I’ve often wondered how people become chronically homeless. In September, the Charlotte Writers’ Club will help the residents of Moore Place describe their journeys – how they ended up on the streets, the difficulties in getting off the streets and how they found a home at Moore Place.

Each year, the Charlotte Writers’ Club donates books to the Urban Ministry Center’s library. This year, the program coordinator at Moore Place, the Urban Ministry Center’s “Housing First” supportive housing building, asked if our members would be interested in working with tenants to write about how they went from housed to homeless. Several Charlotte Writers’ Club board members jumped at the chance to help teach the classes and work with the participants.

The Urban Ministry Center already has a highly popular art program, and a writing program would be a natural companion. We are in the process of gauging interest and determining the frequency, time and length of each class. Under the guidance of Charlotte Writers’ Club members, participants will write or dictate their stories, edit them and critique each other’s work. There will be an opportunity for the budding authors to read (or have someone else read) their final drafts to their classmates – and perhaps share them at a Charlotte Writers’ Club meeting.

I can hardly wait to get started!