CEF Executive Director Donna Carrington commented on the petition regarding the Enforcement of Quality-of-Life Laws in the Community during the Town of Chapel Hill Town Council meeting on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. In reflection, she shared, “It was crucial for me to speak because I understand the implications such petitions have on our community. Our unhoused individuals are often arrested for ‘quality of life violations,’ and it feels like our community is a place wanting to get rid of people instead of being solution-minded.”
Donna expressed concern over the increasing criminalization of homelessness. “I think it’s essential to address this issue openly,” she noted, acknowledging that her discomfort with public speaking only underscores the importance of the topic. “When I speak, I hope people understand the significance of what we’re facing. I knew that if I spoke, people would recognize its importance because I don’t like public speaking, and for me to do it, it has to be an important issue.”
The Piggy Bank Bash; Celebrate! A chance to learn, connect, and support the work of CEF. Sustaining transitions out of homelessness and poverty by building relationships. Monday, November 14, 6:00-8:00 pm at Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe. Tickets available at https://communityef.org/piggy-bank-bash-2022/
2022 Piggy Bank Bash
CEF’s Annual Event
Join us on November 14, for the first in-person Piggy Bank Bash since 2019. We will be at Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe, sharing updates about our work and building deeper connections with our wider community. Invite your friends for a fun evening of delicious food and drink, a performance by the CEF Advocacy Choir, and opportunities to hear directly from people impacted by our work. All proceeds from the Piggy Bank Bash support CEF’s work reducing homelessness and poverty in Orange and Durham Counties. Purchase your tickets at the link below.
Looking to join the CEF team? We’re hiring! Durham Office and Community Organizer. Join our team now! Apply at www.communityef.org/hiring
CEF is hiring!
Durham Office and Community Organizer
We are seeking kind, compassionate candidates to apply for the Durham Office and Community Organizer position at CEF! This position is responsible for both bottom-lining office operations in the Durham office and leading CEF’s organizing and advocacy efforts with Members in our Durham office. The Office and Community Organizer creates a welcoming, healing-centered office environment that emphasizes each person as creative, resourceful, and whole. Applications are due by Friday, September 30.
Please help us by sharing this opportunity with your networks and anyone you think would be a good fit for CEF!
Join CEF this Sunday! Meet on the Weaver Street lawn, September 25 at 2pm, to join the House Us Now coalition (Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, CEF, Empowerment Inc., Inter-Faith Council for Social Services, and the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History) in a rally and march to advocate for affordable housing. Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to live in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and elsewhere, regardless of their income. The march will end at the Lincoln Center where there will be food, a live DJ, speeches, and free hair cuts until 5pm!
Resource Alert OCPEH & Bull E-Bike Pilot
Resources of the Month
Orange County Resource of the Month:
This month, Imanie would like to highlight the Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC) at UNC. SHAC is a student-run organization that provides free health services to underserved individuals. The clinic sees people by appointment only. To make an appointment, call (984) 538-1031 and leave a message clearly stating your name, phone number, and reason for an appointment. You can request free STI and HIV testing in your message. Someone will call you back to let you know your appointment time. Alternatively, you can request an appointment using this online form. For a full list of services check out the resource here.
Durham County Resource of the Month:
This month, Leah would like to highlight Open Table Ministry’s Street Outreach program. The Street Outreach program works to build relationships with individuals experiencing homelessness and increase their awareness of available services. They provide the following services:
Free store, every Tuesday from 9:30-11:30 am, clothing, personal items, and showers are available at Open Table Ministry, 215 North Church Street, Durham, NC.
Assistance with obtaining identify documents (state IDs, birth certificates, Social Security cards).
Ongoing case management to help clients transitions into housing.
Yes! CEF Members with the capacity to meet through online video chat software (like Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet) or over the phone will be encouraged to continue with this option. You can specify this option when you call the office to make an appointment.
We recognize that we work and CEF’s offices are located on the unceded territories of the Eno, Lumbee, Occaneechi, Saponi, Shakori, and Skaruhreh/Tuscarora tribes. We acknowledge and respect the ancestral & present land stewardship and place-based knowledge of the peoples of these territories. Please support them directly.
