Connecting the dots: DC Connect Inc. to provide simplified access to community services

Three years ago, a group of community service providers and stakeholders met to discuss the needs of the homeless, at-risk, and underserved population in Davidson County.

Over the next few years, this group met on a regular basis and created a new organization that would be a centralized hub for multiple agencies in the community to refer residents seeking assistance for a variety of issues without duplicating services.

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“Davidson County has a lot of community resources, but everyone was working in a silo,” said Sandy Motely, director of Davidson County Medical Ministries. “We knew what we were doing, but we didn’t necessarily know what other people were doing or how to access there services.”

After years of organizing and planning, DC Connect Inc. launched on Oct. 3 after being disrupted for almost two years by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This group is a cooperative of private, non-profit, and governmental agencies that provide services to Davidson County residents, including Davidson County First Hope Ministries, the Salvation Army of Davidson County, Davidson County Medical Ministries, and other agencies.

The purpose of DC Connect is to give any resident a single location to contact when they are in need of services whether it be for mental health, homelessness, substance abuse, medical needs, food insecurity or etc.

“We want to be the resource to connect (people); to link them to the services that they most need. That is the crux of what we want to do, to help people navigate the system and get them to where they need to be,” said Motely.

Although the service is available to anyone, Motely said the group is specifically targeting the homeless, those struggling with substance abuse, and those re-entering the community after being incarcerated.

“These are the ones that need that extra hand to figure out things like, how to get food stamps, how to apply for housing, and other things. If they don’t get that help it is more than likely they will return to their old habits, and we want to break that cycle. We want them to move from a crisis situation to a sustainable situation,” said Motley.

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Although it is an independent group, the organization is under the directive of Davidson County Medical Ministries which funded $130,000 in startup costs.

Motley said since the service is free to the public, community support is crucial.

“DC Connect is not a revenue-producing service, you don’t have to pay for it. So, we have to find other ways to fund it through private donations and grant funding, and hopefully, the city and county leadership will see the value of it for the people of Davidson County,” said Motely.

DC Connect will operate out of the Davidson County Medical Ministries building at 420 N. Salisbury Street until the new homeless shelter is completed.

Davidson County First Hope Ministries is in the middle of a $5 million capital campaign to build a new homeless shelter on property adjacent to the Salvation Army on West Ninth Avenue.

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The Salvation Army is also in the process of expanding its current kitchen and feeding facility to accommodate the food services for the new shelter.

DC Connect will operate out of the new shelter and Davidson County Medical Ministries will also have a satellite office at the location.

Motely said she is pleased that DC Connect is finally a reality and will be providing much-needed community support by streamlining access to services in a centralized location.

“We want to help people get the services they need, to be able to move on from being homeless to renting an apartment or even owning a house; to be able to get a job, to not being dependent on others but to be a substantial and contributing member of the community,” said Motely.

For more information or to receive a connection to various community services in Davidson County, go to www.dcconnectinc.org or call (336) 243-3222.

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: DC Connect Inc. to provide simplified access to community services