Homeless people often have everything they own in their backpacks. These backpacks were stashed near where some of my homeless friends were reading or using computers at the library yesterday afternoon.
From my on-the-street perspective, it certainly appears that hunger and homelessness are increasing in Greensboro. There are more and newer faces at free meal sites, homeless shelters and the downtown library, one of our de facto day centers. I went to Weaver House the other day looking for a homeless friend, and for the first time in years, I didn’t recognize a single face among the crowd of homeless people hanging out around the doorway and in the parking lot.
I’m hearing from homeless service providers that their numbers are up. There were problems with our county homeless count last year, resulting in an undercount, and I’m not depending on the next count for an accurate number, either. But my eyes tell me that there are more homeless and hungry people in town. And it’s apparently going to get worse before it gets better. 
I hope that the shelters and other programs can get winter plans in place before it is too late. This post makes me sad to think of an ever increasing number of people who are having to live in an enviroment that we will not even allow prisoners to live in. It really does hit me hard to think that a convicted murderer is provided for better than the kids who are forced to live on the streets.
OMG. I haven’t thought about it like that in a while. Now I’m sad, too.
I’ve already heard from my sources that there will NOT be enough winter shelter for everyone who is outside. They were over capacity last year and that’s against fire codes or building codes or something. We need some churches to step up. All those big, empty, heated church buildings. All those cold, homeless people, sleeping outside. What would Jesus do? (Not a hard question.)
Big, empty, heated, church buildings.
Cold, homeless people sleeping outside.
Are any church people reading this?
Please contact us at StreetWatchGreensboro.com if your church would like to help.
The homelessness is increasing in Greensboro and the resources that are avAilable are few.. it seems like Greensboro does not want to deal with its problems with homelessness because it does not want to be recognized as having a problem.. greensboro has a problem with its own residents acknowledging that they are more concerned with their money and hiding their closeted bones than dealing with what is a product of everyones doing if you dont agree than what have you done lately to support the homeless? just what i thought nothing…