RALEIGH, N.C. — According to the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness, on any given day about 2,500 people are experiencing homelessness in our state.

The second biannual Day of Care was held in downtown Raleigh on Friday to connect people in need with resources like well-being checks, employment assistance and access points for housing.

What You Need To Know

  • About 2,500 people experience homelessness on a typical day in North Carolina

  • An event Friday in downtown Raleigh aimed to help people experiencing homelessness

  • Thirty-one organizations set up tents with services during the Day of Care

“That’s what this event does. It just allows you to know where you can go. What are your options? People need to know that they have options,” Darlene McClain, a social service specialist with the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, said.

Thirty-one organizations and partners set up shop at Raleigh’s Moore Square Park on Friday.

“I like people, and I like listening to people’s stories, and I learn from them, believe it or not,” McClain said.

McClain helped coordinate the Day of Care.

“The providers here today were very excited to be here and very excited to help. They came ready to give. When I say ‘give,’ whether it’s hygiene products, food, referrals to a location, sign up for an appointment to be seen by a care manager or physician. 'Cause that’s the purpose is to have continuum of care,” McClain said.

The event was a way to meet people where they are and let them know there are resources out there.

“You can’t help those who don’t want help. But what you can do is check on them and make sure that they are OK. I don’t go and push myself on people and say, ‘Hey this is what you need.’ No. I say hello, and you tell me what you need. If you don’t need anything and just some conversation, I give that to you, too,” McClain said.

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McClain hopes this event will continue to grow over the coming years and become known as a one-stop shop for people who need access to different resources.

“Some people, you know, they just made a choice, and it went wrong, and it just has them in a difficult position, and then there’s some people, and they just can’t help it, and they need help, and they didn’t have that help,” McClain said.

The next Day of Care has not been officially scheduled yet but should be in the first half of 2023.