- December 4, 2025
Roy Young first came to Halifax Urban Ministries as a volunteer in the kitchen.
A kitchen that feeds about 400 people a day, Young was ready to get to work. He asked to be first in line to help plate up the entree, and while the chef agreed to his request, she had one of her own: First, they all needed to pray.
"It changed me," Young said. "It changed my whole take on what we're doing here, the fact that this is really God's work and we ask for his guidance, and we thank him for the ability to work hard and to take care of other people. All of the sudden, I wasn't working in the kitchen. I was feeding people."
Young was hired as HUM's new executive director in late July. A resident of Ormond Beach, Young is a member of St. James Episcopal Church, where he also serves as their church's secretary.
He comes to HUM, a nonprofit that works to address food and housing needs for residents in Volusia and Flagler counties, with two decades of nonprofit experience, working for the preservation of historic sites including Mount Vernon, George Washington's historic estate; Fallingwater, a Frank Lloyd Wright property in Pennsylvania; and Montpelier, the historic home of the fourth U.S. President James Madison.
Most recently, Young worked for Seniors Helping Seniors, providing companion care to a local veteran.
HUM is the first faith-based nonprofit for which Young has worked.
The biggest difference from his past leadership work, he said, is the fact that as HUM's executive director, he's driven by his desire to serve God.
"I really believe and feel it's been a calling to come here," Young said.
In July, he learned that HUM was still on the search for a new director during a board meeting, also known as a vestry meeting, at his church. The previous director, Buck James, had retired in December 2024, and the organization had been looking for his replacement for a long time.
Young thought to himself, "I could do that."
"I thought, 'Maybe this makes sense,'" he recalled. "Maybe God has put me in the right place and even trained me. So, I interviewed."
And he got the job.
Now at the helm of the nonprofit, Young said he wants to make sure that as the organization grows, they continue to empower people — from those they serve, to the volunteers and staff that help their mission.
Plus, he seeks to raise awareness of their services in hopes of raising more funds to be able to expand programs.
HUM grew slowly since its start in 1981, he said.
"And now we have strong staff, a strong foundation, a strong model, and now we need to increase awareness and finances, so we can share that," Young said. "Maybe across the world. Maybe across the U.S. Maybe across the state. But, it's working."
In the future, he would love to construct another sheltering facility to help more people, particularly those who are released from the hospital without somewhere to go.
HUM is currently developing a new strategic plan, which will guide the nonprofit for its next three to five years.
One of Young's long-term goals is to see a shift in their funding model: He'd like to see it go to a 50/50 split between grants and private funding. Currently, 75% of the organization is funded through grants, he said, with 93 cents to the dollar of that money going directly to programs and services for individuals.
Getting out in the community and sharing HUM's mission will be the fun part for him, Young said.
"It's going to be about people-ing," he said. "It's going to be about loving up everybody that's in front of me and spreading the word, and then asking that critical question: How would you like to invest in your community?"
To learn more about HUM, visit halifaxurbanministries.org.
