CCM January 2023 Perspective Newsletter
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JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSPECTIVE<br />
FROM THE FRONTLINES<br />
CELEBRATING OUR 41ST YEAR OF RESTORING HOPE<br />
From Our Chief Executive Officer, Ed Hosack<br />
WHY TRANSITIONAL HOUSING?<br />
Because without stable housing there is no rehabilitation, no restoration and no recovery.<br />
A national housing crisis is disrupting economies in every region. The magnitude<br />
and severity of this crisis reflect mostly on the stage it is in. The timing and nature<br />
of response are the primary determinants of the impact on a community. Our<br />
nation's large cities demonstrate for us the outcome of failing to address the<br />
problem as it develops. A cycle that at one time would be solved with a focused<br />
approach on infrastructure and training, becomes a mental health crisis that<br />
consumes the resources of an economy. Solving mental health issues without<br />
stable housing is not likely to be achieved. Failing to make progress on housing<br />
solutions while a mental health crisis drains the life out of an economy is an<br />
unfortunate reality in many cities.<br />
While affordability is a national crisis<br />
and Cabarrus County’s housing market faces the dual drivers<br />
of economic development and population growth, affordability<br />
is not the only barrier to stable housing. Our Cabarrus County<br />
history lends to the specific need for Transitional Housing<br />
capacity. An understanding of our local experience and the<br />
transformative purpose of transitional housing reveals its value<br />
and application in Concord and Kannapolis.<br />
Solving mental health issues<br />
without stable housing is not<br />
likely to be achieved.<br />
continued >>
WHY TRANSITIONAL HOUSING cont.<br />
What makes Cabarrus County Unique?<br />
After our major employer closed in 2003 and<br />
Cabarrus County experienced the largest mass layoff<br />
in the history of North Carolina, market studies of<br />
our communities revealed an inadequate supply of<br />
multi-family housing to satisfy the demand. The<br />
reason, in part, is due to our textile heritage and “mill<br />
village” housing infrastructure. Many local landlords<br />
shouldered the burden of tenants caught in the<br />
economic disaster.<br />
Successful local<br />
A grandmother in our<br />
investors became<br />
community, whose rent had property owners of<br />
increased from $900 to multiple properties<br />
$1,100 per month, received in a short period<br />
notice that it would increase<br />
of time. As market<br />
again to more than $1,800<br />
prices escalated,<br />
per month. She needs a<br />
the initial investors<br />
place to live right now.<br />
benefited from<br />
outside interests<br />
willing to pay market prices for large portfolios<br />
of houses. Gentrification found its way into our<br />
communities.<br />
While much of the adversity our community is<br />
facing has a national footprint, there are factors that<br />
impacted our community twenty years ago. Those<br />
factors have weakened the foundation of our local<br />
economy, our workforce, and left many households<br />
facing financial and social/emotional challenges<br />
they cannot overcome without some assistance or<br />
training.<br />
The average age of the laid-off worker in 2003<br />
was forty-six years old. The younger of that group<br />
had children whose opportunities may have been<br />
negatively impacted. The seniors of that group are<br />
sixty-five and older today. During the five years<br />
following<br />
this<br />
economic<br />
disaster,<br />
many<br />
cashed<br />
out equity<br />
in their<br />
homes or<br />
retirement<br />
accounts to<br />
survive the<br />
Our local school systems identify<br />
over 500 children who are homeless<br />
in our community each year.<br />
The Rebuilders Campus will create<br />
housing and access to resources<br />
for parents and children, providing<br />
stability vital to education and<br />
employment.<br />
period that led directly into the Great Recession.<br />
With the loss of manufacturing wages and the<br />
transition to an economy based upon tourism, the<br />
retail and hospitality sectors generated wages<br />
unable to keep pace with the rising housing market<br />
of the next ten years.<br />
John and Mary Roberts' mobile home was no longer safe for either of them. A low-fixed<br />
income, their ages and her condition had proven to be obstacles to finding an alternate<br />
housing solution. During their working years, they found employment and stability in the<br />
textile mill where they developed many friendships along the way. Today they are very much<br />
alone.<br />
Local Services introduced the Roberts to <strong>CCM</strong>'s housing program where they could be<br />
safe, manage their finances and maintain medical appointments. Unfortunately, Mary's<br />
health required that she be placed in assisted living. John was able to handle the routines<br />
of independent living and financial planning but soon compromised in the areas of<br />
nutrition, exercise, attention to medications and appointments. As a result of isolation,<br />
John experienced numerous health setbacks, transport services, emergency rooms and<br />
hospitalizations. His mobility suffered, greatly reducing his ability to manage daily life.<br />
