Good Shepherd Ministries of Wilmington

The mission of Good Shepherd Ministries, Inc. is to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and foster transition to housing. Established as a modest Soup Kitchen in 1983, Good Shepherd Center has evolved over the years to provide an array of programs addressing hunger and homelessness. The Day Shelter provides the chronically homeless with a low-demand safe haven where they may receive mail and clean clothing, and access restrooms and showers. Guests also benefit from an on-site medical clinic, operated in partnership with the New Hanover County Health Department, which provides free, non-threatening access to health screenings, prescriptions, wound care, vaccinations, and health education.Annually, our Second Helpings program redistributes more than 500 tons of salvaged food that would otherwise have been thrown away to area programs serving food insecure households, in addition to enabling our Soup Kitchen to serve as many as 120,000 meals a year to the hungry.Already the largest provider of homeless services in the Tri-County area, Good Shepherd opened a Night Shelter in 2005 to better respond to unmet need for emergency overnight beds. Open every night, year-round, the shelter accommodates up to 118 homeless men, women, and families with children each night, providing them not only a bed, but access to food, clothing, restrooms, showers, individual case management and housing facilitation. On average, as many as 100 individuals seek shelter with us each night, including a number of families experiencing a housing crisis. In a typical year, 150 homeless guests are assisted in transitioning from the shelter to housing through the financial assistance and intensive case management offered by our Rapid Rehousing program. Good Shepherd is heavily volunteer-driven, with more than 500 individuals from around the community donating their time and talent to the success of our work.The Sgt. Eugene Ashley Center provides short-term, transitional Bridge Housing for up to 16 homeless Veterans at a time. Bridge housing is a short-term solution for Veterans who have been offered and accepted a permanent housing intervention but are still working on access to that housing. The program is based on the low-barrier Housing First model to end homelessness among Veterans. Length of stay is individually determined based on need, but in general, is not expected to exceed 90 days. In addition, eight units of Permanent Supportive Housing provide affordable housing with supportive services to chronically homeless men with disabilities.SECU Lakeside Reserve provides 40 units Permanent Supportive Housing -- a Best Practice housing intervention for the chronically homeless -- and common spaces, including a lobby, case manager's office, communal kitchen, TV room, and laundry facilities. Residents pay no more than 30% of their income for rent, ensuring they can still afford groceries, medications, and other household necessities. Together, these programs serve as an essential safety net of emergency services while also proving housing-based solutions that end the homelessness of our neighbors in crisis.