30 | January/February 2019
F E A T U R E
Making vital connections
for homeless women and children
BY CRISSY NEVILLE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW WONDERLY
W
e all look to connect to something, or
to someone, these days. A connection
can be who you are related to or who
you know, a union of ideas, or even the
way two things join together in a continuous manner.
is all comes to mind when stepping into Connections of
Cumberland County (CCC), a nonprofit day resource center
for homeless women and children in Fayetteville that helps
to make important connections occur every day.
At Connections, women and children who are homeless
or are at risk of becoming homeless are on the receiving
end of life-changing links to everyday necessities and vital
community resources. is can include connections to
food, shelter, transportation, employment, mental health
services, and more.
It all started as a result of research conducted by the
Women's Giving Circle of Cumberland County on the basic
needs of local women and children. When the research
revealed alarming statistics on homelessness, a committee
was birthed from the Women's Circle to start Connections.
e agency's doors opened in July of 2014.
e nonprofit's good work is made possible by a pool of
community volunteers and student interns. With a limited
operating budget stemming from grants and donors, the
agency relies on unpaid interns from local and distant
colleges and universities to deliver case management and