Homelessness

With committed, loving volunteers and financial donations, Providence UMC supports the homeless in Mecklenburg County.  You can make a difference!  Our homeless ministries are open to any member or guest who would like to volunteer.  We welcome mission partnerships with businesses, too.  If interested, contact Carol Shinn at Email Carol. 

Charlotte Family Housing

Charlotte Family Housing works to end homelessness among families by providing opportunities through housing, support services, advocacy and collaboration.  This group is a merger of Charlotte Emergency Housing, Family Promise, and WISH (Workforce Initiative for Supportive Housing).

What you can do: Assist families in transitional housing.  Join a Hope team to support families moving to financial independence.  Prepare meals and serve our overnight guests that take shelter in our church home.

Charlotte Rescue Mission

Charlotte Rescue Mission ministers to individuals caught in cycles of poverty, hopelessness, and chemical addition by meeting their spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and vocational needs.  This is the only free Christian addiction recovery center in Charlotte.

What you can do: Prepare and serve breakfast, lunch, or dinner to the 150 residents.  Donate paper towels, toilet paper, toiletries, t-shirts, and socks directly to CRM.

McCreesh Place

McCreesh Place is Charlotte's first Single Room Occupancy facility for homeless men who are physically, developmentally, or mentally disabled.

What you can do: Greet visitors, host events on site, transport residents to various places, Donate fresh fruit and vegetables or housekeeping supplies directly to McCreesh Place.

Men's Shelter of Charlotte

The Men's Shelter of Charlotte prevents homeless men from dying of exposure to the cold, meets the basic needs of clothing, food, and shelter, and refers men to support agencies specializing in detox, mental health, recovery, and social services.  Every winter, our Providence Youth provide sweatshirts and fellowship to the guests at Men's Shelter.  In 2011 we also supported the shelter by cleaning mattresses and bed frames at our Day of Service, and organizing their clothing closet during a Go To Group.  We also donated hundreds of pairs of shoes to the Men's Shelter of Charlotte.

What you can do: Prepare and serve meals at either location of this shelter.  Organize their clothing closet.  Host an ice cream social.  Offer computer training to men in search of a job.  Donate items such as white towels and sweatshirts directly to the Men's Shelter of Charlotte.

Room in the Inn

Orchestrated through Urban Ministry Center and started by Jeremiah Group, this program keeps homeless people from freezing on cold winter nights.  Providence UMC invites 14 of our homeless neighbors into our church home three nights a week during the winter months.  During this time we prepare meals for them, offer our support, and provide a warm place to sleep.  In the 2010-2011 cold season, Providence provided beds for 497 people through this program.

What you can do: Serve as an evening or overnight host, prepare and serve meals, or transport guests for this program at Providence UMC.

Salvation Army Center of Hope

The Center of Hope is an emergency homeless shelter and transitional housing program for women and children located near uptown Charlotte.  Women and children represent 1/3 of the county's homeless, and is the fastest growing demographic of homeless.  As needed, Providence UMC will open our church home to these women for additional shelter.  In February 2011 we donated over 3,000 diapers for the young children in the shelter.  Our youth also collected sweatshirts for the women and children at this shelter.

What you can do: Serve as an evening or overnight host, prepare and serve meals, or transport guests for this program at Providence UMC.

Shelter for Battered Women

United Family Services works to end intimate partner violence and to support people in their efforts to live violence free by promoting safety and empowerment and eliminating the barriers that keep them at risk.  For years, Providence UMC has provided Baskets for Beginnings full of household goods and kitchen items to women who leave the shelter and start new lives.  In 2011 we provided 30 baskets to our friends in need.

What you can do: Prepare and serve meals for the shelter.  Participate in events that raise awareness about domestic violence in the community.  Raise funds and advocate for a larger shelter to accommodate more battered women.  Donate small household items to our Baskets for Beginning program in October.

Urban Ministry Center

The Charlotte Urban Ministry Center is an interfaith organization dedicated to serving our homeless neighbors and helping end homelessness.  They do this by mobilizing our community, building relationships, and providing compassionate, empowering ministries.  Our United Methodist Women and Serendipity Sunday School class made 17,200 sandwiches last year for the soup kitchen.  See Room in the Inn above for more good news about our involvement with Urban Ministry Center.

What you can do: Support the Room in the Inn program.  Prepare and serve noon meals at the Soup Kitchen.  Answer the telephone and complete clerical tasks.  Transport clients in the Center's van.  Contribute reading glasses or other supplies directly to Urban Ministry Center.