On a mission
Basil Duncan, a military veteran, bounced between temporary short-term housing programs until Catholic Charities found and furnished a permanent home for him in Charlotte and connected him with employment and other services. Now, Duncan says, “I can’t wait to experience the rest of my life!” (Photos provided by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte)CHARLOTTE — After four years of military service and two years of trade school, Basil Duncan fell into what he calls “fast living” and eventually ended up in prison for larceny. When he got out in 2020, he set out to turn his life around.
With no home or money for rent, Duncan could find only limited temporary shelter through different veterans programs.
Then he found Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. The agency’s veterans assistance program reaches hundreds of homeless and other struggling veterans annually – thanks to the support of staff, volunteers and donors living out God’s call to help those in need.
“When I got with Catholic Charities, everything fell into place,” Duncan says. “I wake up happy and go to bed happy. I’m making it work my way.”
Catholic Charities placed Duncan in a Charlotte duplex almost a year ago – also providing food, clothes and furniture – and linked him to employment and other services provided through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families program. Duncan now works part-time at Bank of America Stadium and hopes to buy a car by the end of the year.
Finding permanent housing is more than just putting a roof over someone’s head, says Tonya Lawrence, Catholic Charities’ supportive services supervisor. “It is personally rewarding for me,” she said, “to watch an individual or family come into the program and see how providing assistance with obtaining housing permanence can be the answer to all of the other concerns in their life.”
Since Catholic Charities launched the effort in 2019, Supportive Services for Veteran Families has helped more than 413 veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the greater Charlotte area. Last year, the agency also participated in a national initiative by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to place 38,000 veterans into housing – and exceeded the local goal by placing 362 veterans in the Salisbury area.
“Having a decent place that does not limit the length of stay is critical before people can gain stability,” Lawrence said.
In addition to its veterans outreach, Catholic Charities leapt in recently to manage the resettlement of more than 50 people living in Charlotte’s “Tent City,” a highly visible encampment then located alongside Brookshire Freeway where more than 100 people had pitched tents in 2021. When the government stepped in to break up the encampment, campers were moved to hotels where federal emergency funding paid for temporary housing until Catholic Charities and other organizations, partnering with the United Way, resettled residents into permanent housing.
Catholic Charities has long advocated for people facing housing instability – and in 2022 was named Charlotte’s “Provider of the Year” by Veterans Bridge Home, a national organization that helps veterans and their families navigate re-entry into their communities through a network of partner service providers. Finding housing is always the biggest challenge.
“We maintain landlord workgroups and engage them to explain our services and our concern about homelessness in the area, and we enlist their assistance to find housing in a community with a severe lack of affordable housing,” Lawrence said.
At the same time, Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement program has navigated the tight housing markets in Charlotte and Asheville to find homes for hundreds of people fleeing Afghanistan, Ukraine and other countries around the world.
In each of its programs, Catholic Charities focuses on wraparound “case management” for individuals and families in need, linking their clients with an array of services to help them back on their feet.
Its veterans program provides supportive services specifically to very low-income veteran families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness – with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness among veterans.
“All individuals have the right to have a safe haven to go to every night to call home,” Lawrence said. “Housing permanence fits in the mission of Catholic Charities by providing a service to people in need.”
Basil Duncan is grateful and optimistic for his future.
“It’s really hard trying to get back on my feet. When Catholic Charities offered me a place to live, it really set me up tremendously because I can save more money that way. And Catholic Charities coordinated furnishings and clothes and food. It really puts your faith in people again.’’
— Courtney McLaughlin
How can you help?
If you know a veteran who struggles with housing instability, call 2-1-1 and complete a Coordinated Entry Assessment or call Catholic Charities’ supportive services supervisor Tonya Lawrence at 704-370-3257.
Catholic Charities’ Supportive Services Encampment Project does not receive open referrals, but your monetary contributions directly assist in addressing housing issues. Donate online at www.ccdoc.org.