Our Story

Beginnings (2013-2015)

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 Snug Harbor Transitional Apartments. A fourth shelter, Myrtle Beach Haven, was added in in August 2015 as New Directions for Families. By streamlining the services of these formerly independent agencies, greater efficiency and effective help became available and a more comprehensive approach to helping the homeless in Horry County was born.

Back To Work, Back To Life Program (2016)

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.

Expansion of our Partnerships (2016-2020)

After developing Back To Work, Back To Life, we began adding program partnerships and initiatives to directly address the top barriers our clients face in their journey out of homelessness. In 2016, in partnership with the City of Myrtle Beach, we began a Peer Support Program, the Opioid Initiative, to help connect individuals with recovery in our community. This pilot program was later expanded into the Addiction & Recovery Outreach initiative to provide peer support specialists serving Horry & Georgetown Counties.

In 2017, Coastal Carolina University Sociology conducted a survey of our clients to identify top barriers. In response to the second highest reported barrier -transportation- CCU Sociology began the Rolling Forward Project to establish a free bike library at our Men’s Shelter. This program has since expanded to our Women’s Shelter and Snug Harbor Transitional Apartment Facility.

In 2019, two initiatives were added, addressing legal issues and mental illness. Homeless Court, a voluntary diversion program through the City of Myrtle Beach Municipal Court, was established in March 2019 to help clients resolve charges within the city limits of Myrtle Beach caused by or related to homelessness.

To address mental illness, weekly on-site mental health counseling services was made available at our shelters by The Center of Counseling & Wellness, thanks to initial support from The Chapin Foundation. Today, through the United Way of Horry County’s Breaking Barriers program, the Center for Counseling & Wellness continues to provide free on-site, out-patient, mental health, and substance use disorder counseling services to the homeless, uninsured, underinsured, low to moderate-income, and rural population of Horry County.

In 2020, our pilot peer support program, the Opioid Initiative, was expanded into the Addiction & Recovery Outreach Initiative (ARO) through a two year $500k DHHS funds awarded through the City of Myrtle Beach. Through ARO, we increased our efforts provide peer support and recovery outreach to both Horry and Georgetown Counties, in addition to increasing recovery services within our shelters.

Development of the Pathways Program & Completion of the Men’s Shelter 2nd Floor

In early 2021, as the result of the expanded peer support program through ARO, 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 clients change their mindset by teaching them how to live again while addressing issues and helping them develop a toolkit of resources for life beyond the shelter.

Along with pivoted programming, we completed a major capital project in 2021 - the completion of our Men’s Shelter 2nd Floor. This long-awaited expansion added a new dormitory, bathrooms, storage, beds, and living area for 50 men, increasing our bed capacity from 90 to 140.

Expansion of Services to the Chronically Homeless

Increasing numbers of homeless along with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the need for a heightened focus on serving the chronically homeless and in 2021 we added two new services to assist this population. Through Essentials Emergency Stay, homeless men who are not yet ready to be a part of a program can still receive a safe night of shelter. Our goal is to help ease the transition between unsheltered and sheltered homelessness for those who are service-resistant, ultimately making them more comfortable with a shelter environment and open to being a part of a life-changing program like Pathways. Learn More

In April of 2021, we incorporated a laundry and shower facility (located on our Men’s Shelter campus) to add a Walk-in Center for unsheltered homeless. This facility not only provides basic hygiene needs, but is a safe, and welcoming environment for homeless to be during the day. In January 2022, we added case management services to help these clients with ID’s, employment and housing searches, benefits navigation, and referrals to medical, mental health, and other resources.

From Fiscal Years 2014 – 2023, New Directions has served over 10,019 Men, Women, and Children, 598 Families through 559,360 nights of shelter and over 547,000 meals, empowering 4,245 Individuals, 469 Families to secure a positive solution to homelessness through permanent housing, reuniting with family, or placement in long-term recovery. We look forward to helping even more families and individuals recover from homelessness, poverty, and addiction because for those in crisis, at New Directions, Hope Starts Here.