Far: 700 children are among the homeless folks who call LA’s Skid Row “home.” One of those kids made a documentary about it. See his story here.
Near: Preliminary numbers from HPCGC’s annual homeless count indicate that the number of homeless children in Guilford County schools has gone up considerably since last year. A full report is due Feb. 9th.
Read more on Homeless Kids: Far & Near…
The News & Record has an editorial today about homelessness and the upcoming Housing Summit. Cool. 
Caveat:
“On Wednesday volunteers began their annual census of the homeless population in the county. They‘ll reveal most of the specifics at a Feb. 9 retreat.”
Read more on “No place like home”…
Today, the Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County (HPCGC), of which I’m a member, did our annual Point in Time Count of those who are experiencing homelessness in our community. We counted at shelters and soup kitchens, day labor agencies and libraries, under bridges and in the woods, in the schools, and more.
Read more on We Count Because They Count…
Go to WFMY’s web site (this page) to see an article and news footage from today’s Point in Time Count of the Homeless. Or click here for just the video. (WMV file)
Read more on Video From Homeless Count…
While crime is down nationally, attacks on the homeless are increasing – dramatically. Michael Stoops, of the National Coalition for the Homeless, spoke to reporters in the wake of recent violence in Florida. Two homeless men were badly beaten and one was killed by teenagers with baseball bats. Stoops notes:
Read more on Attacks on Homeless Rise…
The Winston Salem Ledger has a good post about their city’s Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. Guilford County has just begun our own Ten Year Plan process, and the task force will be announced by city and county leaders in February.
Read more on Housing the Homeless: Helping or Enabling? Merciful or Money-saving?…
Driving down Lee Street yesterday, running the Tate Street lunch choices through my mind and thinking about who I should call to join me.
A sudden and not-uncommon swarm of blue lights and black uniforms commandeers the sidewalk and right lane. Men are detained, mouths move, heads shake, worlds collide, viewed through my windshield, just another day…
Read more on Surviving the Street: $6.00 an Hour Plus Dignity…
Jesus Christ provokes a response from people. And so does following Jesus.
Jesus said:
“Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake.” Luke 6:22
Read more on Response, Rejection, Truth & Love…
I’m feeling subdued on this MLKJ Day, as our town is once again in the midst of strife and division that touches all of us. Some in the blog world have chosen inflammatory rhetoric, while others, thankfully, seek to inform or to encourage.
I just returned from a celebration at Greensboro Urban Ministry’s (GUM) Partnership Village Community Building. HUD Field Director Ed Ellis handed over a huge cardboard check ($78,000 worth) to GUM Executive Director Rev. Mike Aiken, and also announced grants totaling $1.265 million to nine member agencies of the Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County (HPCGC).
The National Coalition for the Homeless has released a list of the “20 Meanest Cities” in the U.S. for the homeless. This list was issued in conjunction with a report entitled, “A Dream Denied: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities,” which tracks this growing trend in America. Read more here.
Read more on “Meanest Cities” for the Homeless…
YES! Weekly’s Jordan Green has written a “from their perspective” account of life for Greensboro’s homeless folks. You can read it online here, but I recommend that you pick up a copy so that you don’t miss any of the photos.
Read more on “Down & Out In Greensboro”…