After two years, many health setbacks and cost burdens to the community, John was able to<br />
move to the assisted living environment where he will be able to enjoy time with his wife of<br />
more than fifty years.<br />
Grace Place is designed to serve members of our community like these who helped to create<br />
the foundations we build upon.<br />
continued >>
WHY TRANSITIONAL HOUSING cont.<br />
The cycle of loss that leads to the housing crisis is<br />
a long road that precedes homelessness. It leaves<br />
many damaging consequences along the way. These<br />
losses become barriers to recovery and prevent a<br />
return to stability for vulnerable households. Debt<br />
and credit issues, loss of equity and loss of savings,<br />
interruption of employment and education, unhealthy<br />
habits, unstable family dynamics, and loss of key<br />
relationships are all consequences of the cycle of loss<br />
that leads to a housing crisis. The ability to qualify for<br />
financing, establish a lease or utility credit has made<br />
affordable housing beyond reach for many working<br />
adults, fixed-income seniors and families with children.<br />
Why Invest Now?<br />
In 2020, the<br />
economic shutdown<br />
related to the<br />
pandemic directly<br />
impacted the most<br />
marginal workers in<br />
our community as<br />
those very industries<br />
were idled. The<br />
far less localized<br />
The Cycle of Loss:<br />
Debt & credit issues<br />
Loss of equity<br />
Loss of savings<br />
Employment interruption<br />
Break in education<br />
Unhealthy habits<br />
Stress on families<br />
Loss of key relationships<br />
housing property management structure placed many<br />
more households in jeopardy and began a cycle of<br />
loss for thousands of low-income seniors and families<br />
with children. The loss of employment supports like<br />
child care and stable housing has made a return to the<br />
workplace difficult for many. High inflation has added<br />
to the burden of virtually all household-related costs.<br />
There are many households in crisis in our community<br />
who possess the desire and the work ethic to<br />
overcome the barriers facing them. The transitional<br />
housing programs of Cooperative Christian<br />
Ministry (<strong>CCM</strong>) provide opportunity, training, and<br />
encouragement to those households who are willing<br />
to persevere.<br />
Every major institution in Cabarrus County has<br />
identified housing as one of, if not the most<br />
important, challenge facing our community today.<br />
Whether stated<br />
Whether stated as homelessness, as homelessness,<br />
housing crisis, or a lack of<br />
a housing<br />
affordable housing, there is crisis, or a lack<br />
consensus; we have a problem. of affordable<br />
housing, there<br />
is consensus; we have a problem. A coalition of local<br />
nonprofits are working together to create solutions,<br />
but we need a sense of urgency to prevail at every<br />
level.<br />
In Cabarrus County, our economic development and<br />
population growth prevail upon us to become what<br />
we do not want and cannot afford to be - unless we<br />
respond now. Concord and Kannapolis are at an<br />
inflection point in growth where we must address<br />
the issue of the housing crisis, while the benefits of<br />
growth are helping to provide the resources - or we<br />
will miss the window of opportunity.<br />
How Can YOU Help <strong>CCM</strong>?<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> has served our Cabarrus community through<br />
every economic disaster for the past forty-two years.<br />
We have addressed housing crises from emergency<br />
shelters to transitional housing and homeownership.<br />
We are uniquely positioned and experienced to<br />
engage our<br />
communities<br />
in a significant<br />
response to the<br />
imminent crisis.<br />
We must also<br />
begin to educate<br />
our neighbors<br />
to welcome<br />
innovative<br />
IN THIS EDITION...<br />
From Our Chief Relationship Officer........................4<br />
2025 New Horizon Strategic Plan Updates........... 5<br />
Church Partners Spotlights.......................................... 6<br />
Thank You!.......................................................................... 7<br />
UPCOMING EVENTS....................................................... 8<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> is uniquely positioned<br />
and experienced to engage our<br />
communities in a significant<br />
response to the imminent crisis.<br />
Our history demonstrates the<br />
ability to sustain those programs<br />
for generations to come.<br />
housing solutions that will preserve the value of<br />
our community and protect the investments of our<br />
business and social districts.<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> is asking every member of our community to<br />
follow the leadership of our County Commissioners<br />
by taking immediate action to support <strong>CCM</strong>'s Bold<br />
New Initiative; Grace Place in Kannapolis and The<br />
Rebuilders Campus in Concord.<br />
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2023</strong> can be the moment when the people of<br />
Cabarrus County, North Carolina lay a new foundation<br />
for housing stability in our community.<br />
Please pray and find a way<br />
to get involved.
