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MADISON — William Case, 39, can tell you exactly when he moved into the four-room house in Madison.

It was April 26, 2011.

“Help for Homeless gave me the key, and it just felt great when I walked in my very own door,” says Case, who has been homeless off and on for more than a decade, largely due to an illness that makes work difficult.

He can tell you all about homeless shelters from Forsyth to Guilford — jails without bars, he calls them — though he’s been plenty grateful that they were there when he needed a warm place to sleep. But there were strings of nights when there wasn’t a shelter to go to. That’s when he crawled into one of the many abandoned buildings that he scouted out in Madison and Mayodan.

That’s where he was living last spring, trying to move from building to building so he wouldn’t attract attention. When he asked about a shelter, he found out that Room in the Inn, a seasonal homeless shelter that used to be operated by Rockingham County Help for Homeless, closes near the end of winter.
But Case was fortunate. Help for Homeless was able to place him in transitional housing. With a roof over his head, he’s had more stability in his life, and he’s waiting to see if he’s eligible to receive disability.

Some people in the community believe that providing long-term housing like that provided to Case is a more sustainable solution for those who are homeless.

“It gives people time to get their feet on the ground,” says Bill Duke, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Reidsville.

With federal funding growing more limited for overnight shelters, Melodie Watt, program officer for the Reidsville Area Foundation, searched for plans that would do more than give homeless people a cot to sleep on during cold nights. She found one in Wake County. Called Support Circles, its focus is on getting people into permanent housing. It wouldn’t replace a winter shelter, but it could provide more long-term assistance to those without housing.

On Saturday, an information meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Reidsville. Largely a faith-based initiative, the meeting is open to anyone, but organizers hope to draw church members, pastors and members of civic groups who’d like to learn more about Support Circles.

Roberta Macauley of Catholic Charities in Wake County will talk about the success of the program, which got its start by assisting victims of Hurricane Katrina who needed housing.

Basically, a Support Circle is made up of six or seven people, usually from a church or civic group. They agree to spend about $6,000 to help a homeless person or family be placed in housing for a year. But the commitment goes beyond the monetary investment. Support Circle members offer emotional support, as well.

“It’s a bit like the Big Brother program but for adults,” says Ellery Blackstock, who is chairman of the Rockingham County Regional Committee to End Homelessness. He also works for the county’s Department of Social Services.

The volunteers really serve as mentors. They steer those placed in transitional housing toward job training. They assist with budgeting, furnishings and occasional transportation. And, if needed, they help the person develop values and habits that might lead to a more sustainable way of life.

Members of the Support Circle would not be on their own. The Regional Committee to End Homelessness is made up of representatives from organizations in the county that provide a host of services: the Department of Public Health, job training agencies, Help for Homeless, the Salvation Army and others.

“It’s a team effort,” says Portia Parris, board chairman of Rockingham County Help for Homeless, an agency that could play a leadership role in Support Circles.

There is only a 90-day window to help a client get established at the winter shelter, which is now called Home of Refuge Outreach Inc. and operates in Eden as part of Cooperative Christian Ministries.

With Support Circles, an individual goes right into a transitional housing program, and there’s a lot more time to help them connect with the services they need.

Is it a program that could work in Rockingham County?

Will groups put in their volunteer time and invest their resources in it?

Can such a program augment the Home of Refuge Outreach overnight shelter, currently housing about eight to 10 men and women?

That’s what people like Watt want to know. Circle Jan. 21 on your calendar and make a reservation to attend.

Anyone with a heart for the homeless is invited to come, says Blackstock.

Contact Myla Barnhardt at 627-4881, Ext. 116, or myla.barnhardt@news-record.com.