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Hello Friends, Family and Supporters of The Healing Place:
In case you missed it on the news or in the N&O,
this past week, The North Carolina Council of State met and granted our request to modify our current land lease for the Men’s
Facility. The new lease now includes 6+ additional acres for expansion and extends the lease term until 2047. That is terrific
news for the citizens of Wake County and particularly for the increasing numbers of men and women we serve every day of the
year.
For at least two years now we have been experiencing greater demands on our services and this has created overcrowding
and the need to expand our footprint and services. This increase in our numbers is a result of a multitude of factors not
the least of which is our tremendous growth. Raleigh and the Wake County area has gained national recognition as one of the
best places to live in the country and our population has grown 42% since 2001, the year we began operations. Fortunately,
our focus on serving our less fortunate homeless citizens has paid off because Wake County has actually experienced a 24%
drop in our unsheltered homeless population since 2001. This number represents a 50% reduction of homeless people on the streets
of Raleigh. This reduction, in large part, is due to the Healing Place and the way we provide services to our community. These
statistics buck the nationwide trend and are especially impressive considering our explosive population growth.
With
a continuing growing population our work is clearly outlined and laid out for us. We need to expand to meet these needs and
keep up with this growth in order to keep our community safe and prosperous. It has been said that civilizations and communities
are ultimately judged on how they treat the least of their numbers. I am proud to be part of a community that understands,
cares and is compassionate, as well as pragmatic in our approach to our challenges.
I wish you the absolute best wishes
in this wonderful season of happiness and joy. I wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2013 and hope you will think of The Healing
Place in your year-end giving and then join us as we begin to plan for the future!
Best Regards,
Dennis Parnell
President & CEO
The Healing Place of Wake County
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