Tell The Sun News’ housing and homelessness reporter what you want covered

Hello, Grand Strand!

I’m Mary Norkol, your new housing and homelessness reporter at The Sun News.

To say I’m covering housing and homelessness would be accurate, sure. But in reality that’s only scratching the surface.

In order to understand the housing crisis in Horry County and tell the stories that matter to you, our readers, I have to understand more than that. So, yes, I’ll be covering housing and homelessness. But in order to bring you the best coverage possible, I’ll be researching education, substance abuse, affordability, incarceration, faith organizations, racism and more in relation to housing and homelessness.

When I tell people I’m a reporter, I see them nod and smile, or even commend me, saying “We need good journalists these days.” But I also see them struggle to understand what that really means.

So here’s what it means: I, and the other talented reporters at The Sun News, are here to find compelling and important stories here on the Grand Strand and communicate them to you, our readers. To do that, we sift through government documents, make countless phone calls and research, research, research. We write draft after draft and ask millions of questions. Most of all, we listen.

So consider this your invitation to reach out. I’m here to tell your stories.

If you’ve noticed something you think is interesting, send me an email at mnorkol@thesunnews.com and let’s have a conversation. You can also fill out this form to tell me about your experience with housing in Horry County.

It’s been a whirlwind of a year, to say the least. And it’s only June.

As I mentioned, housing and homelessness is the name of the beat. But so much more goes into that.

Here are some of the topics I’m getting ready to dive into:

• COVID-19: The pandemic has touched every aspect of our “normal” lives. How has it revealed problems in the housing system? What comes next?

• Addiction and substance abuse: Why does homelessness often go hand-in-hand with addiction? How are local institutions treating the relationship between the two?

• Rent prices: How do Horry County rent prices fit in with the job market? Is it possible for young professionals to sustain themselves here?

• Local government: How are local officials approaching the housing crisis and homeless population?

These are all questions I’m dedicated to answering. And if I can’t find an answer, I’ll let you know what I do know. That’s how good reporting works.

See something I’m missing? I can’t stress this enough: Let me know.

I want to be clear on this: I’m not just covering these problems — I’m also covering potential solutions. I’ll look into steps taken by the city, housing organizations, employers, individuals and more to find what works, and what doesn’t.

The objective of this position is to produce journalism that will serve the community, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.