DurhamCares

2012 Total Operating Budget: $2.8 million

Q1 Results:

In the first quarter, Urban Ministries of Durham enrolled 87 individuals in the Journey Program.

Urban Ministries moved 59 individuals from homelessness into transitional or permanent housing in the first quarter.

Urban Ministries provided all services to participants for $2,248 during the first quarter. Total Journey enrollment was lower than anticipated in the first quarter due to staffing transitions. They anticipate the number of people served to increase during the year as caseloads get back to normal.

What

The mission of Urban Ministries of Durham is to provide food, clothing, shelter and supportive services to our neighbors in need.

Why

Urban Ministries of Durham has a long history in the downtown Durham Community. With leadership from area faith communities, the Urban Ministries Center was founded in 1983 as a host site for area service organizations. The Durham Community Shelter for HOPE was next door. In 2001, the Durham Community Shelter for HOPE, St. Philip’s Community Cafe, and the United Methodist Mission Society merged to form Urban Ministries of Durham. Since 2001, UMD has operated using the entire Urban Ministries Center and the Community Shelter facility next to it to comprehensively address the emergency needs of the poor, hungry, and homeless in Durham, North Carolina by providing assistance, shelter and care to those who are homeless or at-risk for becoming homeless.

Community Shelter: Urban Ministries of Durham’s Community Shelter houses 89 beds for men, 25 for women, and 9 rooms with private baths for families. The shelter operates at full capacity nearly every night and in emergency situations, additional mats are laid out on the floor to handle overflow crowds.

Community Cafe: The Community Café serves three meals a day, seven days a week, to shelter residents and anyone in need of a meal, averaging between 500-700 meals a day. Volunteers provide over 90% of the labor to prepare the meals and community partners donate over 90% of the food.

Food and Clothing Closet: The Food Pantry and Clothing Closet are part of Urban Ministries of Durham’s homelessness prevention programs which provide approximately 400 households per month with groceries, clothing, and hygiene supplies.

Journey Program Supportive Services: Structured case management services are provided through our Journey Program to help residents leave homelessness for more stable living situations in transitional and permanent housing within as short a time frame as possible. In addition to assisting residents with housing options, assistance is provided with securing transportation, obtaining education and job skills, and escaping from domestic violence and other abusive situations. Case managers provide assessment, counseling, personal plan development, financial planning/money management, and referrals for additional services. Assistance is also provided to navigate resources available through UMD community partners such as employment services, social services, food assistance, social security, school administrations, and veterans’ administration. The Journey Program also offers the Hope-Believe Recovery program, a 6-month live-in drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, located in the UMD Community Shelter.

Patrice Nelson

Executive Director

Patrice Nelson joined Urban Ministries of Durham in April 2009. She has over 25 years of experience in non-profit management, government social service administration and urban ministry. Prior to joining UMD, Nelson served as the Deputy Director of Laurel House, a Philadelphia-area 501c3 focused on the prevention of domestic violence. She is an ordained Presbyterian Church USA pastor and for almost a decade, Nelson served on the executive staff of the Philadelphia Presbytery and in various pastoral roles with multiple Presbyterian churches. Her focus was the development and management of mission and outreach programs including community food programs and services to benefit inner city residents. Her experience also includes serving as Executive Director of Philadelphia’s regional economic development agency and in managerial roles within the Philadelphia government. Nelson holds BS and Master’s degrees in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master’s degree in Divinity with a focus on urban ministry from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and a certificate in Non-profit Management from Duke University.

Gregg Lasseter

Business Manager

Gregg Lasseter has worked in many different positions over his 42 year career as an Asst. Hotel Controller, Chief Accountant, Accounting Supervisor, Reimbursement Specialist, Controller and VP of Finance. Prior to coming to work as the Business Manager for Urban Ministries, he worked for 17 years as the VP of Finance for Biltmore in Asheville, NC, owned and operated a bed & breakfast with his wife, taught QuickBooks throughout the Eastern U.S. and worked as a trainer for a Raleigh company. He presently lives in Durham and enjoys working with the folks at UMD as they journey forward.

Board of DirectorsSusan Amey

Monica Barnes

Joe Chambliss

Sheena Johnson Cooper

Byinna Crowder

Forrest Daniels

Randy Fletcher

Elizabeth Hallyburton

LuSan Hill

Angela Holmes

Jonah Kendall

Wayne Lee

James Maxwell

Susan Olive

Abdul Waheed

Sean Watson

Urban_Ministries_Report_2011.pdf