Groundbreaking ceremony for supportive housing for chronically homeless

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Monday marked a meaningful milestone for Good Shepherd Center with the groundbreaking for housing for the chronically homeless. 

It will be called “SECU The Sparrow” and will be a supportive housing community for 32 chronically homeless individuals with significant disabilities. 

Monday afternoon, leaders from the NC Housing Finance Agency, City of Wilmington and State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation gathered to celebrate and kick off construction for the project. 

Jama Campbell is the executive director of the SECU Foundation 

She said many individual donors have invested in this effort to address homelessness with this housing solution.  

“The community that really makes a difference. So, when they came back again to say we needed more help, we had more folks that needed this housing. We were thrilled, our board was thrilled to get on that bandwagon and be part of that,” Campbell said.  

Katrina Knight is the executive director of Good Shepard Center, and she said this is the start of something bigger.

 “Coming together to say we don’t wanna just respond to homelessness or reduce people’s difficulties or suffering. We actually wanna end it and we wanna help,” Knight shared.  

As part of a larger campaign called “Home for Good,” the Good Shepard Center will create a larger family shelter and more housing on Martin Street.

 The City of Wilmington donated the approximately one-acre parcel and committed $2.1 million in American rescue plan funding and additional support. 

The SECU founding contributed $2 million towards the effort. 

The individuals will have an affordable apartment that cost 30% of their income as well as onsite support such as transportation.

The project is expected to take more than a year to complete but there is no set date yet.