SE North Carolina News

City of Wilmington issued the following announcement on Sept. 20.

Work is underway to connect unhoused individuals in Downtown Wilmington with social services as part of a pilot project developed in collaboration between the City of Wilmington and the Wilmington Downtown, iNC. 

The pilot project includes conducting an assessment of Downtown Wilmington and the creation of a Street Outreach Specialist position, who will be a trained social worker – a new role within WDI’s MSD Ambassadors Program. This full-time position will be dedicated to helping people access social services, which includes providing transportation, helping individuals obtain entitlements, overseeing case management, and other responsibilities related to reducing barriers to service. 

“While social services fall beyond the scope of city government, we have a shared responsibility to the safety, health, and welfare of our residents – regardless of housing status,” Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said. “Right now, we have a gap between the services available and access to those resources. This project will help close that gap and make a real difference in people’s lives.” 

The council-appointed Municipal Services District Advisory Committee voted to approve the one-year pilot project at its Aug. 19 meeting. Funding for the project is made possible through the MSD tax dollars; properties within the MSD pay an additional tax of 7 cents of $100 of property valuation. 

"We believe that adding a trained social worker to our MSD Ambassador staff who can dedicate full-time efforts in a 40 hour per week presence on the streets of downtown – someone dedicated to building trust and relationships with the individuals who need this help – will go a long way toward connecting them with the specific services they need in a timely manner,” said Wilmington Downtown, iNC President and CEO Holly Childs.

To kick off the Street Outreach Specialist Pilot Project, Block by Block – a national downtown services organization with a focus on public outreach – conducted a three-day baseline assessment earlier this month. Key findings include: 

• An average of 30 unhoused individuals located in the downtown Wilmington MSD, specifically within a walking path between Market and Water Streets, and the block bordered by Grace, Third, Chestnut and Second streets.
• An average of 20 unhoused individuals sleeps downtown overnight.
• Access to a shelter space and shelter availability is limited, likely due to capacity limits and barriers to entry. 
• Transportation is a barrier to accessing the proper social services.

“People had a very positive attitude on the street and wanted to get help,” Chico Lockhart, Block by Block outreach project manager, said of his baseline assessment. “And if there was someone available to help them, many of them said they would be open to that.”

A full report on the baseline assessment will be presented to WDI later this week. Staff will receive monthly reports to track the progress of the program. 

WDI is currently recruiting for the Street Outreach Specialist.

Original source can be found here.