When our YWCA was invited to submit a competitive proposal to provide high-quality case management to families living in public housing at Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI), our team jumped into action. Our track record of providing strengths-based, outcomes-driven support to families and individual women facing homelessness was stellar, and hundreds of households now in permanent housing are a testament to that record. Our hope had long been to extend our competency in delivering supportive housing services to families living far beyond our Park Road campus.
On March 15th, the morning of our We Believe luncheon, we got the wonderful news that YWCA was awarded the RWCI contract, and we had the joy of announcing our expansion in programming to 800 of our closest friends! That afternoon, we advertised for the two case management positions, and had two excellent new teammates in place by the start of our contract on April 1st. Kenya Henderson, our director of Families Together, leads the team based at RWCI, and we welcome Shante Anderson and Marcus Gaddy to the YWCA family. With Kenya’s leadership and in collaboration with the top-notch partners we have at RWCI, Marcus and Shante will provide support to the 65 families enrolled in the Charlotte Housing Authority’s Family Self-Sufficiency program, who live in public housing there, while also availing themselves to the senior citizens who now call this community home.
The privilege to serve these families as they work toward market-rate housing is one we treasure. Thank you, Renaissance West Community Initiative, for this opportunity to be your partner!
Kirsten Sikkelee
