by Kelsie Barton | Jun 28, 2024 | Buzz, July 2024/August 2024
Local nonprofit sets a new benchmark for unhoused people—and other cities are taking notice.
Oak City Cares has a firm vision that no person should experience homelessness alone. And the organization has gone above and beyond to make that a reality, establishing a one-stop shop for individuals to build trusting relationships and connections to coordinated services necessary to reestablish a home.
Yet, while Oak City Cares has garnered attention across the country for this innovative model, the nonprofit hub is so much more than just a service center. For the guests who come through its doors, Oak City Cares is family.
The local org’s emphasis on collaboration—combined with a heart for what Executive Director Kathy Johnson calls “radical hospitality”—is its secret sauce. Beyond providing meals daily and covering basic needs, Oak City Cares boasts an always-evolving care coordination program incorporating 25+ partner providers in the community. Read: Instead of having to trek all over town, individuals can have all their needs—from primary health care and mental health services to veterans’ services, food stamps, employment training and more—addressed “effectively and efficiently in one location,” she explains.
“Maybe people don’t need all of those things; maybe they just need some,” continues Johnson, “I think what is so subtle—but is the most important thing we do—is connecting [people] to the right service in the right order.” She adds that for a population who can often be given the run-around and easily loses trust, this is “life-changing.”
Today, as everyone grapples with the ripple effects of inflation, Oak City Cares is experiencing a staggering level of growth due to an increasing demand for its services, and is expected to quadruple its numbers of people served from 1,500 in 2021–22 to 6,000 by the end of 2024.
Despite the challenges of these rising numbers, Johnson is confident her team, alongside Oak City Cares’ ever-growing list of community partners, can continue to meet the needs of their guests—“an amazing group of people who touch my heart every single day,” she shares. And not only will they meet the needs, but they will meet them in a way “that is still consistent with who we are,” says Johnson. “We will continue to know people by name and know their stories and become even a surrogate family. It will just be a much larger family now.”
To wit, Oak City Cares is leading the charge nationwide. Already, the org has been contacted by cities across the state—as well as Florida and even Alaska—that were inspired to rethink the way individuals experiencing homelessness are cared for.
“We are eager to figure out how we can collaborate and share funding to do things and do it better. That lends us to be a model for others. Everyone comes together here to serve our neighbors, which is just awesome. … I love that we get to be the convener of that.”
Kathy Johnson
oakcitycares.org
by Lauren Kruchten | Apr 1, 2024 | April 2024, Do
RM’s tips for beating stress
April is National Stress Awareness Month—but let’s be real, we don’t need a monthlong holiday to realize any day can be a little stressy (raise your hand if you’re stressed right now).
Stress is, of course, inevitable, whether it relates to your job, personal life, relationships or just general mental health. Some handle it better than others—but there are some simple tactics forwarding off the anxiety. With our high-stress, deadline-driven occupations, our team has a toolbox of tips for overcoming stress (naturally, getting outside and/or exercising rank high for their mental health benefits—and we love us some sunshine!). Here, some of our best advice for beating the scaries.
“Exercise endorphins are real—and a good walk sorts the stress.”
—Melissa Howsam, Editor-in-Chief, @mahowsam
“Go for a run/workout.”
—Lauren Kruchten, Associate Editor, @laurenn_nicol
“Take a long walk outdoors (preferably with a friend + by the water!).”
—Anna Beth Adcock, Editorial Assistant, @_annabethadcock
“A 5- to 8-mile walk outside—preferably on a daily basis!”
—Debby Serena, Account Executive
“Yoga!”
—Liz, Creative Director, @liz.reed.design
“My mom always told me when I was stressed or overwhelmed as a kid to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. I know it sounds simple, but I still do it all the time—literally whether it be a really hard test or a really bad hangover.”
—Carson Sellers, Editorial Intern
“My go-to stress relief tip is simple: Get outside! Every time I feel overwhelmed by my to-do list or am THIS close to losing it on my kids, I go for a walk or run. Breathing in fresh air always calms and reinvigorates me, while moving my body makes me feel strong and accomplished so that I’m ready to deal with anything life throws at me.”
—Kelsie Barton, Contributing Writer, @kelsie_barton
“My go-to stress relief tip is walking my endlessly energetic cavapoo George. I leave my phone at home and consider it a walking meditation! I’m also a big fan of Yoga With Kassandra’s 10-minute morning and evening YouTube yoga videos! I always feel better after doing one.”
—Ellie Davis, Contributing Writer
“Taking a long hot shower and then a face mask! Helps if you read a good book too.”
—Carlee Nilphai, Contributing Writer
“My best stress-relief tip is to scream at the top of my lungs into a pillow. Great way to get your emotions out and focus!”
