NEW DIRECTIONS OF HORRY COUNTY

The overarching goal of New Directions is to end homelessness, poverty, and addiction in the Grand Strand area and beyond. However, ending these crises is more than just a broad vision or effort. We work to see it happen every day, one life, one story at a time.

Working towards this ultimate goal, our other contributing goals are to:
1. Decrease the number of unsheltered homeless by increasing the availability of shelter.
2. Decrease the number of homeless episodes in our community by providing shelter and through programs designed to end homelessness.
3. Identify and address the underlying issues and barriers of those in crisis and connect them with the resources needed to end their crisis.
4. Increase both individual and collective self-sufficiency within the populations of both those at-risk of experiencing and/or currently experiencing homelessness, poverty, and addiction.
5. Fulfill the role of the crisis response to homelessness and addiction as the primary provider of shelter and peer support services to both Horry and Georgetown County.
6. Help those in crisis secure a positive solution through permanent housing, reuniting with family, or long-term recovery.

Our strategy to ending homelessness, poverty, and addiction is to help people move from crisis, to connection, to community. When life takes an unexpected turn, we stand ready to meet the most immediate and vital needs of those in crisis including shelter, meals, laundry & showers, basic needs, transportation home, and more. But beyond a safe place for those in need to lie down, rest, and regroup, we connect our clients with resources through case management and peer support, giving them the tools they need to change their circumstances. We help our clients through advocacy, goal-setting, life-coaching, reinstated legal documents, childcare placement and school enrollment, resume writing, job search assistance, training programs, disability and benefits navigation, personal growth, financial planning, and placement in detox and recovery communities.

By recognizing that each person has a different path towards taking a new direction in life - securing housing, reuniting with family, or placement in long-term recovery - our team works diligently to identify and help clients overcome barriers that may prevent them from achieving their goals.

We believe that although homelessness, poverty, and addiction are problems often caused by individual circumstances, their solutions are only found in community. And thanks to strong relationships with our partners, our clients benefit from a supportive, empowering community, filled with people and agencies dedicated to their success helping connect them with housing, mental health counseling, medical care, transportation, legal assistance, family services, and long-term recovery.

We value each person placed in our care and strive to instill the greatest gift - Hope. Hope that inspires us to move forward. Hope that carries us through difficult times. Hope that overcomes difficult circumstances. By providing basic needs, connections to resources, and the support of an empowering community, those in crisis know that at New Directions, Hope Starts Here.

Since 2013, New Directions has led the collaborative effort to assist the homeless in Horry County, SC and since 2016 we have led the effort to connect individuals with recovery solutions in both Horry and Georgetown Counties. Each year we provide approximately 60,000 nights of shelter to those in crisis and over 55,000 meals. Our staff has over 70 years combined experience in case management, nonprofit administration, and social services. In addition to a depth of experience to provide excellent service to our clients, New Directions partners with more than 90 agencies who provide services and resources to our clients. We focus on what we do well- providing basic needs, case management, peer support, and programs - and instead of duplicating services, we refer clients to agencies for services they may specialize in, such as physical and mental care, counseling, job training, life skills, legal issues, and more. Thanks to our partnerships, clients have access to an abundance of resources, all without duplication of effort.

As homelessness, poverty, and addiction has become growing issues in American society, we stand ready to assist those in need by providing shelter, a meal, basic necessities, and more, all for just $15 per person, per night. New Directions never closes, providing services 24 / 7 / 365, while saving our community over $15 MM per year.

New Directions was established in 2013 as a collaborative effort to better assist homeless, men, women, and families in our community. This effort was begun by consolidating three independent local shelters into one organization: Street Reach Ministries, a shelter for single men and women (est. 1994), LifeLine, a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence (est. 2013), and the Center for Women and Children. These shelters were reorganized and reopened under the umbrella of New Directions and became New Directions for Men, New Directions for Women, and New Directions Snug Harbor Transitional Housing respectively. A fourth shelter, Myrtle Beach Haven, was opened in 2008, and became incorporated into New Directions in August 2015 as New Directions for Families.

Shortly after reorganizing these shelters under the New Directions umbrella, the organization implemented a comprehensive program that would go beyond the fundamentals of providing shelter, meals, and basic needs, but would tackle homelessness head on. Back To Work, Back To Life was established as New Directions’ signature program to identify and address underlying issues and causes of homelessness; addiction, mental health issues, legal issues, physical health issues, transportation, displacement, and more.

In 2016, we began adding program partnerships and initiatives to directly address the top barriers our clients face in their journey out of homelessness. In partnership with the City of Myrtle Beach, we added a Peer Support Program. In 2018, Coastal Carolina University Sociology began the Rolling Forward Project to provide free bike transportation at our shelters. Homeless Court, a voluntary diversion program through the City of Myrtle Beach Municipal Court, began, holding its first session in March 2019. In 2020, our Peer Support Program (now known as ARO) to provide peer support and recovery outreach to both Horry and Georgetown Counties.

In early 2021, as the result of an expanded peer support program, we began to pivot our programming to include onsite recovery solutions. We realized that we served more than just those experiencing homelessness, but also, those experiencing poverty and addiction. The Pathways program was created to provide the core focus of Back To Work, Back To Life – addressing underlying barriers of homelessness, poverty, and addiction by connecting individuals with resources – with the 12 Step Facilitation Method recovery model. This revamped program helps teach our clients “how to live again” while addressing issues and helping them develop a toolkit of resources for life beyond the shelter.

From Fiscal Years 2014 – 2023, New Directions served over 10,019 Men, Women, and Children, 558 Families through 559,360 nights of shelter and over 504,647 meals. During that time, 4,245 Individuals, 469 Families secured a positive solution to homelessness through permanent housing, reuniting with family, or placement in long-term recovery.