Law Enforcement and Corporate Sponsorships Help Exodus Homes Acquire State-of-the-Art Telephone System

Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman, Wal-Mart, and Voyss Solutions teamed up to help Exodus Homes by providing a state-of-the-art telephone system to the organization.

Exodus Homes, a faith-based United Way non-profit agency has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years. However, the success of their program meant that they eventually outgrew their homemade phone system. “We don’t know much about phones, but we did our best with what we could piece together from local office supply companies,” said the Reverend Reggie Longcrier, Exodus Homes Executive Director.

With no interoffice intercom and frequently unable to get an outside line, staff had become accustomed to using their cell phones as a way to do business.

Susan Smith, Assistant Executive Director, began to search for a solution to the telephone problem and was directed to Voyss Solutions, a North Carolina-based communications and IT sales and marketing company. After evaluating Exodus Homes’ needs, Voyss Solutions management developed a plan to meet the current needs of the organization and to position Exodus Homes for future growth. As part of Voyss Solutions’ corporate commitment to the communities it serves, the company donated the $7000 cost of wiring and labor. An additional $10,000 would be needed for the telephone hardware.

Sheriff Huffman, a longtime friend of the supportive housing program, then sought help from Wal-Mart. “Exodus Homes is effectively reducing crime in our area, and they are allowing folks to re-enter society better trained, better equipped, and better people,” he noted. “We were happy to be able to help a program that does so much the community,” said David Cruse, Market Manager for Wal-Mart in North Carolina. “Wal-Mart is proud to work with Exodus Homes and help support the work they do to help our neighbors in need,” Cruse added. Exodus Homes plans future fundraising activities to raise the additional funds needed.

Exodus Homes, located in Hickory, NC, is a faith-based United Way agency offering transitional and permanent supportive housing for homeless recovering addicts, alcoholics, and formerly incarcerated people returning to the community from treatment programs and prison. Exodus Homes has a comprehensive array of services to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of its residents