On November 18, 2024, BCHC received via e-mail a complaint from a client whose request was not fulfilled. Our response appears below.
Dear Client,
Thanks for writing to the Brunswick County Homeless Coalition. I have read and studied your complaint and looked into it by talking with the relevant people within our organization.
I would like to begin by apologizing for your having had an experience that was not to your expectations. I have spoken to the volunteer with whom you spoke, and she assures me that, while the news was not good with respect to your request, it was not her intent to be rude. Again I apologize if we came across that way.
Because it’s detailed, this email will be rather long; my apologies in advance for that. I want your questions answered as best as I can.
You ask some fair questions about our guidelines, which we revisit monthly and revise as needed, according to our budget at any given time. We have per-client and per-week spending limits budgeted, and an additional network of rules for grant funding if a client fits the profile under any current grants we have. The current per-client spending limit is less than the $320 we discussed, and our guidelines state that a board member or additional volunteer call-taker would have to be involved and agree if the limit were to be exceeded. There is also, as you mentioned, the guideline that a client must wait at least six months after being helped before a volunteer call taker is free to help them again.
A softer, but still important guideline, is that of stewardship as it applies to distribution. We try to help as many clients as possible with the limited resources we have, without helping certain clients too much more than others. This is our responsibility to our donors, who make what we do possible.
More than just the guidelines, though, is the idea of someone “qualifying” for financial assistance: No one may “qualify” under our guidelines alone. Financial assistance is a grace extended by our private donors and administered by our volunteers. If, during a client’s case, our volunteer feels that they are a good fit for our financial assistance as made possible under the guidelines, and it will be a help to the client, then the client is considered for it. Otherwise, no.
This applies to your case in that you asked for, as I understand it, $320.
– This is greater than the amount allowed by the guidelines for a volunteer call taker to give.
– The volunteer offered to pay a portion as we were able, but you advised us that it was all or nothing (hence nothing).
– We already went above and beyond in April when you contacted us before, making us less, not more, likely to do so twice in a row.
During my investigation of the issue, which was slightly delayed since in some cases your complaint went to “junk mail” folders instead of inboxes, it seems that someone else was able to take care of your outstanding power bill amount, for which I am very grateful. We desire for our clients that they be able to find or maintain safe, stable, permanent housing, and this is a good outcome of your issue.
Thanks again for contacting us, and please let me know if you have further comments or questions.
Joe Staton, board president
Brunswick County Homeless Coalition
joe [at] brunswickhomeless.com