Inter-Faith Council reaches mark of 3,000 families served in 2010

Randy Frazier is no stranger to struggle.

The Durham native went from having a job, an apartment and a membership in a Masonic lodge to living in a homeless shelter with nothing to his name — all thanks to bad leg circulation that led to a stroke.

That was three years ago, when Frazier said his life hit rock bottom.

“I’ve just been through it,” said Frazier, who also has vascular disease. “It’s like the more I get up, the more things try to get me down.”

Frazier is one of the estimated 15,000 residents of Orange County classified as at-risk for becoming homeless.

At-risk homelessness is a condition in which people have a place to stay, usually with friends or in substandard housing, but a small change in income or prices could leave them without a place to live in a matter of weeks.

In September, the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service’s food pantry reached 3,000 families served in 2010, a 24 percent increase since last year and a new record for the organization.

Many who use the food pantry are considered to be at risk of becoming homeless.

Because of Frazier’s leg condition, he lost his job as a cook at UNC and soon became homeless.

“I lost everything — my apartment, my furniture — because I was unable to work,” he said.

He found temporary residence with his sister, but was eventually without a home again.

Frazier turned to the Inter-Faith Council, living in the Community House men’s shelter for two months.

“They helped me with clothes, my teeth. They gave me three meals a day,” he said. “They’ve just been wonderful.”

The council’s Executive Director Chris Moran said he believes his non-profit and agencies like it can’t be the sole solution to homelessness.

“I want to hear elected officials and county officers talking about how to fix this problem,” Moran said. “It’s all about workers, about getting workers what they need to get by.”

The average worker needs to make $15 to $17 per hour to live in Chapel Hill, Moran estimated. Many do not make these wages and rely on the council and similar agencies.

The number of people with income below the poverty rate in Orange County is also rising, according to the American Community Survey released last week.

The survey estimated that 18 percent of Orange County residents lived below the poverty line in 2009. This figure is up about 4 percent from the 2008 survey.

Frazier attributed a portion of this statistic to the increase in prices of all goods, from food to electricity.

“It’s hard out there for someone in my status. The government hasn’t given us a cost of living raise in two or three years,” Frazier said. “The fact that they aren’t doing that makes it harder on me right now.”

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said society as a whole must help reduce the strain placed on at-risk families in order to keep them from becoming homeless.

“If we, as a community, could help people to take care of other parts of their lives, — transportation, health care, childcare — they can be more stable and devote their resources to housing,” Kleinschmidt said.

“One of the things that will help us get through this hard time is remembering that we must help each other.”

Frazier is now collecting disability and other financial assistance, and he lives in Abbey Court Condominiums, a low-cost housing complex in Carrboro.

He said he would still like to find a job, although he doesn’t know if it’s possible because of his health.

“You have to be really strong when things like that happen,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and ask for help.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.