The Relatives Family Update
Please ensure you scroll down to read all of the recent stories in this newsletter.
Thank you to everyone who joined The Relatives on September 5th in honor of our 50th Anniversary.
There was magic in the room as community members, donors, volunteers, current and former staff, as well as board members, both past and present, gathered to celebrate their contributions to this golden milestone.
While it’s difficult to select a favorite moment from such a special evening, I was deeply moved when Mark Jerrell, our event emcee, recognized The Relatives founder, the late Rev. Russell Montfort. Rev. Monfort’s daughter, Leslie Marsicano, stood in his stead as we honored his legacy of compassionate response and his vision of a safe place for young people experiencing crisis.
50 years is a remarkable achievement for any organization. But, as I listened to Founding Executive Director, Buck Winfield, and Brennon Graham, Executive Director from 2003-2016, share their memories, I was struck by how much The Relatives has grown since our beginnings in the basement of Dilworth United Methodist Church. And yet, in spite of our growth or maybe even because of it, the heart of our work remains the same – surrounding youth with a family who loves them, supports them, and accepts them as their authentic selves.
Your giving heart and generous spirit has been our guiding light over the past 50 years. You have helped make this golden milestone possible and are lighting the way for many more to come.
Thank you for being a Relative.
Trish Hobson
Executive Director
Sign-Up. Drop-Off. Be a Relative.
Are you interested in expanding your involvement with The Relatives but aren’t sure where to start? Here are 2 simple ways you can make an impact by helping meet the basic needs of young people in crisis:
- Create your Volunteer Profile so you can stay up-to-date with needs and opportunities
- Drop off a meal at The Youth Crisis Center or the On Ramp Resource Center. Homemade, store-bought, or Uber Eats – you can be a Relative by helping nourish our youth!
Create Your Donor Profile
Drop Off a Meal at The Youth Crisis Center
Drop Off a Meal at On Ramp
Help Nourish Our Youth This October
A Deep Dive into Youth Homelessness
The Relatives Housing Program provides scattered site housing, intensive case management services, and a gradually reducing subsidy for young adults, ages 18-24, who are homeless, at-risk, or fleeing domestic violence.
Of the 836 young adults who visit The Relatives On Ramp Resource Center, 80% identify housing as their number one need. Yet, unhoused young people are often underrepresented in housing and homelessness data. This often-hidden population also faces risk-factors and challenges unique to their demographic.
This month, The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing and Homelessness Dashboard is highlighting the most recent data, challenges, risk-factors, and characteristics of unhoused young people.
To learn more about how homelessness is impacting our community’s youth, click here.
Driving Stability at The Relatives
When a child has run away, been pushed out, or removed from their home, The Relatives Youth Crisis Center offers a safe place of refuge.
To minimize the disruption faced by youth in distress, our caring staff work hard to ensure Crisis Center residents can attend their regular schools where their teachers know their names, their friends know their faces, and where they can experience a sense of normally as they navigate crisis.
Because The Relatives Youth Crisis Center is Mecklenburg County’s only emergency shelter for youth and adolescents, school days often see Relatives staff members picking up and dropping off residents across the community. It costs an average of $112.50 per week to keep our van’s gas tank filled.
By investing in The Relatives, you can help provide youth in crisis with stability and a sense of normalcy.
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