This is what I’m doing for my birthday:
I just have to decide which of the many homeless helping organizations to choose as the receiver. Maybe I’ll just make a list. That whole “it’s better to give than receive” thing? I’ve definitely discovered that it’s so, so true. I never want to live any other way.
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From Mike Aiken, executive director, Greensboro Urban Ministry:
The Greensboro Urban Ministry Board of Directors approved the start-up of a new program, Beyond Pathways, and the establishment of a new fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, thanks to the receipt of a nearly $1 million bequest from the estate of Nancy Richmond Hudson.
Tina Firesheets’ excellent article about Greensboro’s Food Not Bombs is called “Community Cuisine,” and I love the title! My church has a weekly “community dinner” for the homeless (because it’s for the “community”), but Food Not Bombs really models what it means to build community with their three times weekly dinners and free-food distribution program.
Read more on Food Not Bombs: Modeling community, a meal at a time…
Downtown churches are launching a new dinner ministry for those in need on Tuesday evenings, beginning in July:
Prayer and worship | Free hot dinner | Unlimited hope
HOT DISH AND HOPE ON GREENE STREET
Read more on Hot Dish and Hope on Greene Street…
“A homeless man was assaulted and robbed in broad daylight Monday afternoon along West Florida Street, police said. At 5:22 p.m., Greensboro police responded to the intersection of West Florida and Luray Drive. Lt. Brian James said a man walking down the street was robbed and struck in the head with ’some type of blunt object.’” » continue reading on News-Record.com
West Florida Street is a heavily traveled road, and it intersects with Luray Drive at Smith Homes, a large public housing community where there are typically a number of people (including children) outside, on patios and sidewalks. And 5:22 p.m. is a peak traffic time for commuters. To attack and rob a man in the street at that time of day strikes me as a fairly bold act.
Read more on Bold attack on homeless man on Florida Street…
Amanda Lehmert at the News & Record writes about the efforts of homeless residents, advocates, politicians and providers to create a homeless day center in Greensboro. City Council member Dianne Bellamy-Small, Liz Seymour and Tim Hutchinson from Food Not Bombs, Jehan Benton from Partnering to End Homelessness, and I discussed with Amanda our convergent hopes for the day center: providing basic amenities and services, building community, connecting homeless people with resources, and transitioning them to another way of life.
Read more on Council to consider setting aside $200K for homeless day center…
I had lunch today with one of the friends who helped with the homeless camp cleanup this weekend. She told me that as we bagged up hundreds of empty 40 ounce beer bottles, she was hit by the reality of “where the money goes.” Most of the guys who stay in that camp fly signs. She said she didn’t think that people would give money to panhandlers if they knew the money was going to buy drugs and alcohol. I guess it didn’t occur to me that people don’t already know that.
Read more on Panhandling: Where the money goes…
In this article about a local homeless man who left town, a homeless service provider said:
“Most true homeless are disabled — especially mentally. They don’t hold up a sign.”
I think she was saying that the majority of unsheltered homeless people are not standing on street corners holding “homeless — please help” signs. And that’s very true. But I’ve had people (mostly people who don’t actually know any homeless people) tell me that “those people” with the signs aren’t really homeless — they’re professionals. Well, not the ones I know.
Read more on The “signs” of homelessness…
When I go and speak to groups about homelessness, one of the first questions I’m asked is:
“Do you know that guy on the bench at Friendly?”
His name is Mark, and he’s been called “the true face of homelessness” and “the most visible homeless person in Greensboro.” For residents who live, work or shop on the northwest side of town and don’t frequent the areas of the city that many chronically homeless people do, Mark’s may be the only “homeless face” they know. But now, that face is gone.
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After talking to a cop friend earlier this week, I found out that the camp of some homeless friends needed cleaning. So the NightWatch team spent a few hours in the woods this afternoon. To protect privacy and anonymity, we don’t usually take photos. But I did take a little “before and after” picture of one small area of the camp:
Read more on Homeless camp clean-up…
“This is not a sad story, this is a fairy tale. You better know it.”
Joseph’s House is saving our sons from the street. Visit Joseph’s House online. Donate online to support the work of Joseph’s House, and help Miss Nancy save our sons and daughters.
Read more on Joseph’s House: Saving our sons from the street…
A friend has this quote on his Facebook:
“Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth. Most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about their business as if nothing had happened.”*
Read more on stumbling past the truth…