Shelter Advisory Board
Led by a group of nearly 30 Chatham County community members, including seasoned anti-violence professionals, local law enforcement, nonprofit leaders, government leaders, and various other community stakeholders, we seek to revitalize emergency housing options for survivors of domestic and sexual violence across Chatham County.
As many are aware, a physical shelter space, or emergency housing of any kind beyond hotels, does not currently exist in our community. As such, Second Bloom made the decision to convene the Shelter Advisory Board (SAB) in order to bring together new and existing supporters to find solutions to meet the critical need for emergency housing for people needing safe refuge.
Second Bloom has significantly built its capacity over the past five years and has the organizational structure and resources in place to successfully launch the shelter advisory board project. We have built capacity by:
Expanding and diversifying our budget annually since 2017, growing from $180,000 to over $600,000 in the past 3 years (an increase of more than 300%).
Acting as proven stewards of federal, state, and local funds and diverse foundation and community support through grants, including from the Governor's Crime Commission and the Council for Women and Youth Involvement (CFWYI). We have now been receiving federal funding since 2022 and have become the designated survivor services agency for Chatham County by the CFWYI.
Expanding our community partnerships and relationships vastly, and providing community outreach activities to more than 8,000 people in Chatham from July 2023-December 2023 alone.
Expanding our staff [and volunteer base] from 1 paid staff to 8, including a Program Director with a decade of experience, 2 seasoned DV/SA Advocates, 2 Bilingual DV/SA Advocates, and a Therapist, and we have now had a veteran Executive Director in leadership since 2022 who has 25+ years of DV/SA experience with expertise in fundraising and organizational sustainability. Collectively our staff and board have nearly 120 years of experience supporting survivors of DV/SA in North Carolina.
Growing and sustaining relationships with over 80 active volunteers, including four Bilingual volunteer HelpLine Advocates.
The Shelter Advisory Board has the primary goals of:
Developing possible emergency housing solutions for Chatham County through evidence review/environmental scans and the creation of a report that will be prepared by expert consultants with support from our team.
Securing funding that was committed by the county commissioners for a domestic violence emergency shelter in 2016 ($450,000).
Coming up with a short-term solution for emergency housing.
Strategizing and pursuing solutions for longer term options to match, surpass, and sustain funding for varied models of emergency and transitional housing for survivors and their children in our community.
By collaborating with community leaders, we also aim through this effort to create innovative partnerships and strategies and to use the existing county funding to leverage further community commitment.
Currently, the SAB meets bi-monthly and subcommittees meet monthly through August 2024 where collectively, we work together to research and make decisions on what may best suit our community’s needs.
Sub-Committees
Theoretical Frameworks for Working Sub-Committees
Community-Informed Input: Ensure the rich diversity of the Chatham community is represented in all SAB work and as we gather information for our community assessments and customize possible solutions for short- and long-term housing options for survivors in Chatham.
Racial Equity: An equity framework will inform all decisions made. Racial equity is a process of eliminating racial disparities and improving outcomes for everyone. It is the intentional and continual practice of changing policies, practices, systems, and structures by prioritizing measurable change in the lives of people of color.
Best Practices: Best practices, and/or evidence-informed models and recommendations from local, state, and nationally recognized sources will be given weight during the final model(s) selection process carried out by both the SAB and the SBC Board of Directors.
Research and Development
Explore housing models, gather data and information from other innovative programs in the region, state, and country
Put together recommendations for whether these housing models could work in Chatham
Research and make recommendations for short-term options emergency housing as the longer-term plans are laid out
Plan and hold [bilingual] focus groups across the county
Sustainability
Create and implement a detailed fund development strategy and plan for the next 3-5 years
Consider earned income strategies as a long term framework for sustainability
Resource and Partnership Integration
Explore the intersections of the issues survivors in Chatham face and look at the competitive benefits and downfalls of various housing models that can be brought to Chatham.
Connect with existing Chatham providers in the social services and social justice sector and seek to build partnerships where none exist and strengthen existing partnerships.
Explore partnerships with regional DV/SA and housing service providers, looking beyond those who are stand-alone or dual DV/SA organizations.
Site Visit Committee
Narrow down programs using innovative modeling to visit from the environmental scan phase; includes development of structured interview questions/data collection tool; presents findings to full SAB committee.
Shelter Advisory Board Members 2024
Cindy Perry - Co-Chair
Kristy Yule - Co-Chair
Debby Gallarelli - Second Bloom Thrift Store
Joan Cunningham - C.A.R.E.
Mike Roberson - Sheriff of Chatham County
Bryan Thompson - Chatham County
Dakota Philbrick - Love Chatham
Jason Smith - Chatham County DSS
Tammy Murphy - Second Bloom Volunteer
Jane Allen Wilson - NCVAN
Dawn Stallings - Chatham Sherriff’s Office
Beth Coulombe - Women of Fearrington
Karen Howard - Chatham County
Samantha Owusu, LCSW - Second Bloom Board of Director, Chatham Public Health Dept.
Renita Foxx - Chatham County
Jo Sanders, MSW - Second Bloom Board Chair
Janeen Gingrich, MSW - Marquis Duggan Nonprofit Solutions
Maralis Mercado - Marquis Duggan Nonprofit Solutions
Mary Beth Loucks-Sorrell - Second Bloom Executive Director
KC Buchanan, MSW - Second Bloom Staff
Phyllis Taylor, M.A. - Second Bloom Staff
Sub-Committee Members:
Melissa Lowell - Chatham Housing Collective
Rebecca Sommer-Petersen - Salvation Army
To inquire about the SAB, please email info@secondbloomofchatham.org.