, contact Cumberland County Community Development at 910-323-6112. Homeless Point-In-Time Count Results Released T he Fayetteville-Cumberland County Continuum of Care (CoC) on Homelessness installed new officers during a ceremony June 26 in the Pate Room at Headquarters Library. e CoC is made up of agencies and stakeholders with a goal to prevent and significantly reduce homelessness in the Fayetteville and Cumberland County community. Officers for the 2018-2019 CoC Board of Directors are: Chair Laressa Witt, Alliance Behavioral Healthcare Vice Chair Shelly Hudson, Salvation Army Secretary Debbie Brown, Individual advocate Treasurer Ivonne Anton, Cumberland Healthnet "e goal of the CoC is to develop and improve community-wide systems so homelessness is rare, brief and non- recurring," Witt said. "is is done by connecting individuals to housing, employment and treatment services." e Fayetteville-Cumberland County Continuum of Care began in 1996 as the Cumberland County Continuum of Care Planning Council. Continuums are mandated through the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009, which consolidated Housing and Urban Development competitive grant programs to form the CoC Program. Cumberland County Community Development is the lead agency in the Fayetteville-Cumberland CoC. e continuum's goal is to create an annual action plan to address homelessness by defining the scope of homelessness; developing an inventory of current resources; identifying gaps in services and prioritizing unmet needs. Membership in the CoC includes representatives from private for-profit and non-profit businesses and public agencies. For more information, contact Cumberland County Community Development at 910-321-6112 or go to co.cumberland.nc.us/community-dev. e office is located at 707 Executive Place, Fayetteville. Continuum of Care on Homelessness New Board of Directors e Fayetteville-Cumberland County CoC on Homelessness Board of Directors for 2018-2019. Front row, pictured from left are Laressa Witt (Chair), Shelly Hudson (Vice Chair), Debbie Brown (Secretary), Ivonne Anton (Treasurer), Michelle Blanding, Lindsey Wofford and Cumberland County Community Development Interim Director Dee Taylor. Back row, pictured from left are Denise Giles, Antonio Gardner, Gilmer Long, Mark Davis, Paul Taylor and Angelita Marable. Not pictured are board members Floyd Burton, Tonja Butler and Adolf omas. News for Cumberland County Residents co.cumberland.nc.us Cumberland Matters Winners will be announced in September 19th Edition UP & COMING WEEKLY'S Who will be crowned?

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