In 2011, a group of local ministers and other stakeholders joined together to make a positive difference in the community. Out of that meeting came Ruth’s House, Beaufort County’s domestic violence shelter.

Now faith-based organizations are banding together again, this time under the umbrella of Beaufort County 360, a coalition of organizations and agencies formed to address issues that affect quality of life in the county. The goal is a women’s homeless shelter where none exists.

“We’re excited about the progress for that. We started meeting in the fall, and we just plowed forward. No putting it off,” said Sally Love, director of Beaufort County United Way and a member of BC 360’s homeless and housing committee.

Before that meeting, ministers and members of several churches had formulated the same idea — while Zion Shelter and Kitchen offers housing to men, there is no option for homeless women and children in Beaufort County.

“Everybody was talking separately, and what we did was bring everybody to the table and said, ‘Let’s talk about this,’” Love said.

The group approached the planning board during last night’s meeting about rezoning the area where they’ve found an ideal facility for the shelter, one with more than 8,000 square feet, space for a soup kitchen and meeting areas.

“We are putting together the bones of the plan,” said John Rebholz, a member of First Presbyterian Church and the shelter committee. “We are trying to be able to give them a vision of what we are going to look like, so we’re trying to develop that in order to stimulate interest.”

While representatives from First Presbyterian, First Christian Church, First United Methodist Church and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church are working on the initial planning, Rebholz said the committee will be reaching out to more churches once plans have solidified.

Love said that once a site for the women’s shelter has been confirmed, they’ll also be reaching out to neighbors, as well as partners in DSS, Job Link, NC Works and more to provide services for those in the shelter.

“That’s one example of bringing together as many different aspects of the community together,” Love said.

BC 360 is designed to bring forces together for collaboration, she said.

“When someone comes along who wants to do a project, what we do is connect people together and do one big project,” Love said. “It’s brought people together for a common goal. Being a collaboration, it’s more sustainable: the work’s spread out; the finances are spread out.”

While many interagency task forces have been formed in the past, this is the first that has invited faith-based organizations to participate, Love said. Moving forward, she said she hopes churches will play an instrumental part in creating a day center for the county’s homeless, who currently must find other places to go during the day until the shelter opens in the evening.