White Flag Nights: A Response to Homelessness

Written By: Lisa Rowe

White Flag nights are the community’s response to ensuring that homeless men, women, and children have a place to stay on nights when the temperatures drop.  Area shelters typically accommodate additional guests on these nights throughout the cold weather season.  It’s fairly unusual for it to get into the 30’s in May!  With the forecast, however, and with congregate shelters not operating - or only doing so on a very limited basis - the County worked to find a hotel that would accommodate those in need. 

They were able to secure 50 rooms at the DoubleTree on Hillsborough Street near NCSU. 

  • The Partnership to End and Prevent Homeless convened a call with key community partners after communications with the County about a hotel being secured

  • The group spoke by phone at 1:00 pm on Saturday, and everyone went into action from there.

    • Oak City Cares helped to get the word out

    • Staff from Healing Transitions and Interact manned the lobby to assist hotel staff with check-in, meals and logistics from 4:00 pm -8:00 pm

    • Interfaith Food Shuttle provided pre-packaged meals for dinner and snack bags for the morning – coordinated by County/Cooperative Extension staff

    • Staff from Urban Ministries stayed overnight to be available should the need arise from 8:00 pm-8:00 am

    • A security guard from York Properties was on hand from start to finish (4:00 pm-10:00 am)

    • Staff from Families Together, InterAct and Healing Transitions arrived to help with the check out process – ensuring all guests were awake and ready to check out at 9:00 am and to distribute snack bags (8:00-10:00 am)

I was there as people came down to check out.  In the lobby and outside I encountered some very happy, friendly, grateful, and refreshed men and women this morning!  I heard things like “I slept like a baby!” and “oh, the shower felt so good!”. 

In total, 25 rooms were used.  The original plan was for women and families – but the need seemed to lie with single men and women – all of whom had been sleeping outdoors and would’ve spent a very cold night outdoors had this option not opened up.  It was a nice display of community agencies coming together to meet an urgent and sudden need.

Affordable Housing, FamiliesMartinique Lovett