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SAMHSA SOAR

North Carolina

Select a New State

Please select your state to view information and contacts for SOAR in your state. While there is SOAR activity in every state, there are not SOAR services available in every community.

State Information

North Carolina SOAR State Team

State Team Lead(s):

  • Adriana Diaz
    Email: soar@ncceh.org
    Phone: 919-755-4393 x5030

TA Center Liaison:

  • Sametra Polkah-Toe
    Email: spolkahtoe@prainc.com
    Phone: (518) 439-7415 x5107

SOARing in North Carolina

The North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness (NCCEH) currently contracts with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to implement the SOAR program in North Carolina. Visit the NC SOAR Program website. The SOAR State Team Lead for the project can be reached at the email provided above.

NCCEH posts resources for caseworkers, information for communities, state outcomes, and other information for SOAR caseworkers and organizations on its website. You can also find active SOAR-trained caseworkers across the state on NCCEH’s website. If there is not a SOAR caseworker listed in your county, please contact the SOAR State Team Lead.
 
The NC SOAR Process explanation and supporting documents are posted on a password-protected page of the NCCEH website. SOAR caseworkers will be able to gain access to these pages after completing all training requirements.
 
SOAR Dialogue Groups:  Are you a trained SOAR caseworker in North Carolina?  If so, join the NC SOAR Dialogue Group!  During these monthly calls, SOAR-trained caseworkers from across the state join virtually to learn from SOAR staff, as well as each other. We provide updates on the SOAR process, receive training from local speakers, and seek peer support from one another. To join, please find the next SOAR dialogue call on our calendar.
 
Community Work Groups: As communities across North Carolina begin to implement strategic SOAR initiatives, many of them have started local SOAR Work Groups. These Work Groups meet regularly to address barriers to completing SOAR cases and linking homeless applicants to SSI/SSDI benefits. SOAR Work Groups can also work toward the NC SOAR Community Certification. To connect to your community’s SOAR Work Group or to see how to get one started, please email the SOAR State Team Lead.

Expectations of Participation in SOAR

In order to submit SOAR applications in North Carolina, all providers must complete training:

Complete the SOAR Online Course.  Once you have passed the course, the national SOAR TA Center will alert you and the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness (NCCEH).  A member of our NCCEH staff will then be in touch with North Carolina-specific SOAR information to review and a short quiz to ensure that you know how to complete SOAR cases in our state.  Once NCCEH staff approves your quiz responses, you will be ready to complete cases in North Carolina!
 
Please contact the SOAR State Team Lead if you have any questions about training.

Expectations of SOAR-trained Caseworkers

The NC SOAR program serves individuals who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. The SOAR process cannot be used for individuals who are currently stably housed. If you have questions about whether an applicant is eligible for SOAR, please contact the SOAR State Team Lead.
 
NC SOAR caseworkers cannot take fees for their cases. SOAR applicants need to retain benefits in order to move into housing. Any SOAR caseworker who takes fees for SOAR cases will risk access to the SOAR process in North Carolina.  If you would like more information about how SOAR casework and dedicated SOAR caseworker positions are funded in the state, please contact the SOAR State Team Lead.

Outcomes Tracking

All SOAR caseworkers are required to submit SOAR outcomes in order to track data in our state. North Carolina transitioned to using the OAT system in fiscal year 21-22. Caseworkers are welcome to contact the SOAR State Team Lead with any questions about using OAT.

Local Leads:

  • Michelle Armstrong-Lavine
    Charlotte, NC
    Email: Michelle.Armstrong-Lavine@Mecklenburgcountync.gov
    Phone: 980-224-9258

  • Jeff Burns
    Gastonia, NC
    Email: jefbrns63@gmail.com
    Phone:

  • Sheila Crump
    Charlotte, NC
    Email: sheila.crump@mecklenburgcountyNC.gov
    Phone: 980-314-8928

  • Marlene Davis
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Email: marlenedg@cityofws.org
    Phone: 743-649-0734

  • Darren DuBose
    Charlotte, NC
    Email: darren.dubose@mecklenburgcountync.gov
    Phone: 910-523-6262

  • Shereka Floyd
    Winston Salem, NC
    Email: sherekaf@cityofws.org
    Phone: 743-649-0734

  • Cynthia Isler
    Charlotte, NC
    Email: cynthia.isler@mecklenburgcountync.gov
    Phone: 980-314-6025

  • Charita McCollers
    Durham, NC
    Email: Charita.McCollers@duke.edu
    Phone: 919-808-5643

  • Natasha Posey
    Raleigh, NC
    Email: PoseyN@southlight.org
    Phone: 919-793-3502

  • Alicia Price-Blanks
    Greensboro, NC
    Email:
    Phone: 336-370-1501

  • Princess Smith
    Cary, NC
    Email:
    Phone: 919-937-7184

  • Sara Varnado
    Charlotte, NC
    Email: svarnado@roofabove.org
    Phone: 704-868-1242

  • Daphne Waugh
    Charlotte, NC
    Email: daphne.waugh@mecklenburgcountync.gov
    Phone: 704-534-5775

State Events

Events List

No Events currently exist for this state.

State Jobs

  • SOAR Benefits Specialist

    The SOAR Benefits Specialist will assist individuals in applying for Social Security disability benefits using the SOAR model.

    The SOAR Benefits Specialist must be able to work in the community and be comfortable meeting displaced individuals where they are. This position requires at least 2 years of experience working directly with displaced individuals who have a serious mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorders.

    SouthLight Healthcare
    Location:

    Raleigh, NC
    United States

    Job Type:
    Full-time

    Close Date:
    30 Apr 2025
    Type:
    State Jobs
    Date:
    Full-time

State Documents

Filename Description
SOAR Referral 2024 (With Release).docx Mecklenburg SOAR Referral Form

Success Stories

  • Gaining Freedom in North Carolina

    Published Date: 19 Dec 2024

    The following SOAR success story was submitted by Michelle Armstrong-Lavine, a SOAR-trained practitioner and SOAR Local Lead from Mecklenburg County CJS Forensic Evaluations Unit in Charlotte, North Carolina.