About Us

To help address hunger and homelessness in Alamance County, Allied Churches of Alamance County, Inc. (ACAC) maintains an Emergency Shelter, Empowerment Center and a Community Kitchen (Joe's Diner) to meet the basic needs of shelter guests and community members. ACAC's Food Service programs are free of charge and open to all who are hungry, without restriction. The programs work to help prevent homelessness for community members who are forced to choose between paying their bills and feeding themselves or their families.

ACAC’s shelter is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It provides temporary shelter stays for men, women, and children, with lodging for single guests and more private spaces for families. On average, 45 people per night are housed in the ACAC Emergency Shelter. Support for shelter guests is provided in the form of specialized case management for guidance in obtaining long-term housing. ACAC works with several community partners to provide support services to shelter guests during their stay, and continued support once they have exited the shelter. Local partner agencies have helped provide mental health counseling, employment support, and other wrap-around services to ACAC’s guests.

ACAC uses coordinated intake and the Housing First model in order to appropriately house individuals in the shortest amount of time possible. RRH uses short-term strategies to help families quickly move out of homelessness and into permanent housing. These may include providing supportive services to help a household quickly secure housing, providing short-term financial and rental assistance, and addressing barriers to long-term housing stability. As the largest and only emergency shelter of its kind in the county, ACAC has taken the lead to work towards ending homelessness as we know it today. The RRH model is not only a simpler, more efficient way to address homelessness, but it is proven to work.

Organization History

Allied Churches of Alamance County (ACAC) was founded in 1982 as an interdenominational collaboration of churches united to meet the needs of the hungry, homeless, and hopeless in Alamance County, N.C. Today, ACAC provides food, shelter, and resources to all in need in its facility in downtown Burlington.

Currently, Allied Churches operates the largest shelter and meal programs in Alamance County.