Greenville Community Shelters, Inc

Community Crossroads Center, formerly Greenville Community Shelter, was established January 31st, 1988. Since that time, over 30 years ago, Despite shortages in funding, inclement weather, or political atmosphere, we have been open every day; 365 days a year. At Community Crossroads our Mission statement is to “serve the poor and homeless in a continuum of care from basic shelter to prevention that empowers clients to achieve and maintain lives of self-sufficiency”. We are a “night only” emergency shelter and the only homeless shelter in Pitt County. We are a non-profit agency that relies on grants, fundraising and donations to ensure that we are able to provide for the homeless in Greenville and Pitt County. Since our new facility opened in July of 2015, we have seen an ever-increasing number of homeless individuals and families. It is our philosophy at Community Crossroads Center, to not only help those that are homeless, but to also prevent homelessness in our community. We can only do this with the support and collaboration of others. To achieve our goals, exciting partnerships and networks have been formed with Vidant Medical Center, Brody School of Medicine and the ECU Dental School, who provide our residents medical and dental care. Pitt Community College provides education and job readiness training. Dress clothes are sought to stock our Clothing Closet in order to provide residents the opportunity to attend job interviews in professional attire. We have a dedicated social worker on staff to provide a case management approach to help assess the needs of each resident and set goals to reach during their 6-month limited stay. Our Faith Community provides funds and volunteers for serving meals and guiding 2 bible studies meetings each week. There are Story Time sessions provided by volunteers for our children. For those residents who suffer from mental or physical disabilities that prevent them from working, permanent assistive housing options are offered with ongoing financial support and case management to keep them connected with the necessary community resources. AA and NA are made available to residents who suffer from alcohol and drug dependency. By God’s Grace we are efficiently doing all of this for an average of only $25 per person, per night. Many people believe that CCC is operated in large part from Municipal or County funds because we serve all of Pitt County, but that is not the case. Municipal and County support has historically comprised less than 5% of our budget, and much of that money is federal pass through funds. Even though we are providing more services than ever and doing so more efficiently than ever, we have suffered significant funding cuts from several of our main sources of income due to strategic changes made within those outside funding agencies. This culmination of events has left us in significant need of funds to pay operational expenses such as utilities, insurance, payroll, etc. Thankfully, the faith community, has been very supportive over the years and that has continued to the present. Notwithstanding the great support of the faith community, Community Crossroads is still in need of substantial financial assistance. Examples of our operating costs include: 1. Daily Operating Expenses of $1,800 which annually comes to almost $650,000 year. 2. More than 50,000+ individual meals served annually. 3. We pay $12,000 per year for Bus passes for our residents to go to jobs, attend PCC, go to job interviews, medical appointments, etc. 4. Our utilities bills are between $4,000 and $5,000 per month. 5. We have insurance costs, employee wages and benefits to cover. 6. We have costs for upkeep of the building and grounds. Unfortunately, because of the exorbitant costs, we are not able to stay open 24-7-365. Residents can’t come in until 6PM and must leave by 8AM on weekdays and 9AM on Saturday and Sunday, except in rare circumstances where the temperature/wind chill are at or below 32 degrees or there is an extreme heat advisory. I would like to Dispel Some Myths about our Residents and our Center. Many people get the impression that the shelter is full of the same people who live there all the time with no intention of finding a job, or it is a “flop house” but that is just not true. In 2018, we served 607 different and unique residents, 79 children and 39 different families. Many folks visualize those individuals on the street corners begging and associate them with Community Crossroads. We discourage our residents from panhandling. We are working diligently as a non-profit to keep our residents off the streets. Unlike major cities, which we are rapidly becoming, we don’t have gauntlets of panhandlers and homeless people laying on the sidewalks of Greenville and surrounding municipalities. However, as our population and prosperity increase, homelessness will also proportionately increase. Without continued and increased support, poverty and homelessness in our city is a looming threat. We are committed to preserving Human Dignity and making our city, county and local municipalities compassionate, thriving communities where all have opportunity to succeed. That being said, safety is key at CCC. It is of utmost importance that our residents, staff, and volunteers always feel safe while in the center. Residents must clear background checks with the Greenville Police Department. Each resident takes a breathalyzer each night when they enter. If they blow anything other than a zero, they can't enter. Each resident enters through a metal detector and their bags are searched. GPD drug dogs search the premises on a regular, but unannounced basis. The facility is continuously monitored with security cameras that are operational in real time and can be reviewed if any concerns arise. 99% of our residents don't want to be in the shelter but, seek help to solve the problems that caused them to be homeless in the first place. We operate on a "hand up, not hand out" philosophy. It serves those who want to make positive changes in their lives. I would like to conclude by letting you know that we are grateful to all of you who donate their time, talent and treasure to the residents of Community Crossroads Center and we look forward to renewing existing partnerships and forming new partnerships with organizations within our growing community. Please let us know if you would be interested in touring our facility and/or serving as individuals or in groups. Remember: Community Crossroads Center really belongs to the community! Our outstanding staff, board and volunteers are simply the stewards in this mission!