Union News

Early this year, Agatha Threatt ’18 (BLS) was making a home visit when the moment all social workers dread occurred. Threatt was calling on the parents of a 6-year-old boy, investigating a report received by the Department of Social Services, when a fight broke out.

The moment was tense, the altercation spilling out into the front yard of the apartment. Threatt, ever vigilant after years of home visits, hurriedly rushed the boy out the back door, where the pair waited anxiously. She didn’t know it at the time, but one of the parties had pulled out a gun.

“I just felt like I needed to do something when the fight broke out,” she says, “just because you never know, and the people still had access to come in the house. I never know if there’s a weapon involved. They’re fighting. I don’t know these people. I’m going to make sure I’m safe, and I’m going to make sure the kid is safe.”

Threatt calmed the child, who was repeatedly calling for his mother. She redirected his attention to trees and plants and other items in the small back yard, asking him questions to get his mind off the situation. All the while, she scanned her environment for a possible escape route, should the altercation escalate further.

The police eventually showed up to defuse the situation, and Threatt took the child back to her office at DSS. “Because that incident happened while I was out there, there was no way the child could stay in the home,” she says. Threatt had to make temporary living arrangements for him and his siblings, who weren’t in the apartment at the time of the altercation. By the time she made it home, it was close to 11 p.m.

Despite the late night, Threatt kept advocating for the child. She got up the next morning and picked the boy up to take him to school, since his elderly grandmother didn’t have a car. She even went into the school to sign him up for a bus route.

Because of Threatt’s quick thinking, Union County surprised her with its Caught in the Act award, which goes to Union County government employees who go the extra mile while on duty.

“Not only did Agatha help a child in need during a dangerous situation, but she continued to go above and beyond to ensure their safety and well-being after the fact,” said Interim County Manager Brian Matthews. “She is an excellent example of the qualities we seek in our employees, and we applaud her for going the extra mile to help a child in need.”

It was a typical act of selflessness and service from Threatt, who has long had a servant’s heart. As early as the eighth grade, she wanted to run her own homeless shelter, a dream that persists to this day. In fact, it’s why she went back to Wingate as an adult to get her bachelor’s degree in human services and become a social worker.

Wingate’s Bachelor of Liberal Studies program, which gives adult learners an opportunity for a four-year degree, helped Threatt make the switch to social work after nearly two decades in banking. She was inspired by her Wingate professors, especially Dr. Charlesa Hann, interim dean of the Thayer School of Education, who spent years as a social worker before moving into higher education.

“Hearing some of the experiences she had out in the field, and the things I learned in class,” Threatt says, “I knew that even though I couldn’t get my homeless shelter going right now, I could still use my degree to help families.”

After graduation, Threatt initially worked as a social worker in South Carolina before being hired as a senior social worker with Union County DSS in August of 2022. The work is helping her grasp the challenges that people in unfortunate circumstances face.

“I felt like once I understood families, I would understand the homeless population more,” she says. “I thought that working with DSS would open my eyes to some of the problems and some of the reasons that people are homeless.”

Threatt approaches the homeless problem with empathy and understanding.

“Most people think that people are homeless because they don’t want to work or because they are alcoholics or drug users,” she says. “That may be part of the population, but most of the homeless are working people that lost their jobs and didn’t have a lot in their savings, or they have kids and they can’t go to other family members’ houses because they have their own families. A lot of it is dealing with mental health.

“I feel like everybody deserves a second chance. And I feel like we are all just a paycheck away from being homeless.”

Threatt offers up Turning Point, the battered-women’s shelter in Monroe, as a good example of a facility that keeps people from living on the street when things go south, though there are others in Monroe and Union County, including the Community Shelter. But, she says, these can house only so many people.

The homeless problem is magnified by Union County’s growth over the past two decades.

“We’re building all of these new communities, but we need something for people who fall on hard times,” Threatt says. “Even if it’s a program where you stay here six months to a year until you find a job or get back on your feet.”

But running her own shelter is still a distant goal. For now, Threatt is happy making life better for children as a social worker, despite the potential dangers involved.

“I enjoy helping people and making sure our kids are safe,” she says. “I’m a voice for them.”

Be a difference-maker yourself by supporting the Annual Fund or another area of campus during One Day, One Dog. Contact Brittany Peper, with the Office of Advancement, or give here, and be sure to show your support during One Day, One Dog, on March 30.

Original source can be found here.