Rare & Brief · Monthly Partner Update · July 2026
“It’s a real thing.”
July 2026 update: 14 of the 15 households in the May–June sprint are now housed — and a neighbor’s word for the work.
Download the PDFThe opening word
Until this June, James’s mornings started with a run to a Walmart sink. After almost four years outside, he now wakes up in his own Durham apartment — a shower down the hall, a fridge worth making grocery lists for again, and two cats, Ace and Rad, whose arrival made the place feel official. Behind that move: a Street Outreach worker who kept coming back, a landlord who said yes, flexible help with the small things a home starts with, and a Housing Sprint that carried him from intake to move-in in 27 days. James reviewed and approved his story before we shared it, and his verdict is our headline: “You hear about it, it’s a real thing.” Read James’s story.
The One Number · the May–June sprint
Fifteen households took part in the May–June Housing Sprint for unsheltered neighbors. Fourteen are now housed. The remaining household is in interim housing while barrier-busting steps continue.
Partner spotlight · celebrations
- Housing for New Hope. For their work on the May–June unsheltered sprint — including helping five of the sprint’s neighbors move home and their new, inspiring Vision 2032.
- Kelly Scott, Urban Ministries of Durham. For her work building out UMD’s rapid re-housing program.
- Urban Ministries of Durham. Congratulations to Jonathan Gattis on stepping in as interim Executive Director.
- Families Moving Forward. A warm welcome to Chris Pearson, their new Director of Programs and Residential Services.
What we learned this month
Three pieces of work published this month, and each one tells us something we did not have in writing before. The Bellwether Collaborative for Health Justice released its narrative summary and a revised Client Journey Map, both built from the December workshop where frontline staff and leadership from across the system mapped how a low-barrier single adult actually moves through it. Their finding is blunt: we track who enters the system but not who stays housed, so long-term outcomes are largely unknown unless someone returns to homelessness. They also named contact instability — a lost phone, a lost address — as the most common reason people fall off at transitions. Alongside those, our initial assessment of the May–June sprint names what made it work — daily case conferencing, authority to approve fees and deposits in real time, housing stabilization case management engaged before move-in — and what we would do differently: finalize forms before launch, clarify landlord documentation early, account for pets, and build in more time for inspections. A deeper dive is coming.
Progress toward Year 1 targets
| Population | Year 1 aim | Where we stand |
|---|---|---|
| Unsheltered neighbors | 30% reduction — we aim to house about 400 neighbors this year | Both sprint models are now field-tested: 15 families housed in February against a goal of 10, and the May–June encampment sprint above. Work planning is underway toward 10 sprints this year. |
This month we are honing in on unsheltered neighbors. Our strategy pairs sprints for unsheltered singles and couples at encampments with sprints dedicated to families — and having now run both models in the field, we are excited about both. Ten completed sprints this year would likely reach the 400 mark.
From the tables · governance in motion
- Executive Table. The Table meets in the next two weeks; we will share any relevant decisions in next month’s update.
- Champions Table. Formation is underway and may take a few more months; we would rather build it right than fast.
- Lived Experience Table. We are actively working to form the Table sooner rather than later, with a target of standing it up by the end of Q1.
- CoC Governing Board. The Board continues in its current form until the County votes on the new interlocal agreement (ILA) in August.
Looking ahead · August
In August, the County is expected to vote on the new interlocal agreement that shapes CoC governance. The next pair of Housing Sprints launches the same month — one for unsheltered singles and couples at encampments, one for families. Alongside the sprints, the new flexible housing assistance fund is slated to stand up, and we begin testing Padmission Connect, a housing inventory platform.
The work is yours as much as anyone’s. Here is one way to help this month:
List a unit · Give · Volunteer Download the PDF