Join Our Team! We’re Looking for: Member Resource Specialist (Chapel Hill), Member Assistance Funds Manager (Chapel Hill & Durham), Advocate Applications Open! Apply NOW
CEF is hiring!
Two new positions + volunteer Advocate applications
We are seeking kind, compassionate candidates to fill two full-time positions at CEF! The Member Assistance Funds Manager will be responsible for managing processes and use related to CEF’s direct Member assistance funds including the Housing Assistance Fund, Debt Assistance Fund, Eviction Debt Assistance Fund, First-time Homebuyers Fund, and support requests for assistance from community partners.
The Member Resource Specialist is focused on cultivating resources that supplement our Member Services in targeted content areas. In addition to providing in-office support for CEF Members and Advocates as a member of the Chapel Hill team, the MRS will be responsible for leading our efforts to grow targeted program services focused on housing and employment.
We are also looking for volunteer Advocates! Advocates are trained to walk with Member in achieving their goals, often related to housing, employment, or financial independence. Advocates are not experts, but are curious, empathetic, and highly dedicated team players who commit to holding two Advocate hours per week for a minimum of two years. CEF Advocates work 1-1 or 2-1 with CEF Members to provide long-term, relationship-based support through challenges and barriers, and celebrate achievements.
Please help us out by sharing these opportunities with your networks and anyone you think would be a good fit for CEF!
On August 20, CEF Durham held the 30 for 30 rally to advocate that 30% of future Durham housing projects be reserved for tenants earning 30% Area Median Income or below. We have to continue amplifying voices of folks experiencing housing insecurity and raising public awareness of the need for additional affordable housing options in both Chapel Hill and Durham. Stay tuned for future ways to get involved!
CEF Alumni Advocate Reunion
Virtual Alumni Advocate Reunion
In Community
The first ever virtual CEF Alumni Advocate Reunion was such a joy! Former Advocates from all over the US joined us to discuss what they (and we) are up to now and connect with each other. We are so excited to cultivate the Alumni Advocate community and continue building relationships that will last a lifetime. If you are a former or senior Advocate and would like to connect with the CEF Alumni Advocate network you can find a group on Facebook or LinkedIn. There are opportunities for increased involvement if you would like to be part of the Alumni Advocate steering committee or represent Alumni Advocates through Board service.
Band Together Mighty Giveback
Band Together
Mighty Giveback 2022
Band Together and the United Way of the Greater Triangle are teaming up for the Mighty Giveback benefit concerts. Profits from this benefit event go toward a $1 million goal to help ensure that Triangle residents and families have a safe place to live and thrive. CEF has been selected as one of eleven nonprofit organizations that will share the proceeds from these concerts!
Black Pumas have canceled the rest of their shows for 2022, but you should definitely listen to their tunes! For October 2 ticket holders Band Together will reach out about refunds. Turnpike Troubadours will headline a sold out show on October 28 at the Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh. For more information click the link below!
This month, Imanie would like to highlight the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness. OCPEH is a coalition of service providers, local governments, and community members who work together to coordinate funding and bring best practices to the work of ending homelessness in Orange County. OCPEH stepped up this past month by paying arrears for fifteen families of University Gardens facing eviction as the property is in the process of being sold. OCPEH also provided funding for those families to stay an additional 60 days so they have more time to determine where they are going to live.
Durham County Resource of the Month:
This month, Leah would like to highlight the Bull E-Bike Pilot. The City of Durham’s Transportation Department is conducting the Bull E-Bike Pilot to learn more about how electric bikes can be deployed to improve the transportation experience in the Bull City. They’re seeking participants to use a pedal-assist e-bike for 4+ weeks in exchange for sharing information about their experience, including tracking their travel via a smartphone app.
They are looking for participants who
work in downtown Durham
would use an e-bike to replace driving alone
would benefit from the use of an e-bike, especially folks from groups that are transportation-disadvantaged
are flexible, communicative, and excited about this opportunity!
