Thousands of homeless people in Wake County will have greater access to medical evaluations, meals, laundry and showers with the opening of Oak City Cares, a new program developed to more efficiently aid the region's homeless population.
Opening to the public April 10, Oak City Multiservices at 1430 South Wilmington Street will serve as a single location which will provide essential health and hygiene resources to the homeless population in Wake County and people at risk of becoming homeless. These services will be provided by Oak City Cares, a nonprofit created by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh.
The multiservices center cost over $10 million and was funded by both Wake County and the city of Raleigh and hopes to provide services for up to six thousand people, according to Rick Miller-Haraway, director of Catholic Charities Raleigh branch. The organization launched a fundraising campaign for Oak City Cares last summer and has raised $1.9 million. This will be used to purchase equipment for the facility, fund the first three years of the program's operation, and fund a reserve of six months of operating costs.
First explored in fall of 2013, the Multiservices center was recommended by a task force created by the Raleigh City Council to explore how to better feed the homeless population on the weekends. Oak City Cares, the program facilitating the center’s operations, was formed in 2018 by Catholic Charities.
Organizers say providing access to all of these services in one location will remove critical obstacles facing the county’s most vulnerable citizens. According to Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes, the ability for those affected by homelessness to access a variety of locations is often absent.
“The goal for the center is to provide a one-stop shop,” Holmes said, “We want to end homelessness in Wake County, and transportation has been a challenge for the homeless population.”
Additionally, organizers say the program will operate to prevent at-risk residents from becoming fully homeless. Wake County Communications Specialist Andrew Sawyer says the efficiency provided by the center will be especially helpful for those whose desperate financial situations do not allow the time for traveling between locations.
“For these services you’re looking at a mix of government, non-profit and faith-based organizations that usually are in completely different places,” Sawyer said, “and if you’re at risk of being homeless, time is of the urgency.”
This program also aims to more broadly protect the dignity of those seeking these services by removing the need to constantly share why they are in such vulnerable situations.
“They only have to tell their stories once,” Sawyer said.
Laundry, showers, computer access, mail services, and public telephones will be offered daily while up to ten meals will be served on Saturday and Sunday.
Though this center will aim to encompass many issues affecting vulnerable populations, it is part of a larger effort by the county to address homelessness as a whole. The Oak City Cares initiative is complemented by job training at South Wilmington Street Men’s Shelter and a partnership with Urban Ministries which provides beds for single women and supports housing efforts to aid homeless veterans, Holmes said.
