Mecklenburg County’s latest neighborhood useful resource middle is now open in northeast Charlotte.
The Ella B. Scarborough Group Useful resource Middle, positioned at 430 Stitt Street, comfortable opened in August, however its official ribbon reducing and grand opening ceremony is ready for Oct. 25.
The middle’s mission is to attach residents with a number of companies from the Mecklenburg County Division of Well being and Human Companies and neighborhood companions, comparable to Atrium Well being and Loaves and Fishes.
The middle was named after native political determine Ella B. Scarborough, the primary Black lady elected to Charlotte Metropolis Council in 1987 because the District 3 consultant and longtime Commissioner At-Giant, in addition to its former Chairperson.
Scarborough’s legacy consists of being an lively member of the Charlotte neighborhood as an area trailblazer, the primary Black lady to run for mayor of Charlotte and United States Senate in N.C. She died at age 75 in Could 2022.
Companies supplied
The Scarborough Middle provides a number of federal and native assets, together with WIC, Medicaid and power help like heating and cooling wants or electrical energy, to Mecklenburg County residents at one accessible location.
Somewhat than have companies unfold out throughout a number of locations within the county, residents can discover all their wants collectively on the Scarborough Middle.
“The aim is to fulfill the wants of the neighborhood in a holistic approach, which is why it’s not simply authorities companies, it’s additionally our neighborhood companion companies,” Anthony Trotman, deputy county supervisor, mentioned.
The middle serves insured, underinsured and uninsured residents of the county. Some companies, like WIC and Medicaid, require eligibility.
The ability is open Monday by way of Friday from 8 a.m. to five p.m.
‘Extra like a neighborhood’
The middle will handle six determinants of well being: financial stability, training, meals safety, housing safety, healthcare and social and neighborhood.
Trotman says specializing in these elements might help stop different well being considerations.
“With out correct diet, correct well being care, it’s troublesome to work,” Trotman mentioned.
The Scarborough Middle prioritizes the dignity and privateness of shoppers by way of nontraditional options, comparable to providing digital check-in to take away prolonged strains normally discovered at authorities entities.
Trotman says the house is designed to be trauma-informed to make shoppers extra snug.
“[The center] appears extra like a neighborhood, like a house,” Trotman mentioned. “That’s as a result of we wish folks to really feel comfortable once they come into our facility. We would like them to be handled like they need to be handled, like residents of Mecklenburg County.”
Free childcare can be supplied whereas households obtain companies on the middle.
Future Plans
The Ella B. Scarborough Group Useful resource Middle is presently one in all two neighborhood useful resource facilities in Charlotte.
The primary, the Valerie C. Woodard Middle at 3205 Freedom Drive, opened in 2018.
Because the wants of the neighborhood proceed to be monitored and addressed, Trotman mentioned the hours on the Ella B. Scarborough Middle might be expanded.
Over the subsequent few years, Mecklenburg County plans to construct three extra neighborhood useful resource facilities, Trotman informed QCity Metro, close to Beatties Ford Street and on the east of Charlotte, usually inside the crescent of poverty in Charlotte.
“The aim was to put amenities in neighborhoods the place the necessity exists on the most, to guarantee that folks didn’t must drive throughout Charlotte or Mecklenburg County to obtain companies,” Trotman mentioned. “They will obtain companies of their communities.”
