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Via email, from Partnering to End Chronic Homelessness:

The United Way of Greater High Point, is holding their Annual Toy Drive for Homeless and Foster Care children. Financial and toy donations should be sent or delivered to the United Way of Greater High Point office, located at 201 Church Street in High Point, or the management office at Oak Hollow Mall by August 31st.

Your gift will make a difference in the lives of homeless children and those living in foster care and shelters throughout Guilford County. Thank you for helping us help them.

Read more on Donate toys for homeless kids in High Point…

A couple of days ago, I wrote a post about the reaction to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ plans to give free movie tickets and bus passes to homeless people during the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Denver. The next day, I received an email through my web site’s contact form, which begins:

Read more on Post about the DNC and Denver’s homeless gets a response…

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless says that free movie tickets and bus tokens won’t be used to hide Denver’s homeless during the upcoming Democratic National Convention, but will instead be offered as “an escape from the heat or the activities of the convention or the security procedures.”

Read more on The DNC & Denver’s homeless: hiding or helping?…

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.”
– Og Mandino

This is for friends who are going through some valleys right now, and for those of us who need a little rest and healing. And for you, too, if you need it. Peace.

Read more on darkness and light…

A few days ago, I wrote a post in response to a News & Record story about Mark Hoffman, a mentally ill homeless man who used to sit on a bench near a church in Greensboro, but now sits on a bench by a church in Catonsville, Maryland — his hometown.

Read more on The “worthy” homeless…

Sometime in May, a homeless man named Mark Hoffman left his park bench near Friendly Shopping Center and Centenary United Methodist Church in Greensboro. His absence caused much concern to the many people who had grown accustomed to seeing him over the years, sitting on “his” bench or attending services at the church or visiting a restaurant at the shopping center. Like other folks involved in homeless outreach, I hoped to hear that Mark was OK, wherever he was. His daughter Kimberly wanted more. After reading of his disappearance in the paper, she longed to see her dad again.

Read more on You can go home again: Kimberly finds her dad…

Random thoughts and updates for this week:

1.) I’m very thankful for the “housing first” initiative that is moving chronically homeless people from the street to permanent housing, but… I’m growing increasingly frustrated with the all-too-frequent staff and program changes among community support providers, as well as the limitations of available mental health services. (I know — money, money, money — but still…) Giving chronically homeless people an apartment is great, but being homeless isn’t the root problem — it’s a symptom of other problems. How do we define “success?” More homeless people in apartments than on the streets? Or more lives transformed? (I know how I define it…)

Read more on July 10th news update: homelessness, day center, cops and more…

In an ideal world, we’d all do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. But this is the real world, and sometimes people need incentives. Jehan Benton, director of Guilford County’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, talks to the N&R’s Joe Killian:

Read more on Making an economic case for housing the homeless…