In our Cabarrus County community today:<br />
From Our Chief Relationship Officer, Jeremy Burleson<br />
WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY<br />
Without stable housing, a family cannot safely store and prepare food, they<br />
cannot establish adequate sleep or maintain proper hygiene. Without the stability<br />
of housing, it is nearly impossible to maintain the rigors of academics or the<br />
expectations of employment. Households cannot support the dynamics to nurture<br />
family life or participation in the community. Without stable housing, there is NO<br />
rehabilitation and NO recovery.<br />
HOUSING STABILITY was identified as one of the greatest UNMET needs<br />
One of the top-3 strategic planning focuses of our municipalities, our school systems, our public<br />
health authority and our hospital system is HOUSING STABILITY<br />
Cabarrus County & Kannapolis City Schools identify over 500 students being homeless at some point<br />
during a given school year (800 PEOPLE in more than 200 FAMILIES)<br />
Local law enforcement estimates over 360 individuals are sleeping in tents, vehicles or other public<br />
spaces in Concord & Kannapolis (an 80% INCREASE in the last 2 years)<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> received an average of 38 housing applications per month in Q1 2022, and 65 applications per<br />
month in the 2nd Quarter… a 71% INCREASE<br />
More than 1,800 HOUSEHOLDS in Cabarrus County exist on EXTREMELY-LOW-INCOME (ELI)<br />
An INCREASE of 350-500 TOTAL BEDS is needed to meet the CURRENT homelessness need in<br />
Cabarrus County (Source: a 5-Year Prospectus; Solving the Housing Crisis publication – 2019)<br />
THERE IS A SOLUTION! Cooperative Christian Ministry’s BOLD NEW INITIATIVE will create two new<br />
transitional housing campuses to provide a path to stability for individuals and families in a housing crisis!<br />
GRACE PLACE<br />
A SOLUTION for our lowest-income neighbors who are Seniors, our<br />
Disabled, and our Veteran’s or their Widows. Grace Place is designed<br />
to provide the basic needs of food, housing and community for the<br />
extremely low-income individuals in an environment that allows<br />
someone to establish stability and connect with vital resources while<br />
promoting personal responsibility and community engagement.<br />
THE REBUILDERS CAMPUS &<br />
BROWN MILL COMMONS<br />
The Rebuilders College is a partnership between our community and<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> to establish new transitional housing capacity that will help<br />
individuals and families experiencing homelessness and housing crisis,<br />
nutritional support and access to resources.<br />
By creating this new, transitional housing capacity, <strong>CCM</strong> COMMITS to:<br />
• Provide safety, nutrition and access to health, academic, employment and spiritual support.<br />
• Incorporate education and training services into a structured transitional housing program<br />
• Overcome barriers preventing access to vital resources for household / financial sustainability<br />
• Operate within the principles and values of affirmation, accountability, personal responsibility and<br />
perseverance.<br />
If God stirs in your heart to be a part of this capital endeavor to provide housing solutions to our community, we<br />
invite you to PRAY alongside us, and ENGAGE with <strong>CCM</strong> throughout this campaign. CLICK HERE to learn more!
CLICK TO VIEW<br />
the full Strategic Plan<br />
<strong>CCM</strong>’s Housing Program is comprised of three progressive tiers. For more than ten years<br />
they have been referred to as My Father’s House, The Mothers & Children Home, and<br />
Teaching Housing. As our beginning phase, My Father’s House has been in the “triage”<br />
stage, combatting the factors that lead to the housing crisis. At this stage, children may<br />
experience their first safe, reliable bed to sleep in. Mothers may finally connect with<br />
appropriate childcare so that they can seek and secure employment. Spiritual healing<br />
can begin to take place as physical needs are met.<br />
With the recent loss of the facility that comprised My Father’s House, <strong>CCM</strong> lost<br />
28 beds which served 6-8 mothers and their children. In order to maintain the<br />
continuity of services and care management, all of the existing residents were<br />
relocated to the Mothers & Children Home (MaC) or Teaching Houses. The<br />
housing program is currently serving 59 individuals: 7 families at the MaC,<br />
including 10 children, and 17 families in the Teaching Housing program,<br />
including 25 children.<br />
We are blessed with an opportunity to replace a portion of the<br />
lost housing capacity in spring <strong>2023</strong> through space offered by a<br />
Kannapolis Church partner. <strong>CCM</strong> is hoping to assist the church<br />
with renovations to this facility in order to serve 4 families<br />
