Community Change Initiative

Students in Soc 309 hard at work at Fresh Brewed Coffee House

Students in SOC 309 toured Nardmoor today! What an amazing place for veterans! Nardmoor gives veterans a safe place to stay and regroup while they work on moving to their next life stage. Thank you Kimberly Pike for the tour and allowing students to help out for awhile!

Our students and interview participants are amazing!

CCU students talk with people experiencing homelessness at Myrtle Beach coffee shop Coastal Carolina University students are getting a firsthand look at homelessness on the Grand Strand by sitting down for direct conversations.

From June 1, 2024 to August 31, 2024 727 people were arrested for crimes associated with homelessness (trespassing, loitering, public intoxication, camping, sleeping, etc). During that same time period in 2026 there were 879 arrests.

If Horry County had an emergency shelter, law enforcement would have more time to work on things other than arresting people who have nowhere else to go.

We have been studying homelessness in Myrtle Beach for a decade in order to better advocate for services for people who are homeless and to break down stereotypes. At each step of the way, we have involved our students in the research process so that, as future leaders, they can be more informed. Below is a summary of our findings. You can see the full report as well as updates on the work we are doing at:https://www.coastal.edu/media/2024siteassets/contentassets/documents/CCIHomelessnessResearchReport-HorryCounty2016-2026.pdf

Key Findings in structured interview data

• Emergency shelter capacity is limited, and CCI participants repeatedly describe remaining outside when an emergency bed is unavailable or when existing program requirements do not fit their circumstances.

• Homelessness and employment frequently overlap. In the 2016-2026 structured interview dataset, 108 of 338 respondents with completed employment data (32.0%) were working, while 212 of 312 respondents with completed housing-search data (67.9%) were actively seeking housing.

• Housing barriers are not limited to lack of income. Participants describe high housing costs, seasonal or unstable employment, deposits, identification and documentation problems, transportation, disability and health limitations, criminal records, and long waits for housing assistance or an available unit.

• Health and functional limitations are common in the 2016-2026 interview records. Among completed responses, 120 of 163 were coded with a disability indicator, 77 of 155 with a breathing/lifting/walking limitation, and 206 of 295 with a mental-health indicator.

• Participants repeatedly identify showers, laundry, bathrooms, secure storage, a reliable mailing address, phone charging, transportation, and clear information about where to obtain help as practical needs while they remain unhoused.

• The qualitative data describe substantial use of public and semi-public spaces for resting, sleeping, transportation, communication, and access to services. Participants also describe being moved, cited, or arrested in those spaces and being identified as homeless because of backpacks or visible belongings.

• Women, people with disabilities, people with significant health or behavioral-health needs, people who are working, people without identification, people with criminal records, and people seeking shelter in Conway appear repeatedly in the research as groups for whom available options may not adequately fit their circumstances.

• The 2026 interviews reinforce earlier findings about restrictive shelter schedules, transportation delays, gendered concerns about shower access, difficulty obtaining medication, public-space displacement, and the importance of services that people can use without first meeting multiple program conditions.

They got most of it right....The entire class is immersion based, not just today. Students love it. Thanks Kate Curran and Matthew Moody!
Coastal Carolina students hear firsthand homelessness story at Myrtle Beach coffeehouse

Coastal Carolina students hear firsthand homelessness story at Myrtle Beach coffeehouse 13 Coastal Carolina University students stepped out of the classroom for a firsthand look at what it can mean to experience homelessness, meeting with a man who

Soc 309 received a visit from Matt Matthew Moody and a WPDE reporter at Fresh Brewed Coffee House today! These students are doing amazing work.

Students were thrilled to visit and help out ECHOs donation center today! Thanks for having us!

The Jersey Girls always seem to know when we are running short on supplies! Thanks to them we get to keep helping others!