Crisis Assistance Ministry sits at the corner of Statesville Avenue and Graham Street, just outside of uptown Charlotte — and at the edge of a great many people’s lives.
Consider Mandy and Shawn. They have never met. But not long ago, they both found themselves in the very same place: waiting anxiously in the lobby of Crisis Assistance Ministry, hoping for a lifeline.
Mandy and her 70-year-old mother, Andrea, had long considered themselves fortunate. They lived comfortably in a 3-bedroom home filled with rescue dogs of varying ages and sizes. Pooled together, Mandy’s disability income and Andrea’s Social Security benefits covered the bills, and Mandy’s two grown daughters were nearby to chip in when needed.
Meanwhile, Shawn was struggling. Despite his full-time job at an area hospital, the cost of raising his adopted son, Jamari, seemed to escalate exponentially with each passing year. As a single father to a now-teenaged boy, he was wracked with guilt over all the times he had to say no. The most recent was the worst of all: denying his musically gifted son the opportunity to play in the school band because the uniform was just too expensive.
Across town, Mandy’s comfortable life suddenly imploded. Seemingly overnight, her mother Andrea fell gravely ill. The diagnosis was liver disease. There was talk of a liver transplant, but when testing showed a rapidly growing cancer, the transplant was no longer an option. Mandy watched helplessly as her mother’s condition deteriorated. Andrea passed away three months later, leaving Mandy alone in a house that was suddenly too big and too expensive for her.
Over the years, necessary repairs to the home had been postponed for one reason or another, and as a result, Mandy found herself living in a home without central heat, relying instead on costly electric space heaters. With the loss of her mother’s Social Security check, and with the mortgage and a student loan payment automatically deducted from her bank account each month, Mandy quickly fell behind on utility bills.
Mandy’s adult daughters stepped in to help, and Mandy almost made it through the winter. But then one daughter unexpectedly lost her job, the other learned she was pregnant, and the family safety net was in shreds. When Mandy walked into Crisis Assistance Ministry, both her electricity and water were scheduled for disconnection.
At the same time, Shawn and his son Jamari were living in their car after falling too far behind on rent to catch up. Every morning, he and Jamari washed up in gas station restrooms before heading off to work and school, where they did their best to hide the truth of their homelessness.
Eventually, Shawn was approved for another apartment, and father and son moved in with gratitude despite sleeping on the floor and eating from paper plates. But the costs of moving in — application fees, first and last month’s rent, along with security deposits for rent and utilities — had depleted Shawn’s carefully gathered savings.
By the third month in their new place, Shawn came home to a bright orange late notice taped to his front door. Flashbacks of shame and helplessness brought him to his knees. The next morning, Shawn stepped through the doors of Crisis Assistance Ministry.
For Mandy, still moving through a fog of grief from the loss of her mother, asking for help felt surreal. How was this her life now?
For Shawn, it was just another blow. He felt like a failure as a man, a father, a human.
At Crisis Assistance Ministry, Mandy’s caseworker listened carefully, gently eliciting the details through Mandy’s tears. Funds were committed to the electric and water companies for the past- due amounts, canceling the pending disconnections and guaranteeing continued service for at least 30 days.
Once the utility crisis was averted, Mandy and her caseworker discussed the other challenges she faced. Referrals were made to community resources for help repairing the home’s heating system so that her utility costs would be more manageable and her home more comfortable. Mandy also received a list of low-cost dental clinics so she could have the much-needed root canal surgery her insurance wouldn’t cover.
Thinking back on that day, Mandy says, “I didn’t know that Crisis Assistance did all those things. It’s a godsend.”
For Shawn, that day provided both an answer and a calling. Through conversation with his caseworker, Shawn learned that not only were there funds available to bring him current on his rent but also a financial empowerment program that would help him navigate through his current situation and into a more secure future.
From there, Shawn trained as a customer advocate for Crisis Assistance Ministry. He now devotes himself to others in the community, both those who need support and those who are in a position to help.
Another milestone in Shawn’s journey was graduating from seminary in 2020. His son Jamari stood proudly by his side, celebrating his father’s big achievement and all the smaller ones that had brought them to this joyful day.
“I lost faith,” Shawn says. “But I think God had to show me I’m still worthy.”
Every dollar given during the 2026 Challenge is matched — doubling its reach into lives like Mandy’s and Shawn’s, and into the community Shawn now serves.