Because of this, I wasn’t going to mention that I’d seen some of my homeless friends at Center City Park. But then Clarey wrote about it in YES! Weekly, so I guess the secret’s out. Hopefully, homeless folks will be able to continue to enjoy the park, despite the Orwellian signage. If not… Well, there will be more posts. And they won’t end with one of these: 
Read more on Homeless In The Park…
Speaking at the Salvation Army National Organizations Advisory Conference in Dallas today, First Lady Laura Bush recognized Greensboro’s NightWatch street outreach program in her remarks:
For 150 years, the good men and women of the Army have served their neighbors in need…
Read more on Laura Bush Recognizes NightWatch!…
Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the Lee Street Merchants Association. I was invited by a GPD Community Resource Team sergeant, to talk to the group about the homeless folks who sleep and hang out in the Lee Street area.
Read more on Lee Street Merchants & The Homeless…
We’re driving down a busy stretch of six-lane road when we see him. He is standing on a corner, holding his sign. The traffic is heavy, so we have to circle the block and come back around. We park in the lot next to him. He watches us warily as we climb the hill and walk toward him. He holds his sign at half-mast, his eyes expressionless behind his dark sunglasses, but his body language making clear his unease at our approach.
A local pastor’s blog, links to a post about panhandling on Internet Monk.com, entitled: “Question: Should I give money to people on the street who ask for it?” The post focuses on the need for stewardship on resources; Paul’s teaching that if a man doesn’t work, he shouldn’t eat; and the problem of aggressive panhandling. The writer concludes that we shouldn’t give money to panhandlers. And I agree. But there’s more to the story.
Read more on Giving Is About More Than Money…
I found another blog about homelessness today: “Today at the Mission: Daily Life in a Homeless Shelter.”
An excerpt:
“…The Tiny Mom Lady meets me at the kitchen door and tells me that there’s a guy in the dining room who had been convicted of molesting her daughter. I explain to her that as long as he’s well-behaved here, there’s not much I can do about it. They decide to leave and I can’t say I blame them.”
Read more on Today at the Mission…
At “Homeless Man Speaks,” Tony says:
“So last night I was up at The Local, and this woman I’ve never seen before just asks me if I want anything…”
I often sign emails, comments and posts with the word “peace.” But after attending yesterday’s anti-war rally with Cindy Sheehan and World Can’t Wait, and counter-rally by the veterans’ group Gathering of Eagles, I’m realizing that “peace” means different things to different people.
Read more on Blood-Bought Peace…
Ever wondered what it would be like to be homeless? How you’d spend your days? What it would be like to sleep in a homeless shelter? Hundreds of thousands of people in our country experience this reality every day.
Read more on A Day in the Life…
Notes from the state homeless conference, 04/10/07:
San Diego Police Department’s Serial Inebriate Program attempts to stop the “revolving door” (detox to jail to hospital to street and back) for chronically homeless alcoholics. The SIP strategy is to convict on criminal charges (drunk in public/disorderly conduct) and then provide treatment and housing in lieu of jail time.
Read more on SIP: Serial Inebriate Program…
Notes from the state homeless conference, 04/10/07:
Notes from session with John Yazwinski, Executive Director, Father Bill’s Place in Quincy, Massachusetts:
Rules and regulations in homeless shelters don’t work for many people with significant mental illness or serious substance abuse issues. They’re asked to stand in line to get a meal, get a bed, take a shower. They’re asked to be on time for meals, be on time for curfew, be on time for appointments. They’re asked to sleep in a room with 50-100 other people. Meanwhile, they’re supposed to “pull themselves together.” This is a difficult task for anyone, and can be an impossible task for people with significant mental illness and substance abuse issues.
Read more on Housing First: What Works…
Notes from the state homeless conference, 04/10/07:
He had a home, a family, two cars and job making $60K a year. Then he got divorced and lost his job. The loss of his family and his life led to depression and alcohol use that made him unemployable. He lived from place to place and went from job to job. Eventually he went from shelter to shelter.
Read more on Homeless Stories: Mike…