—Heidi Reid, Contributing Writer, @heidi.laurel
“Stream of consciousness journaling for five minutes!”
—Susannah Richardson, Contributing Writer
“Thirty minutes of stretching while listening to a podcast”
—Sean Junqueira, Contributing Photographer, @seanjunqueira
“When I’m feeling anxious or stressed out, I like to go for a nice long walk outside for at least an hour if I have the time. It helps break up any mental loops I’m ruminating on and resets my brain. When that doesn’t work, a nice cold martini please!”
—Forrest Mason, Contributing Photographer, @fmasonmedia
by Lauren Kruchten | Feb 26, 2024 | Buzz, March 2024
WHAT’S HOT
WHAT’S NOT
by Lauren Kruchten | Feb 14, 2024 | Buzz, February 2024
The hottest local and national news you need to know now
WHAT’S HOT
Bolstering mental health resources, VP Kamala Harris announced NC will receive $12 million to hire 332 mental health counselors in schools.
The U.S. economy is on the up and up! According to seasonally adjusted data, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased 3.3% in Q4 2023.
NC’s park popularity is soaring—over 20.1 million people visited state parks in 2023, a 4% increase from 2022, with Jordan Lake State Recreation Area the most popular at 2.5 million visitors last year.
School is cool—and ranked the best public high school in NC by Niche is the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. A+!
Moving onward and upward, the Raleigh Convention Center selected Atlanta-based TVS and RATIO Design (which also has a Raleigh office) to design its $387.5 million expansion and the relocation of Red Hat Amphitheater.
They’re back… Raleigh City Council voted to reinstate Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs), whose members can vote to recommend or reject development projects throughout the city.
Bye, Bard—hello, Gemini! Google recently renamed its chatbot and introduced a $19.99/month subscription called Gemini Advanced that boasts a more powerful AI model.
Don’t text—er, call. The FCC voted to ban scam robocalls using AI-generated voices, effective immediately.
Hey, Mr. President! President Joe Biden visited Raleigh in January to announce an $82 million investment from the American Rescue Plan that will expand high-speed internet to 20,000 North Carolinians.
Take me out to the ballgame. … The Mudcats are leaving their longtime home in Zebulon to move to a new $64 million stadium in Wilson by 2026.
Shhh… Raleigh City Council updated the noise ordinance for Glenwood South, with enforcement now dependent on what officers consider “unreasonable noise.”
Feelin’ hot, hot, hot? So is the Earth. 2023 was officially the hottest year on record in over a century.
NC is facing a syphilis crisis, with 2023 marking the deadliest year for babies with congenital syphilis in the past decade.
WHAT’S NOT
by Kelsie Barton | Jan 23, 2024 | Buzz, February 2024
The Women’s Center delivering Safe Haven program to better aid women in crisis with housing
The Women’s Center is kicking off the new year with big news that moves Raleigh one step closer to ending homelessness among women. After recently receiving several grants to assist with funding, Wake County’s only day center exclusively for marginalized single women experiencing homelessness plans to expand its services to include a Safe Haven program.
“Based on our review of programs being offered locally, no one in the Wake County/Triangle area has a Safe Haven program,” says Executive Director Amy Smith. “Safe Haven is different because there are very few, if any, barriers.” Indeed, this form of supportive housing is designated for “chronically and long-term homeless women,” she explains, many of whom “tend to have severe and persistent mental illness, which keeps them from being able to thrive in a standard overnight shelter.”
Smith estimates The Women’s Center will be able to accommodate 12 permanent beds on its lower level for Safe Haven clients, with four to five of those beds reserved for medical respite thanks to the organization’s collab with WakeMed. “They’ve been incredible partners,” says Smith, “and we’re so happy to have that relationship with them.”
In this intimate, trauma-informed environment, staff will provide women with daily meals, clothing and storage space; help them obtain vital docs; and more. “With such a small population of 12 people, we can work intensively with them while they’re here,” maintains Smith. And, once Safe Haven is up and running—“by the end of March, for sure, is our goal,” she reveals—the nonprofit will introduce a recovery program five or six nights a week to round out its support offerings.
Ultimately, Smith sees Safe Haven as an opportunity for the community to get involved and learn more about The Women’s Center, as well as homelessness among women. “If you drive around Raleigh, you don’t see a lot of women outside who look homeless. You see far more men,” she says. “So it will give it a face and it will help people understand women experience homelessness as well—and they experience it differently.”
She hopes as awareness of the issue expands, so too will the number of individuals willing to dedicate their time and resources to breaking the cycle of homelessness and empowering women in crisis to realize and fulfill their dreams.
“My challenge to the staff is let’s work ourselves out of business,” Smith emphasizes. “We will know when there are no homeless women in Raleigh that we can close our doors—that will be a success.” wcwc.org
