URBAN MINISTRIES OF DURHAM INC
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Mission Statement
UMD connects with the community to end homelessness and fight poverty by offering food, shelter, and a future to neighbors in need.
About This Cause
Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit was founded in 1983 as a host site for several Durham-based organizations offering basic services, such as hot meals, food, grocery items, and gently used clothing. In 2001, these groups formally merged with the Durham Community Shelter located next door to operate as a two-building campus. Though our program is supported by diverse communities of faith, we are not a religious organization and welcome anyone who walks through our doors, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identification, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief or non-belief. In recent years, our mission and operations have expanded to include providing a sustainable future for those in need through our case management and workforce development programs. In a typical year, UMD assists more than 6,000 people, 750-850 of whom are homeless men, women, and children staying in our emergency shelter. A staff of 50 dedicated employees, aided by volunteers and other partners, provide targeted, practical help for neighbors who are confronting homelessness, hunger, and poverty. Here is an overview of our core services and how we’ve adjusted them during the COVID-19 pandemic: Community Shelter: UMD is the largest public shelter for adults in Durham and the back-up shelter for families. As a low-barrier, Housing-First emergency shelter, we seek to meet people “where they are” while providing case management to stabilize clients and move them into permanent housing as quickly as possible. As COVID-19 began to spread in mid-March 2020, Durham County contracted with the Marriot at RTP for three months so that our residents could effectively practice social distancing. While this move allowed us to increase bed capacity briefly, it created a challenge when it was time to return to campus where shelter capacity had been slashed from 149 to 83 beds to reduce the chance of viral spread. In response, UMD moved medically-fragile individuals at high risk for COVID-related complications to 40 private rooms at the Carolina-Duke Inn and launched Project ROOF (Removing Obstacles to Occupancy Funds). This multi-pronged effort appealed to supporters to: • Offer shelter residents temporary or permanent rental opportunities • Donate beds and linens so clients have a place to sleep when they move out • Contribute funds to help UMD residents exit to housing more quickly by paying for expenses like rental deposits, first month’s rent and utility hook-ups; funds have also been used to help former residents overcome financial challenges caused by the pandemic to remain in housing To date, Project ROOF has generated significant in-kind support and nearly $31,000. Thanks to these funds and the collaboration of our housing partners, no UMD residents were “turned out” when we returned to campus in July 2020. We continue to raise support via Project ROOF and also operate a satellite location at the Carolina-Duke Inn for the medically-fragile. Manning two locations has required us to hire additional frontline staff and security. Case management and referrals are being offered in person or via teleconference. In FY 2019-20, we provided shelter to 804 men, women, and children, a 17% increase from the year before; 165 shelter residents obtained permanent housing. Workforce Development: These services are integrated into our case management program to assist clients in need of securing a steady income through employment. Our workforce team helps residents to create résumés, search for and apply for jobs, and obtain referrals to partner agencies such as NCWorks and StepUp Durham for workforce training and other needs. When the pandemic hit, several current and former UMD clients lost their jobs, had their hours cut or found themselves grappling with the immense pressure (and opportunities) of being an essential worker. Workforce helped clients navigate the backlogged unemployment system, assisted those eligible with obtaining stimulus checks, and helped clients with writing and re-submitting résumés. Our team also provided transportation to work or the main bus terminal when UMD relocated to the Marriott at RTP. Last fiscal year, 483 individuals received support from our workforce staff, and 129 secured jobs. Community Café: We furnish three free meals a day, seven days a week to shelter residents and any community members who are hungry or food insecure. This operation has been heavily impacted by the pandemic because most of our 4,000 volunteers serve in the café, and many are older adults. A majority of them have paused their participation with us since mid-March 2020, but thanks to a small core of volunteers, we’ve carried on—shifting to to-go meals for hotel/motel and community clients. When residents moved back to campus in early July 2020, we reopened our dining room with modified seating, Plexiglass dividers, and increased cleaning. Volunteer groups have the option of preparing meals in our kitchen while wearing personal protective equipment provided by UMD, or they can make meals off-site and deliver them to us for distribution. Some groups are opting to send a check to help cover the cost of UMD using a nonprofit catering company to prepare meals. These modifications have been expensive but necessary. In FY 2019-20, our café served 241,051 meals, a 5.5% increase from the previous year. Food Pantry and Clothing Closet: Our Food Pantry and Clothing Closet provide food, clothing, and hygiene items, including diapers, to low-resource community members, shelter residents, and unsheltered homeless. This past year, we served an average of 519 households per month. Historically, clients have shopped for the items they need in our simulated retail settings, but due to the pandemic, we had to suspend both operations in March 2020. We resumed food distribution outdoors in August 2020. UMD provides a combination of fresh and shelf-stable items primarily sourced from the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and our own food pantry. Contactless distribution takes place every Tuesday in a neighboring parking lot, serving 140-160 households. In January 2021, we resumed clothing distributions, which are now pre-staged in our café and conducted outdoors on Queen Street.