Yes! CEF Members with the capacity to meet through online video chat software (like Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet) or over the phone will be encouraged to continue with this option. You can specify this option when you call the office to make an appointment.
We recognize that we work and CEF’s offices are located on the unceded territories of the Eno, Lumbee, Occaneechi, Saponi, Shakori, and Skaruhreh/Tuscarora tribes. We acknowledge and respect the ancestral & present land stewardship and place-based knowledge of the peoples of these territories. Please support them directly.
House Us NOW! March for affordable housing 30% AMI and below
House Us NOW!
Join us Saturday, April 9, 1:00-5:00 pm
CEF, alongside IFC, MCJC, CHC-NAACP, and EmPOWERment Inc., is hosting the second biannual House Us NOW! march on April 9. The march will raise awareness and raise voices of people needing to find affordable housing at 30% AMI and below.
We will meet at the Peace and Justice Plaza, 179 E Franklin Street, in Chapel Hill at 1:00 PM and march to the Jackson Center at 512 W Rosemary Street. There will be food, dancing, a live DJ taking requests, and a chance for people to speak out!
A recent WRAL Tech Wire article focused on the current housing market in the Triangle. Demand is at an all-time high while affordability is at an all-time low. The article shared data from the Triangle Multiple Listing Service (TMLS) showing that median sales prices are up by 23.9% from just last year!
This data shows that it is more important than ever to show up and advocate for safe, affordable housing for folks at 30% AMI and below. Join us April 9! Get there early and march at 1:00 PM.
CEF Durham Spring Celebration!
April 16, 1-3 PM
CEF Durham’s Spring Celebration will be on April 16 from 1:00-3:00 PM at Hillside Park, 1301 S Roxboro Street! All CEF Members, Advocates, and staff are welcome! Come celebrate Durham’s graduating Advocates and enjoy food, music, activities, and the spring weather!
Women’s Voices: We Are Speaking
Women’s Voices: We Are Speaking
Affordable Housing: A Local Response to a National Challenge
This Saturday from 10:00-12:00 PM be sure to join in on this discussion with local affordable housing professionals focused on issues related to affordable housing and advocacy. Register for the event here.
CEF is looking for new Board Members!
Join the CEF Board!
CEF is actively recruiting Board Members
Are you interested in an active role in guiding CEF’s future? Join the Board to participate with CEF in a deeper way. Learn more and fill out the interest form here.
In early March, a federal judge signed off on a court settlement requiring the NCDMV to send a special notice to tens of thousands of drivers about how they can request a court hearing if their license was revoked because of an inability to pay fines and fees. During the hearing petitioners can request an adjustment to the fines and fees and reinstatement of their license. In addition to the special notice, the DMV will be required:
To include in future notices specific information about how a driver can petition and show to the court an inability to pay a traffic-related fine before receiving a revocation notice.
To fund an informational website with videos, written explanations, and other materials on how to prevent loss of license because of non-payment.
To reference this website in the special and newly revised notices for 18 months and to include this information on the DMV’s website and in its various offices across the state.
A toolkit which includes the form is available at the website here.
Durham County Resource of the Month:
This month, Leah would like to highlight the Kramden Institute. The Kramden Institute provides affordable computers for low-income adults. Recently they have reduced prices starting at $70 for laptops and have started offering desktops at $30! If you are a CEF Member and interested in purchasing a computer through Kramden, let us know! CEF is a partner agency and can help you apply for a computer.
If you are interested in donating old computer equipment check here to see if Kramden could use it.
If you’d like to schedule an appointment after April 22 please call 919.797.9233
🕓
CEF Chapel Hill’s Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Thurs: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Friday: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Can I still make a virtual appointment?
Yes! CEF Members with the capacity to meet through online video chat software (like Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet) or over the phone will be encouraged to continue with this option. You can specify this option when you call the office to make an appointment.
We recognize that we work and CEF’s offices are located on the unceded territories of the Eno, Lumbee, Occaneechi, Saponi, Shakori, and Skaruhreh/Tuscarora tribes. We acknowledge and respect the ancestral & present land stewardship and place-based knowledge of the peoples of these territories. Please support them directly.
