Mission & Vision
The mission of Crisis Assistance Ministry is to provide assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis, helping them move toward self-sufficiency.
Our vision is to inspire our community to justice and generosity as we provide help, hope, and understanding to people struggling with limited financial resources.
Our Programs
Basic Needs
Mecklenburg County families receive help with life’s basic needs: emergency rent and utility assistance, clothing, household goods, furniture, beds, and appliances.
Economic Mobility
The Economic Mobility Program helps families move towards financial security and introduces pathways to economic opportunity. Enrolled families are given the opportunity to work one-on-one with a caseworker for an hour per week for up to 90 days.
Civic Engagement
In a vibrant city like Charlotte, it’s easy to overlook the fact that many are suffering amid affluence. Our Civic Engagement Program increases awareness of the complex issues facing more than 100,000 neighbors in Mecklenburg County living in poverty.
By the Numbers
Children Benefiting from Our Services
Children under 18 made up 42% of those benefiting from Crisis Assistance Ministry services.
Welcome New Board Members for 2023
Like many nonprofits, Crisis Assistance Ministry is fortunate to have the leadership of passionate and committed community members who serve on our Board of Directors. Meet the new members of this team of volunteers who bring a diversity of knowledge, skills, and experience to their oversight of our agency.
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A Cozy Coat Can Help Your Neighbors Stay Warm
Steve’s Coats for Kids welcomes new or gently used coats of all sizes, from children’s sizes up to adult sizes, and the coats that are collected in Charlotte-Mecklenburg will be added to the Crisis Assistance Ministry Free Store or distributed to our countywide Partner Agencies to provide to their clients.
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Covenant Impacts Charlotte
An intergenerational group of volunteers spent a Saturday morning getting things ready for Free Store shoppers who will shop free-of-charge in the coming weeks. Although a surprising chill – even for November – settled over Charlotte Saturday, the cheerful folks from Covenant Presbyterian Church …
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Sharing Hope, Warmth, & Light
Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for seeing me past my circumstances because I’ve come out on the other side.
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This Experience Will Make You Rethink Poverty
Participation in a poverty simulation: fast moving, immersive, stressful, real. Everything that can go wrong WILL go wrong. But you will be left thinking.
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My Summer with Dignity, Integrity, Respect, Empathy, Compassion, and Trust
Crisis Assistance Ministry prides itself on its core values of Dignity, Integrity, Respect, Empathy, Compassion, and Trust (D.I.R.E.C.T,). I experienced all these aspects firsthand throughout my internship, both with employees and those the organization helps.
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There is No “Them” or “Us”
When I wake up in the morning, I am not worried about whether I am going to struggle to pay my rent this month. I am not worried about whether my lights are going to get turned off or if I won’t have water in the next couple of days. When I wake up in the morning, my first worry is if I am late for work or class, and that is a privilege I didn’t even know I had until I began working at Crisis Assistance Ministry this summer.
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Volunteers Follow Their Hearts
Volunteering is more than slipping a shirt onto a hanger and sliding it onto a rack. Volunteering is giving back to your community, even though you may never see the results first-hand. But volunteers at Crisis Assistance Ministry go where their hearts lead them.
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The Fastest Way to Help Hardworking Families This Summer
Our neighbors who come to Crisis Assistance Ministry for help are hard workers. They know how to stretch a dollar beyond the breaking point. But the odds are often stacked against them. Any small thing can send the budget spiraling out of control. That’s when you come in. Just a few minutes and a few dollars from you now can change their lives in that moment of crisis.
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Catch Summer’s Cool(er) Vibes With a Playlist
A great playlist can help keep the memories going, and a playlist is another budget-friendly way to enjoy summer. The money you save can go farther in your gift to help your neighbors in Charlotte-Mecklenburg #savehome by meeting their basic needs, providing emergency financial assistance toward rent or utility bills, household goods and appliances.
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6 More Ways To Hold On To Summer
There’s still plenty summer fun that can ease you into late August and early September – without breaking the bank. Take a look at our suggestions, and then take a moment to make a gift to help save home for other families.
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Good Summer Fun to Celebrate Saving Home
With a few precious weeks of summer left, it’s time to get out there and celebrate summer with this list of inexpensive summer adventures close to home—some even in your own backyard. Bonus: since they won’t break the bank, you’ll have a little left to #savehome for more families during #CLTSavesHome, our Non-Event fundraiser, by August 31.
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