For Georgetown resident Sarchell Laurimore, helping others comes naturally. In his general store, folks from across the county come in for a quick bite to eat and a smile. But it wasn't long ago Laurimore was a homeless man living in New York.
"It was tough out there." says Laurimore. "I remember sleeping in movie theaters, cars, abandoned buildings, and trains. Any place you can think of, I slept there."
Now 49, Laurimore grew up in the New York foster system. When he turned 16, he set off to live in the streets, even bouncing in and out of jail if he had to.
"You have to be smart to survive, like doing a petty crime to spend the winter months in jail because you didn't want to have to sleep in the cold."
After being helped by mentors in homeless shelters, Laurimore decided to turn things around.
"It was then that I realized that I wasn't alone. I used to feel like I had this big weight on my shoulders and once I got that off, I knew I couldn't live on the streets and homeless forever."
Now this Georgetown businessman is a part of a group that wants to bring a homeless shelter to Georgetown County.
"I know people say they don't want a shelter by them because of the people it might bring. But this isn't a landfill or anything. It's not like we're recycling trash here. This place is recycling human beings back into working class."
Deana Cooper, a case worker for Helping Hands of Georgetown and founder of Patience, Love, and Care Homeless Initiative for Georgetown County, heads up the group advocating the shelter. She hopes with the help of Laurimore's testimonies, Georgetown County officials will start to listen.
"The homeless in Georgetown live under bridges and under trees." says Cooper. "We want all the county officials to understand that we can't keep turning our backs on this problem."
In 2009, she says, 667 Georgetown residents lived in Housing and Urban Development housing or were homeless. "With the economy like it is now, people are having trouble paying their light bills, let alone their mortgages or rent."
"It's bigger than just me or one person." says Laurimore. "It's like that a-ha moment. Giving back to someone who might have just had a bad break or down on their luck is why someone helped me out. I want to pay it forward and let these men and women know that someone cares about them, and they are not alone."
Helping Hands of Georgetown hopes to have a running shelter in the next two years.
