Usually when someone is referred to as a member, it’s because they are part of an exclusive group. The Community Empowerment Fund, however, uses the term in a more welcoming manner.
The nonprofit, which started in 2009, allows advocates to help members transition out of homelessness and poverty in Orange and Durham counties.
Yvette Mathews, advocate program associate at CEF, has been on both sides of CEF’s front desk. In 2013, Mathews came to CEF seeking help with employment.
After becoming a member, Mathews asked CEF staff if they needed help with office work, and from there began to handle administrative and reception duties in the Chapel Hill office.
“They were very supportive of me on a daily basis,” she said. “They would call me, I’d call them, I could go to the office and have a one-on-one meeting with them. They were very open. But they really saved me by giving me a job.”
Though Mathews’ story is an extraordinary one, CEF Co-Director Jon Young said there is no such thing as a typical member experience.
“Members come to CEF, share their goals as well as the barriers they might be encountering, and then meet regularly with advocates to pursue those goals,” Young said.
These goals vary widely from member to member, extending beyond searching for housing to improving members’ credit score, connecting them to legal counsel or health care professionals, or applying for Social Security or disability benefits.
“We try to be really supportive of what your needs are,” Mathews said. “We focus on your whole self, not just the fact that you don’t have somewhere to live.”
