'Critical point': New facility in Southport to aid homeless families

Families with children living in sheds. Families living in broken down campers with no utilities. Two or more families sharing a one-bedroom apartment.

Stories like these are not uncommon in Brunswick County, according to Sally Learned, executive director of Brunswick Partnership for Housing.

“The face of homelessness is not what people think,” she said.

Learned noted that in Brunswick County, the homeless population consists of families, single women with children, young people who are working in entry-level jobs, and senior citizens. Most of the time, these people are employed but are unable to afford rents, which average $1,100 to $1,400 per month.

That’s why Learned and the volunteers with Brunswick County Partnership for Housing are working to establish a transitional housing facility in Southport.

Founded in 2019, Brunswick Partnership for Housing is a local, nonprofit organization that helps families find permanent solutions to homelessness and advocates for affordable housing in the county. The organization’s main project is a transitional housing facility, located at 250 E. 11th St. in Southport.

The nonprofit purchased the property from Dosher Memorial Hospital for about $180,000 in 2020. That same year, the Southport Board of Adjustment approved a conditional-use permit, which allowed for the building’s use as transitional housing.

Learned explained that through the permit, she can house families for up to 18 months, but the goal is to get them into permanent housing much sooner. She explained that the longer a family is without housing, the more trauma they experience.

“It’s really to give them a place to catch their breath, reduce the trauma, and help them move as soon as possible toward permanent housing,” she said.

In addition to housing families, volunteers with Brunswick Partnership for Housing partner with families to help them connect with resources and other agencies in the community.

Since getting the green light from the city’s board of adjustment, Learned and a team of volunteers have been busy renovating the building — which previously served as Dosher’s sleep lab and patient accounts facility — into four separate efficiency-style apartments with office space for the nonprofit in the front of the building. Volunteers from the organization have been helping with the renovations, and Learned said the project has received a lot of financial support area churches.

“We’re really excited about the support that the community has put into this project,” she said.

While work on the facility is ongoing, Learned hopes that they will begin housing families this fall.

“A lot of that depends on contractor schedules and supply chains,” she said.

At this point, the renovations to the building have been funded, and fundraising efforts are focused on helping the group pay off the mortgage, which will keep the facility’s operating costs low. Brunswick Partnership for Housing will hold a fundraiser at American Fish Company, 150 Yacht Basin Drive, Southport, from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21. Music will be provided by the Salty Dawgs, and food will be provided by Frying Pan. Tickets are $25 and will be available at the door.

While the transitional housing facility will be able to ease the burden for some families, Learned said it will take a lot more to solve the issue of homelessness in Brunswick County.

“We’re really at a critical point here, and it’s going to take the whole community to turn it around,” she said.

Families experiencing homelessness can call the program coordinator for Brunswick Partnership for Housing at 910-946-1499 for assistance.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Homeless in Southport to get help with new transitional housing facility