Council hears report on unsheltered-services site visit; faith-based groups preparing local proposal

At the work session portion of the meeting, a member of the city’s unsheltered committee presented a summary of a 2024 site visit to Religious Community Services in New Bern, North Carolina. The speaker described the New Bern operation as a long-running, community-based nonprofit that provides daily meals, emergency shelter, transportation, rent and utility assistance, prescription help and workforce readiness programming in partnership with Craven Community College.

The presenter (identified in the record as a member of the unsheltered committee) said the New Bern site feeds between 100 and 120 people daily, operates a volunteer-managed community kitchen and maintains a small number of emergency beds (10 for men, 10 for women, plus a family unit) intended for short-term emergency shelter while case managers connect clients to permanent housing. The delegation included the vice mayor, the director of social services and the executive director of Hopewell Prince George Healthy Families.

The presenter told council that local faith-based groups in Hopewell have “caught the vision” and have prepared plans that will be presented at the next council meeting. The presentation emphasized volunteer coordination, a paid staff member paired with volunteers for safety and continuity, case-managed services aimed at rapid housing exits, and logistics such as food rescue from grocery stores and community-wide donor support.

No formal council action was taken at the presentation; staff said local groups will return with a specific proposal at the next meeting. The presentation served as an informational preview and introduced the council to the model being considered by local faith-based partners.