Sonya Purvis

I've always been passionate about helping people - that's been my family's motto. Both of my parents are ministers, so I've been raised in a Christian background, and helping others is just something I love to do. As a housing case manager, I help the homeless population find housing and jobs, but I sometimes go the extra mile. If they need counseling for mental health, or just an ear, somebody to listen to while they vent, or whatever resources I can help or provide them with, that's what I do. On an average day, I do maybe 5 to 6 intakes, entering someone into the shelter. I'm always putting out small fires - if there's a situation with any of the residents at the shelter, I handle it. I am a case manager for a total of 40 clients right now, and 3 of them are families. I serve as their daily peer support specialist, helping them navigate through life toward self-sufficiency. My most rewarding achievement is being able to place my clients in a home, in their forever home. I want to open up new doors - I want to be able to open up my own shelter one day. As it stands right now, we only have one shelter here in Onslow County, and I would like to open up another shelter because we are in dire need for another one.