Durham is stepping up its efforts to squarely face the persistent challenge of homelessness with a new collaboration aimed at rethinking the local strategy for tackling this issue. In an announcement made this week, both the City and County of Durham are partnering with the national nonprofit Community Solutions, as well as their Built for Zero initiative, to embark on Durham's Strategic Plan to End Homelessness. This plan hinges on a truly collaborative approach, calling upon the experience and expertise of residents, frontline service providers, and leaders across different sectors to make homelessness in Durham a solvable problem.
The initiative, which commenced with a series of listening sessions last month, aimed to pull together representatives from healthcare, business, government, and nonprofit sectors to openly discuss successful strategies and scope out opportunities to promptly and effectively provide those experiencing homelessness with stability and support. These sessions, according to a statement obtained by the City of Durham's website, featured contributions from Durham City Manager Bo Ferguson and Durham County Manager Claudia Hager. Ferguson shared that "Our commitment to ending homelessness in Durham requires collaboration at every level. This strategic planning effort—guided by a bold vision, community input, and expert leadership—will allow us to build a more coordinated and compassionate system to better serve our unhoused neighbors."
The partnership will see the establishment of a leadership team drawn from a cross-section of community partners. This team will be responsible for ensuring that a diverse range of perspectives are considered in the first phase of the initiative, setting the stage for recommendations to City and County leadership before year’s end. The City of Durham's website lists key members including Ian Lee Brown from Duke Health, Tasha Melvin from Families Moving Forward, and others who represent critical facets of the community.
Funding for the effort comes from sources including the City of Durham, Durham County, Duke University, and the AJ Fletcher Foundation. This combined support is intended to help materialize the goal of making homelessness in Durham rare, brief, and non-recurring. Further engagement with the community is ongoing, as the City and County plan to facilitate additional listening sessions in the coming months. Residents and stakeholders are encouraged to stay informed on progress through updates provided on the City of Durham.
Community Solutions, the nonprofit spearheading the Built for Zero initiative, is renowned for leading a data-driven movement in over 100 cities and counties nationwide, striving to radically change systemic responses to homelessness. The City of Durham's Community Safety Department and Durham County's Office of the County Manager are critical to providing resources, fostering collaborative relationships, and pursuing innovative policy changes to address the complexity of homelessness, all while seeking to extend care and reduce overall harm for those in crisis.
