More hungry and homeless in Greensboro?

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.