Moving toward a permanent home

Updated: 06/27/2008 07:53 AM

GREENSBORO -- Doris and her 13-year-old daughter have lived at Pathways, a Greensboro homeless shelter for families, for three months. She did not want to give her last name.

"I'm still having a difficult time," she commented.

Doris is one of 16 families living at the efficiency apartments at Pathways right now. But Greensboro Urban Ministry executive director Rev. Mike Aiken says the list of families in need of shelter is much longer.

"Back last fall we had a waiting list between 25 and 30 and we thought that was just terrible. This summer it has risen up to, I just found out, to 47 families. Right now we're back to 37 families on the waiting list," he said.

But Aiken says a new program called Beyond Pathways could cut that waiting list dramatically.

"The simple answer to the question, how do you end homelessness? The way you end homelessness is give people homes."

The program will help families living at Pathways take care of some bills and transition back into renting a house or an apartment.

"Many of these families may owe over $1,000 or so in back bills they need to take care of before they can move into housing, plus deposits," Aiken explained. "So what we're going to do with this program is we're actually going to take care of those for them and set them up in their apartment."

The program will actually cost less than keeping families at Pathways.

"Wouldn't it be better if we could rapidly re-house these families, spend $5,000 or less and then they'll be in their own permanent housing?" he asked.

For people like Doris, Beyond Pathways is that needed boost that will make all the difference.

"There is an end in sight, and it's right around the corner," she said.

The Beyond Pathways program is possible thanks to a $1 million bequest from the late Nancy Richmond Hudson, a long-time Greensboro Urban Ministry supporter and volunteer.