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This article was originally published in WHQR and was made possible by a grant from the Fourth Estate Fund.

Nearly 1 million people experienced homelessness for the first time in 2023, according to the National Association to End Homelessness. Still more experienced it for a second, third, or fourth time. With a rising cost of living and high rents, more and more Americans are teetering on the edge. Here are the stories of some of those who’ve fallen through the cracks—and are trying to claw their way back up: Chelsea Alicia Sterling, Victor Quillen, Theresa Shively, Leroy Lyons, and Cindy (who asked that we only use her first name).

As Quillen told WHQR’s Kelly Kenoyer, despite the trials and tribulations he’s faced, “I try to stay positive. You gotta keep the hope up. If you lose that—you ain’t got nothing.”

Vigilant Hope along with many other faith-based organizations provides a wide variety of services including meals, laundry services, and free mobile showers. (Photo by Madeline Gray)

Numerous organizations in town work to care for the homeless population. Several church organizations, including Vigilant Hope, Anchor Church, First Fruit Ministries, and Living Hope Day Center, work together to provide meals and respite almost every day of the week.

(Left to right) Red, Russ, Pastor Jamie Thompson, Leroy Lyons, and volunteer Janice Fladd share breakfast at Anchor United Methodist Church in downtown Wilmington. (Photo by Madeline Gray)
A man rests his head on the table during a service at the Anchor United Methodist Church in downtown Wilmington. (Photo by Madeline Gray)

The unsheltered community in New Hanover County trade in information: many of them are happy to tell new faces in the streets where they can find more help or their next meal. Camping spots, however, are often kept close to the chest. Large numbers of people congregating together at night can draw unwanted attention.

Chelsea Alicia Sterling holds her mother’s ring close to her chest outside of the Living Hope Day Center in downtown Wilmington. She lives in her car with her partner and hopes to show her children that they can be proud of her even if they can’t be together right now. (Photos by Madeline Gray)

Listen to their stories: Chelsea has been through a lot in her 30 years of life, but she is fully confident she’s on the upswing. She has to get to a better place so she can be there for her children.

People who become homeless at some point in their lives almost always have adverse childhood experiences in their backgrounds. That trauma can lead to a higher likelihood of suicidal ideation, maladaptive behaviors, and addiction, among other problems. If you, or someone you know, is coping with thoughts of suicide, call or text the national suicide hotline at 988.

Pastor Jamie Thompson of Anchor Church says her congregants treat the restaurant they borrow each Sunday with reverence and respect. She says they feel a “shared ownership of the space,” and many of them donate the limited money they have to keeping it going.

Victor Quillen sits across the street from City Hall where he often sleeps outside. A tattoo on his arm holds the names of his former wife and children. (Photos by Madeline Gray)
Victor Quillen often attends Sunday services held by the Anchor United Methodist Church and helps to clean up. (Photo by Madeline Gray)

‘Hope in a Can’: Quillen grew up around alcoholism and domestic violence, and turned to the bottle to avoid that pain. Now that he’s in the streets, he’s trying to leave his substance abuse behind.

Social workers often find their clients at the Living Hope Day Center and take it as a chance to help them move their cases forward. Getting out of homelessness can be a challenge: many people in the streets have their possessions stolen, and losing one’s ID can become a major roadblock to getting Social Security, food stamps, or Medicare/Medicaid. For the able-bodied who can work, a lack of documents can prevent them from securing employment, getting a bank account, or renting an apartment.

Theresa Shively sits on the front steps of the First Baptist Church in downtown Wilmington. (Photo by Madeline Gray)
Sisters Jennifer and Theresa Shively eat a free meal at the Living Hope Day Center. (Photo by Madeline Gray)
Jennifer Shively, center, sits outside the tent that she shares with her two sons Patrick, left, and Dorian, right, as well as with her sister Theresa Shively. (Photo by Madeline Gray)
Theresa Shively asks to borrow a phone so that she can call the city to try to get her dog Luna back. (Photo by Madeline Gray)

Close Quarters: A death in the family, disability—everyday tragedies can lead an entire family to homelessness. Getting out of it is much harder.

Unsheltered people like Lyons are particularly hard to serve: many are forced to move around, making them hard for social workers to find. And their exposure in the streets makes them vulnerable to theft, violence, or arrest, which can create barriers to housing.

Leroy Lyons has lived in Wilmington for the past 25 years. As rents went up, he lost his apartment and was forced into homelessness. (Photo by Madeline Gray)
Leroy Lyons stands in front of Anne Bonny’s Bar and Grill. The barge restaurant on the Cape Fear River provides a free venue for The Anchor Church each Sunday. (Photo by Madeline Gray)

Leroy’s Life: Lyons is from Durham, but had to flee that town because of a threat on his life. He’s ended up homeless several times because of violence, and now keeps a bike on him at all times so he can escape if there’s danger.

For the homeless, working with social workers can be a test of patience: it can take months or years to get all the needed documents lined up, and there can be setbacks from theft, stints in jail, or other barriers. Case workers are generally careful to not promise housing because there are so few permanent housing options available. But local organizations like Good Shepherd Center sometimes get a breakthrough: and get an unsheltered person into housing.

The re-opening of Driftwood apartments was a boon for the unsheltered in Wilmington: 15 apartments that are capped at 30% of a chronically homeless person’s income. These types of apartments are reserved for people who will never be able to resolve their homelessness on their own, either because of mental illness, physical disability, or mental disability. Good Shepherd Center Executive Director Katrina Knight estimates the region needs 100 more units of this type of housing, and Good Shepherd has plans to build and preserve 75 of them.

Cindy sits in her new apartment at the Driftwood Apartment complex. (Photo by Madeline Gray)
After experiencing some digestive issues, Cindy says that having access to her own kitchen will make a major difference for her. (Photo by Madeline Gray)

Coming Home: Cindy survived homelessness for year by looking out for others. Now, her kindness has been repaid, and she has a home.

For more information about this series and about Anchor Church, listen to the July 19 episode of The Newsroom on WHQR: “Poverty is a sin. Being poor is not.” A new reporting project on being homeless in the Cape Fear Region.

Kelly Kenoyer is a reporter with WHQR who has a master’s in Journalism from University of Missouri- Columbia.

Madeline Gray is a freelance documentary photographer with a master’s in photojournalism. Her work is regularly featured in local and national publications, including NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Assembly.