with the same care and services that have been historically<br />
provided at My Father’s House.<br />
The Homeless Count!<br />
Cabarrus County will participate in the Annual Nationwide<br />
Homeless Point-In-Time Count on Wednesday <strong>January</strong> 25, <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
This count is helpful to convey changes in the homeless population<br />
to state and national programs addressing homelessness.<br />
Local agencies serving homeless populations will be asked<br />
to record a census of individuals and families residing in their<br />
programs on that night.<br />
Others will seek out unsheltered individuals throughout the<br />
community in an effort to identify specific circumstances and<br />
causes of homelessness that would allow our community to better<br />
respond to the need.<br />
Any individual or agency interested in participating as a<br />
volunteer can inquire at <strong>CCM</strong>@cooperativeministry.com
COMMUNITY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> is honored to highlight a new partnership with the Gene Haas<br />
Foundation! In connection with the Kannapolis, NC-based Stewart<br />
Haas Racing, <strong>CCM</strong> was provided an opportunity to present our Bold<br />
New Initiative and intent to build Housing Solutions here in Cabarrus<br />
County to Mr. Haas’ Foundation.<br />
We were extremely grateful to learn that the Foundation awarded<br />
<strong>CCM</strong> $50,000 towards the increase in housing capacity here in<br />
our community. Moreover, this grant helps to move <strong>CCM</strong> one step<br />
closer to breaking ground for Grace Place, which is planned for<br />
development in the city of Kannapolis. May God Bless the Gene<br />
Haas Foundation for their generosity!<br />
As a community, we have an opportunity to ease the struggles of families and make the holidays<br />
brighter for our neighbors, by adopting a family for Christmas through the Empty Stocking Fund<br />
Adopt a Family for Christmas program and filling a shoebox for a senior in need through our Senior<br />
Care & Share Shoebox program. This Christmas Season 94 families were adopted including 262 kids.<br />
And 287 senior shoeboxes/packages were collected and distributed to seniors through our community<br />
partner, Meals on Wheels.<br />
Many families have expressed such gratitude, sometimes accompanied by tears, for receiving help this<br />
holiday season. These families are individuals who are struggling with special circumstances such as<br />
homelessness, disabilities, health challenges, job loss or other hardships. Beyond the gift-giving is the<br />
expression of love, generosity and kindness for each family adopted. Each carefully packed shoebox<br />
restored hope for those seniors who may feel forgotten.<br />
Thanks to the generous support of individuals and our community partners including, Connect<br />
Christian Church, Crossroads Church, Gilwood Presbyterian Church, First Citizens Bank in Concord,<br />
Pitts School Baptist, Post-Surgical 1 at Atrium Health Cabarrus. These were all instrumental in providing<br />
Christmas gifts, gift cards and food to our families in need.
We are grateful for the team from<br />
Ketchie Inc. that came and served<br />
at <strong>CCM</strong> as part of their annual<br />
Christmas volunteer day.<br />
Thank you to the wonderful<br />
teammates at Levine Children’s<br />
Hospital Specialty Care (in the<br />
Pavilion at Atrium Health-Cabarrus)<br />
who collected and donated 392 lbs.<br />
Thank you to the volunteer group<br />
from Clayton Homes who came out<br />
and painted the exterior of one of<br />
our teaching houses.<br />
The Eagles Rock! Thanks SO much for your very successful Food<br />
Drive benefiting Cooperative Christian Ministry. You all collected and<br />
donated 1,425 lbs. of non-perishable food! That’s enough food to<br />
provide about 1,100 meals to our neighbors who are in need. Thanks<br />
to all the students and staff of W M Irvin Elementary who made<br />
this food drive such a success.<br />
Thank you to Grayson Burgess of Troop 33 of Trinity United<br />
Methodist Church-Kannapolis for choosing <strong>CCM</strong>’s Teaching<br />
Housing program for his Eagle Scout project. With support<br />
from Troop 33, scouts from Troop 254 and members of<br />
Journey UMC, Grayson’s project replaced steps, repaired<br />
gutters, installed drainage pipes and painted porch railings and<br />
foundation walls at two of <strong>CCM</strong>’s properties.
UPCOMING EVENTS<br />
PASTOR<br />
LEADER<br />
UPDA E<br />
Attention all Church<br />
Leaders, Staff, and Volunteers!<br />
JOIN US!<br />
JOIN US FOR BREAKFAST<br />
Register NOW<br />
JAN 24<br />
7:30am-<br />
9:00am<br />
Multiply Church<br />
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Suite 15<br />
Concord, NC<br />
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GIVE ONLINE: www.CooperativeMinistry.com or TEXT: ccmhelps to 44321